Investing in Earthships, The Houses Made of Trash

Passive solar housing option could keep homeowners debt and guilt-free under right conditions

As Earth’s natural resources dwindle away, by-products of human society multiply. There’s more than 2.5 trillion pounds of garbage on this planet, but nothing helpful to do with it and nowhere for it to go. Regardless of how you slice it, that’s a problem for the inhabitants of this big blue marble, and right now there’s no solution in sight.

Architect Michael Reynolds took that dismal truth as a sign to create earthships, a form of passive solar housing conceived in 1980’s New Mexico. The homes can be described as passive because they require no mechanical or electrical assistance to run, and as solar because the walls, windows, and floors are designed to collect and circulate solar energy.

They are only one of many passive solar housing options, but there are a few traits about them that make earthships stand out from their competition.

For instance, they’re designed and sold solely by Reynold’s company, Earthship Biotecture, so they’re nearly impossible to find from anyone else. Other than that, one of the most special aspects of the earthship is that it’s primarily made from natural and recycled materials. Nothing is produced in order for an earthship to be built; instead, garbage and local nature are combined in innovative ways to construct a carbon footprint-free home. That might mean pounding dirt into tires, which will eventually become walls, or moulding cans into concrete, which will become structural beams, but at least it’s for a worthy cause.

David Dodge, Producer and Host of Green Energy Futures, started to cover earthships on his show after the program’s editor decided to build one. He references the Kinney Earthship—the first earthship built in oil-rich Alberta—as a sign of their potential.

“In a world where the biggest problem confronting everybody is climate change, a net zero home is the perfect answer,” says Dodge. “If you can actually build in a way that is carbon neutral, you’re going to make a huge contribution, and people are naturally concerned with increasing energy prices and carbon taxes. This is a way to protect yourself and produce viable, sustainable, clean energy well into the future at a cost that you pre-determine.”

Yet earthships are not entirely carbon neutral. Non-natural and recycled materials found in an earthship include the gasoline used to fuel back up generators, propane for stoves, and batteries for power when the sun isn’t shining. Those materials are optional, although surviving without them may reduce the inhabitants’ quality of living to nearly-primitive standards when the climate is below average, so they are very commonly stored.

Still, for anyone who has ever dreamt of living off the grid, an earthship is the golden ticket out of modern society. They are carefully designed to support a completely self-sufficient lifestyle; almost everything that is needed to live comfortably can come out of an earthship, from water and sewage to power, food, and heating.

Here’s a brief run-down of how they work: Water gathered from rain, snow, and condensation is collected on the earthship’s roof, before passing through a series of filters for drinking and washing. Grey water—used water from appliances like sinks and showers—is oxygenated and filtered before being employed to flush the household’s toilets. Then water from the toilets—referred to as blackwater—is stored in a solar-enhanced septic tank to undergo anaerobic digestion and be sent off to a leach field or planter.

An earthship’s power comes from the sun and wind using panels and turbines, but it can also be produced by deep-cycle batteries, as previously mentioned. The batteries are stored in what’s called a Power Organizing Module, complete with circuit breakers and converters, which can run kitchen, cleaning, and office appliances.

The temperature inside an earthship is regulated by the materials that constitute it; dirt-packed tires, concrete, and cans, for example. They are fantastic at absorbing heat during the day and dispersing it at night, without any electricity required. In addition, earthships are often partially in the ground, making drastic temperature changes inside less likely. Passive solar heating and cooling techniques like skylights and panels are also responsible for keeping the environment temperate in an earthship.

Last, but not least, food production could be self-sufficient for those living in an earthship. Because a large amount of land is needed to build one, having a family farm is a solid option, but only if the family in question can afford it. Many of those who live in earthships also grow food-producing plants inside the greenhouse area of their home, which is almost always included. Dwarf bananas, artichokes, eggplant, and strawberries are a few of the most popular choices for growing fruits and veggies indoors.

In summary, that could mean paying no bills ever again. Bill-free life is an idea championed by earthship enthusiasts around the world, and although it’s true that their owners wouldn’t have to give another dollar to the government if they didn’t want to, there are still expenses to be acknowledged.

