Earthships

Earthship—also known as an earth shelter; a house built in the ground with the intent to use the earth as an energy saving source; designed to keep from disturbing nature, to blend into the natural surroundings, and to reduce energy consumption.

I have heard about earthships and have seen a few of them but I always wondered why anyone would want to live in one. With my curiosity sparked, I took some time and checked out a few books on these partially underground homes. This is just a small portion of what I found.

There are two types of underground houses: the bermed house and the chambered house. The bermed house is not completely built underground but has one to three sides covered with earth. Usually this house is built into a hillside. The chambered house, on the other hand, is completely submerged or built into the earth without any sides above ground. This house usually has skylights so that light can shine through into its rooms. The most common type is the bermed house.

Earthships are designed to save money and natural resources. They do so by taking advantage of the earth. The earth is a poor insulator for a house but it is a great capacitor of heat. It will try to rob an earth home of its heat but it can be trusted not to change dramatically in temperature. In the summer, an earth house is most likely to stay cool. In the winter, it will not drop to freezing temperatures. Sometimes, an earth home might be a little bit uncomfortable without the use of a wood stove, air conditioner, or humidifier. But for the most part, it will stay within a temperature range that is livable.

Earthships in general are comfortable, long-lasting, energy-efficient, environmentally compatible, and low-maintenance. Earthships aren’t for everyone but are worth looking into when considering building your own home.

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Questions you should ask yourself before you build your own home:

1. Are you motivated to do it no matter how you feel?
2. Do you have the physical stamina you need to finish a large project like building a house?
3. Are you able to get professional help on the jobs you are not able or skilled to do?
4. Are you organized enough to plan ahead or have the steps planned that you need to meet goals?
5. Do you have adequate finances so, when you need to move into the house, it is fit to live in even if unfinished?
6. Do you know and understand the local building codes and regulations that apply to you?
7. Are you able to handle frustration and stress? (Because things don’t always operate smoothly.)
8. Is your wife (or husband) willing to get neck deep in this building project?
9. Are you able to have patience with your partner if they are not as knowledgeable in building as you are?
10. Are you able to use tact when transmitting instruction and criticism to your partner?
11. Are you able to have patience with your partner’s work habits?
12. Are you willing to work extremely hard to build a home where you, in the end, will feel great satisfaction from a job well done?

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Reynolds, Michael. (1990). Earthship. New Mexico: Solar Survival Press.

Underground Space Center, The, and University of Minnesota. (1979). Earth Sheltered Housing Design; Guidelines, Examples, and References. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.

Fred J. Becker, Architect's E-mail

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