Is anyone here familiar with Earthship houses? (or other "green" houses?)

[creekland]

We MAY be selling our farm this summer (great place to raise kids, but hard to keep up now that the kids are moving out), and if we do, one of our top options is to build an Earthship house on a lot next door that we own.

 

Is anyone here familiar with these? (More than the website?)

 

http://earthship.com/

 

Hubby did some land planning for one they are hoping to build near Philly, so I know they can come into PA.

 

What I'm looking for is average cost to build, etc, as well as any love/hate thoughts about it (not looks - that's a personal preference, but actual sustainability, care, longevity, etc).

 

We'd also be willing to look at other types of "green" houses.

 

We want something that's mostly off-grid (need not be 100%), uses green materials to build, can easily be shut down and left for travel time - with someone watching the place/watering plants, etc, and is comfortable to live in. In pictures and concept, earthships seem perfect for us, but pictures and concepts don't tell the whole story.

 

I don't KNOW that we're selling the farm, but we have been mulling it over and considering our options. Part of it will depend on whether we can find a buyer, of course.

[Butter]

We considered an earthship house (among others). We ended up deciding to build a geodesic dome (we're in the early process of that currently). Alternative houses are odd, but fun :)

[celticmom]

I have read that they tend to have a relatively high internal humidity.

[PrincessMommy]

:lurk5: I'm paying attention because in 5-10yrs we want to move into something smaller, more sustainable, and functional, and what I've dubbed our "Stay out of the nursing home, house."

 

I had a blogging friend who looked seriously into building a yurt for their very large homeschooling family in TX. She stopped blogging soon after they bought the land so I never found out if they were able to realize their dream.

[creekland]

We considered an earthship house (among others). We ended up deciding to build a geodesic dome (we're in the early process of that currently). Alternative houses are odd, but fun :)

 

Any chance you'd be willing to share why you picked geodesic over earthship? Did you ever get any costs for an earthship? I'd love more details than I can find online.

 

I have read that they tend to have a relatively high internal humidity.

 

This makes sense, but I'm not sure it's a dealbreaker. I'll have to check into it. We lived in FL for 5 years. I wonder if it would be similar (need a dehumidifier or similar).

 

No advice here, really. Our house is round(cylindrical) with large windows all around it, very similar to the first photo in your link. I was very worried about heat loss during the winter, but it was perfect. The flat roof also worried me, but no problems there, either.

 

That sounds promising.

[Butter]

Any chance you'd be willing to share why you picked geodesic over earthship? Did you ever get any costs for an earthship? I'd love more details than I can find online.

 

The main reason we picked a geodesic dome is the looks. We simply like how they look better. Also, they are safer in various natural disasters. We're in a pretty safe area, but we do get some things sometimes so being in a very sturdy, safe structure will make me happy. Upkeep was also an issue for us. We know ourselves lol We're not concerned environmentally, really. Only if it hits us in the pocketbook is it an issue for us (yeah, we're terrible, but like I said, we know ourselves). Of course as a result, we're doing all sorts of alternative energy stuff and going with a super energy efficient house. Costs to build were about the same and pretty much the same as a conventional home as well (both save money after the build). It's been about a dozen years since we chose which we wanted so I don't remember specifics.

[Bensmom]

My dh has been researching alternative building for years. We bought land last summer and plan to build (a cabin for now...maybe someday a permanant home) with earth bags. If you want a list of resources, send me a pm. Don't forget to check about building codes so you don't do all the other planning, just to find out you are not allowed to build what you want on that property. (we are in the country with no codes).

[Truscifi]

We have looked at Earthship homes on the internet. I believe you can go stay in one for a week vacation (pricey, but maybe worth it if you are looking at building one) and I know they do phone consultations with people in other areas to customize the design for your climate.

 

Also, the people down the street from us live in a bermed home. We call it The House in the Hill - a manmade hill because there are no hills that big where we live. They have dramatically reduced their heating and air costs, and they have a lovely roof garden. On the other hand, the front part of their house gets a ton of natural light from floor to ceiling windows across the whole front of the house, but the interior rooms can get a bit gloomy.

[creekland]

Don't forget to check about building codes so you don't do all the other planning, just to find out you are not allowed to build what you want on that property. (we are in the country with no codes).

 

We're ok here. Hubby is a Civil Engineer and works a bit with various codes.

 

The main reason we picked a geodesic dome is the looks. We simply like how they look better. Also, they are safer in various natural disasters. We're in a pretty safe area, but we do get some things sometimes so being in a very sturdy, safe structure will make me happy. Upkeep was also an issue for us. We know ourselves lol We're not concerned environmentally, really. Only if it hits us in the pocketbook is it an issue for us (yeah, we're terrible, but like I said, we know ourselves). Of course as a result, we're doing all sorts of alternative energy stuff and going with a super energy efficient house. Costs to build were about the same and pretty much the same as a conventional home as well (both save money after the build). It's been about a dozen years since we chose which we wanted so I don't remember specifics.

 

Thanks for the info. We really like the looks of the Earthships. That's part of the appeal AND we're environmental folks, so it seems like a win-win. I love the idea of being mostly off-grid.

 

We have looked at Earthship homes on the internet. I believe you can go stay in one for a week vacation (pricey, but maybe worth it if you are looking at building one) and I know they do phone consultations with people in other areas to customize the design for your climate.

 

Also, the people down the street from us live in a bermed home. We call it The House in the Hill - a manmade hill because there are no hills that big where we live. They have dramatically reduced their heating and air costs, and they have a lovely roof garden. On the other hand, the front part of their house gets a ton of natural light from floor to ceiling windows across the whole front of the house, but the interior rooms can get a bit gloomy.

 

We have thought about vacationing in one before we were to build (IF we build). It seems like a good idea to get an idea of things we like (or don't). A bit will depend upon whether or not we sell our main farm.