For food production in particular, money has to change hands. Seeds must be bought, tended to, harvested and replanted just like how animals must be purchased, cared for, and either butchered or replaced at the end of their lifetime. Then there are normal products that everyone has to own, like toiletries, cleaning products, clothing, and readymade food and drink. The no-bill concept is partially accurate, but not quite as euphoric as it’s built up to be.

What is 100 per cent true is that an earthship keeps its owners and inhabitants away from noise, pollution, and people. Having enough land to construct an earthship promises privacy that’s impossible to get in a city or even a suburb, so they’re prime ways to settle down in retirement or enjoy a reclusive, natural lifestyle.

Alas, getting that land might not be as easy as it sounds. While Dodge testifies that building houses with three sides in the ground “helps with insulation [and] helps protect from the elements,” it may also cause “physical limitations [and] zoning issues.”

“If you’re trying to build it in a neighbourhood in a city, you can see where that could be a challenge. There are a whole bunch of bylaws around how water is used and all sorts of things, so there are potential barriers for getting the permitting for things like water and energy,” he says. The land tax paid to maintain an earthship is another drawback to owning them that is rarely spoken of.

They might not be easy to maintain or get a license for, but they are supposedly quite simple to build. When Reynolds was designing plans for his earthships, he wanted the average Joe or Jane to be able to construct them, so most people living in them helped create their home with their own hands. There are only so many people out there who are interested in spending their days outside whacking earth into tires, but those who are might find themselves building an earthship.

It’s also important to note that, although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, earthships are a little funny looking. They are usually oddly shaped and neutrally coloured, but there are ways to make them prettier. For instance, putting coloured bottles into the walls can create a translucent, vibrant mosaic to decorate the space. Wood, glass, and stone fixtures could also be chosen and affixed by the builders to their taste, and the walls can be painted to add a splash of pizazz. The physical structure of earthships is under no requirement to be traditional either, so the architect can go wild with curvy ceilings and walls if they feel the need.

All praise aside, the most prominent concern with earthships is design flaw. Prospective reasons could be the toughness of self-sustainability or the fact that they’re put together partially by amateurs, but most likely, it’s due to how heavily they rely on a mild climate. If there is heavy snowfall, harsh winds, too much or too little rain, or any other extreme weather, the earthship won’t function optimally. It might be too hot or too cold, there could be degradation of the home’s materials, and if the very elements that make it run are too far out of balance, the people inside it are essentially out of luck. Remember, these were designed in New Mexico, and only after they were tailored to the environment there did they begin to spread throughout the world.

Finally, it’s time to crunch numbers. An enormous inspiration to buy and build an earthship is the savings earned by avoiding utility bills, so the size of their initial cost is paramount.

As it turns out, the average earthship’s asking price is approximately as much as the average conventional home. The Global Model—a one bath, one bedroom house—costs around $300,000, or $225 per square foot. That number can be shrunk if the homeowners are interested in building the structure on their own, although it’s not for the weak of heart or busy of schedule.

Scott Davidson, owner of earthship construction and consultation business EcoNerds Inc., has been building them for years. Based on his experience, he believes that their overall price makes them superior to an average home.

“You have the up-front cost of a conventional home, and then you have the price of the utilities every month. If you have your own solar power for electricity, your heating system is taken care of with your thermal mass wall of earth and tires, you have underground cisterns paired with an indoor greenhouse to give you year-round food production, and your own sewer treatment, there is nothing that the municipalities will be able to ask from you other than your land taxes,” he says. The price of those taxes varies greatly depending on how much land there is and where it is located.

For people who are passionate about the notion behind earthships, willing and able to live in a rural area with the right balance of sun and rain, that price is easily worth paying, but otherwise, the savings margin will likely not be significant enough to make a strong point for potential buyers. Remember the propane, gasoline, batteries, seeds, animals, and man-made essentials that rack up monthly costs as well. Add upkeep of the home, and financially scraping by in an earthship becomes even more plausible. That’s also assuming that those who live there lead a luxury-less life, which very few are naturally inclined to do.

In essence, whether or not money is saved by living in an earthship depends on how wealthy, prepared, and dedicated those living in it are.

Technically speaking, earthships are occasionally-overrated homes made out of dirt and garbage, but that dirt and garbage could keep your wallet thicker and your environment healthier if they’re built the right way, by the right people, and in the right place. It just takes effort, room, and realistic planning.