Earthship-Self-sufficient homes built from rubbish

Built with eco home building materials, Earthships offer comfortable and cosy living spaces without relying on public utilities. They’re totally self-sufficient, producing their own electricity, heating and food, whilst managing sustainable rainwater harvesting and sewage systems too.

Earthships are built from salvaged waste that can easily be sourced – beer cans, old tyres and bottles are all key to the construction process. In every house there are at least 1,000 tyres that provide natural insulation. Recycled bottles are also a huge feature and allow natural light to flow inside the structures, creating a beautiful mosaic of glowing coloured glass.

Architect Michael Reynolds created the first Earthship in the 1970s. Listening to news stories about mounting rubbish piles and the lack of affordable housing, he realised that by combining the two issues, both could be tackled head-on. He set up Earthship Biotecture, which is now the world’s pioneering company in homes of this kind. If you want an Earthship, you can buy plans for homes, seek building advice and even attend the company’s eco-construction school.

Earthships don’t require central heating or air-conditioning, so the resources they do need are kept to a minimum. The structures generate their own energy with the use of solar panels, which provide clean electricity for 30 years, while also helping to minimise global warming. As well as solar energy, Earthships generate electricity through wind power. Combined, they create enough energy to charge the batteries within the building’s power module, which provides clean energy for household usage.

Functioning totally off the grid, Earthships harvest their own water. Rainwater is captured on the roof, filtered and then gravity-fed into the building for consumption and usage. The water harvested is used four times within an Earthship home – firstly for washing, bathing, and laundry, with the waste put to use to water an indoor garden. It’s then pumped to the toilets for flushing and finally recirculated to water an outdoor garden.

Earthships regulate their internal temperature continually, ensuring living spaces are comfortable for inhabitants all year round. The building’s position is very important, with the glazing facing the right direction so that the sun’s rays can enter the building and heat the walls, which are built with tyres for insulation.

The Greater World Community in Taos, New Mexico was the first Earthship community in the world and is now home to more than 70 awesome off-grid homes. With some of the properties available to rent out on Airbnb, the community also has an academy for students and hosts self-guided tours so others can learn about the collective and its eco structures. Let’s take a look inside some of these amazing homes…

The Phoenix is the highest-priced rental space within the Earthship community and at 5,300 square feet, it’s the biggest too. With enough room for six people, it offers comfort and modern amenities in a sustainable structure. Pictured from above, the incredible eco home can be seen in all its glory, from the solar panels to the circular walled garden.

Flanking the main structure, the home features a jungle greenhouse with its own microclimate, complete with banana trees, grapevines, and wildlife – birds, turtles and fish have all found a home here. There’s even a dining space in the middle of the greenhouse so residents can feast on homegrown meals in the midst of nature.

The interior of the Phoenix is divided into two halves; the larger east wing comprises two king-sized bedrooms, the kitchen and living area, while the smaller west wing houses one large bedroom suite, a bathroom and a terrace. The décor in the living spaces is quirky and characterful, with an airy open-plan layout that utilises plenty of recycled materials. In this bedroom, natural wood grains and glass bottles create an artistic slumber space packed with unique textures.

Unusually, the bathrooms in this Earthship are located within the indoor jungle, allowing guests to bathe amongst the tropical plants and trees. The internal dividing wall is inset with pieces of coloured glass bottles, while filtered and heated rainwater is used to service the facilities sustainably.

The Phoenix isn’t without its fair share of luxury touches either. Visitors are able to enjoy a TV complete with Netflix, an unusual fireplace with a water fountain, an outdoor grill, a firepit and an outdoor living area. Weekly rates for this remarkable home start from £313 ($410).

Completed in 2018, the Vallecitos, created by Earthship Biotecture, is a start-of-the-art, off-grid building with all the fixtures of a conventional house. The refined exterior mixes angular modern lines with rustic construction methods, creating a completely unique property.

One of the most evolved designs yet, the Vallecitos is filled with light thanks to the swathes of windows, which provide picturesque views across the rural desert community. They also serve a more practical purpose, drawing plenty of sunshine into the wide greenhouse attached to the side of the property.

