I think when they invented the idea back in the 60s/70s that it was a great idea to just use found materials. Land is expensive enough - so if you could just build an awesome house out of crap… then go for it!
But today we have new green building technologies. Like… they used to just use tar and gravel shingles to roof the buildings and that was where water was shed into their drinking water cisterns. Yuck. We know better. Why are they still advocating for using rammed earth tires? We have new green cements that are low psi but they suck CO2 out of the air and they have plenty of thermal mass.
Honestly I want to see the next generation of earthship inspired dwellings. Use modern materials and construction techniques. Maybe one off-shoot will be 3d printed earthships.
They are also generally free or very cheap if you are willing to haul them away.
As i understand it though, the labor intensity of the overall build makes the earthship just as expensive, if not more so to build than conventional housing, even modern eco housing. You really only save money if you put in the thousands of hours of work yourself or with volunteers.
Ive always wanted to do it, but it’s a serious commitment that may not make actual sense anymore.
I think there are at least two other reasons, too:
One, sweat equity matters. I know I value pieces of furniture I built myself more than furniture I bought, even though the furniture I bought is better quality - because what I made myself represents my skill and my labor and my commitment. And in a throwaway culture, creating that emotional commitment to clothing or furniture or a home matters.
And two, rammed earth tires require no supply lines, no 3D printers, no expensive tools or complex chemistry, no gas or electricity, even. Just used tires, local dirt, and local labor. If global supply chains fall apart and resources get scarce, people can still build Earthships - and the people who are building them now will be able to teach others how to build them in the future.
I think when they invented the idea back in the 60s/70s that it was a great idea to just use found materials. Land is expensive enough - so if you could just build an awesome house out of crap… then go for it!
But today we have new green building technologies. Like… they used to just use tar and gravel shingles to roof the buildings and that was where water was shed into their drinking water cisterns. Yuck. We know better. Why are they still advocating for using rammed earth tires? We have new green cements that are low psi but they suck CO2 out of the air and they have plenty of thermal mass.
Honestly I want to see the next generation of earthship inspired dwellings. Use modern materials and construction techniques. Maybe one off-shoot will be 3d printed earthships.
I think the reason tires are used is because they already exist, basically everywhere now, and aren’t going to go away otherwise.
They are also generally free or very cheap if you are willing to haul them away.
As i understand it though, the labor intensity of the overall build makes the earthship just as expensive, if not more so to build than conventional housing, even modern eco housing. You really only save money if you put in the thousands of hours of work yourself or with volunteers.
Ive always wanted to do it, but it’s a serious commitment that may not make actual sense anymore.
I think there are at least two other reasons, too:
One, sweat equity matters. I know I value pieces of furniture I built myself more than furniture I bought, even though the furniture I bought is better quality - because what I made myself represents my skill and my labor and my commitment. And in a throwaway culture, creating that emotional commitment to clothing or furniture or a home matters.
And two, rammed earth tires require no supply lines, no 3D printers, no expensive tools or complex chemistry, no gas or electricity, even. Just used tires, local dirt, and local labor. If global supply chains fall apart and resources get scarce, people can still build Earthships - and the people who are building them now will be able to teach others how to build them in the future.