The walls are designed to trap heat in the winter and to keep the living spaces cool during the summer. As well as this smart thermal design, 40% of the building was made using recycled materials, including glass bottles that provide extra heat from the sun, which is especially helpful in the winter.

Rainwater and melted snow are filtered and piped into the sinks, which then goes on to water the greenhouse plants. After that, it’s used to flush the toilets and is finally redirected outside to treat plants in the garden. You’d never guess from this cute little bathroom the intricate process that goes on behind the scenes!

The Vallecitos has two bathrooms and two bedrooms, both with king-sized beds, as well as a kitchen, dining room and living room. The Wi-Fi is powered using solar energy and residents can enjoy the vegetables and fruit grown onsite – perfect for self-sufficient living!

Also located in the Greater World Community is the Waybee. Complete with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, it’s a beautiful example of an off-grid eco-friendly home. Located next to the Earthship visitor centre, a stay at the Waybee starts from £160 ($210) a night or £1,192 ($1,560) per week.

As well as offering cosy living spaces and incredible architecture, like many of the homes in the Greater World Community, almost 40% of its innovative structure is comprised of recycled tyres, cans and bottles.

Built in 2015, it’s one of the most state-of-the-art Earthship homes in the community. The kitchen has all the mod-cons you would expect, so any amateur cooks are sure to feel at home, while a stylish patterned splashback and rustic cabinetry impart plenty of personality.

Each room is built with insulation on three sides and glazing on the south side, allowing sunlight to pour inside and warm the walls. Heat is then naturally released over time, ensuring a comfortable and stable temperature all year round.

No matter the season, the Waybee’s indoor garden grows plenty of organic fruit and vegetables, including herbs, peppers, tomatoes, kale and cucumbers. When it comes to both functionality and design, natural resources are celebrated. Rainwater is utilised for daily washing and recirculated to water this magnificent indoor greenhouse.

Also located in the Global World Community in Taos, New Mexico, this stunning Earthship, known as the Euro, features a dramatic angular design. Inside, the desert home offers an open-plan living space, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a beautiful indoor garden.

“Living in an Earthship is no different than any other dwelling you might inhabit,” says this home’s resident, LaNeah Ashford. “It has its quirks: the batteries need to be maintained and the airflow and temperature are managed by opening and closing portals but all the rest of the maintenance needed is just the same as with any house.”

“The difference is simply being plugged into the grid or not,” LaNeah continues. “The grid offers you limitless resources on a pay-to-play basis and an Earthship offers you everything you need in a relatively cost-free exchange.”

LaNeah, like other Earthship homeowners, is passionate about this sustainable way of living. “When you walk into the Earthship, you come into my personal biosphere. My habitat with my preferences and my needs met, because of the effort I put into the living, breathing entity that is my home,” LaNeah explains.

The Euro has a comfortable master bedroom with views out over the property’s greenhouse, where water is filtered for home use. Solar panels sit at the highest point of the building on top of the greenhouse which acts as a hub, connecting the kitchen, living spaces and bedrooms.

The first Earthship to be built in the UK, Earthship Brighton was developed with the assistance of Michael Reynolds and his team. The local community centre was the Low Carbon Trust’s first project and was built on a Soil Association-accredited site in Brighton.

Throughout the project, the focus was on spreading a positive message in the community, raising awareness of climate change and helping people to reduce their carbon footprint in their day-to-day lives to create greener homes.

Earthship Brighton embodies the five core elements of Earthship construction: it uses low-impact materials and a passive solar design, while running off renewable energy, harvesting rainwater to recycle throughout the property and using wastewater to treat the indoor plants.

The building uses four renewable technologies to generate energy; photovoltaic panels, a wind turbine, solar thermal panels and a wood pellet stove. All these sustainable extras mean that the Earthship is zero carbon, producing 100% renewable energy and consequently no utility bills.

Earthship Brighton also uses the sun to heat its interior. The walls are made from rammed car tyres and earth which act as a storage heater. The structure sits facing south, which maximises solar gain, while the angled glass across the façade draws sunlight inside in the winter and cleverly reflects the heat in the summer months.

Situated in a semi-rural location about 40 minutes from the bustling city of Adelaide in Australia, the Earthship Ironbank is a quaint bed and breakfast that costs around £137 ($180) per night.

Led by Michael Reynolds, a team of 25 began building the property in 2009. But, after laying the initial 60 tyres, it took a further four years to get full planning permission to complete the project. Completely self-sufficient, Australia’s first Earthship is designed for two people and features an open-plan layout with far-reaching views across the countryside beyond.

With a well-equipped kitchenette serviced by solar energy and a sustainable water supply, the space has everything you need to cook and prepare meals while living off the grid. There’s also a wood-fired oven – perfect for cooking pizzas!

The property even has its own indoor garden to grow produce. This wasn’t without its challenges, however, as the greywater system designed by Earthship Biotecture is not permitted in South Australia. An alternative water system was sourced and now the building features a wonderful array of indoor plants.

Despite being off-grid, Earthships have all the modern conveniences of most conventional builds. With a comfy queen-sized bed, the Ironbank is the perfect place to relax and unwind. Used in many parts of the home, salvaged glass bottles add a beautiful decorative feature as well as letting plenty of natural light into the building.

Built by non-profit organisation Seven Directions, who develop innovative homes based on Michael Reynolds’ vision of sustainable living, the Big Sky is located in Montana, USA. The Earthship was built in the traditional local vernacular, with plenty of exposed wood and natural materials for a rustic and cosy feel.

The self-sufficient home generates all of its energy and water and functions entirely off the grid. The smart structure maintains a constant, comfortable temperature in the living space all year round, come snow or sunshine.

Inside, this eco dwelling has all the modern appliances you would find in any contemporary home. The big difference here is that the building itself generates the energy to power them, meaning there are no monthly bills and it’s not reliant on any external energy suppliers.

A desire to embrace the natural world is intrinsic to the homebuilding principles of Earthships. Using tree trunks inside the property blurs the distinction between inside and out, combining natural resources with man-made structures for an amazing wooden home that goes against the grain.

Inside, distinctive warm wood cladding adds a contemporary edge to the property. There’s no shortage of space either, with a generous double garage built into the end of the property.

Taylor and Steph Bode created their very own Earthship in Santa Cruz, California. At just 560 square feet, the couple used reclaimed and repurposed materials to build their tiny home.

After spending a year learning how to build Earthships around the USA, Taylor and Steph decided to but their new skills to use and construct their own home. Built into a south-sloping hill, the east, west and north walls are buried underground which insulates the home and keeps indoor temperatures stable.

To create the frame for the upcycled tiny house, the couple cut down two redwood trees from a nearby grove, while the rest of the build was constructed using discarded materials such as tyres, glass bottles and aluminium cans.

Inside, the floor is made with a mixture of sand, clay, straw and water, all finished off with hemp oil for a homely look. The couple then used reclaimed barn wood for the internal walls, making or salvaging all of the interior furnishings.

The layout of the small home is open-plan, occupying a piece of private land high up in the Santa Cruz mountains. With all the salvaging and self-building, it cost the couple just £8,000 ($10,000) to construct their Earthship.

Brittany Groundhouse is a modern Earthship located in the middle of rural Brittany, France. With three double bedrooms and a spectacular round room, the house was featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs.

There’s no conventional heating in the Groundhouse as its south-facing position, glazed front and passive underfloor heating keep the house warm. But if it does get too chilly there are two wood-burning stoves. Anyone looking for an environmentally-friendly holiday home can rent the place from £500 ($650) per week.

Inside, the clever passive house really doesn’t look too different from many other country homes in the area. With rustic colours and lots of wood, it’s furnished with a mix of vintage French furniture and bespoke one-off pieces made from natural and reclaimed materials.

For that welcome touch of luxury, the bathroom has a huge stone bath with an overhead shower. Like many other Earthships, it also uses glass bottles for light and heating, with the one in the bathroom offering up a wow-factor design feature.

Each of the three bedrooms has glazed tri-folding windows that look out over the organic garden. In the warmer weather, the outdoor and indoor living spaces merge together, so residents can be at one with nature. Ready to go off-grid in your very own Earthship?

To know more about it visit their website 

https://www.earthshipglobal.com/