tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49237730984814298972024-03-04T23:07:53.062-07:00HACKING THE EARTHSHIPIn Search of an Earth Shelter that WORKS for EveryBodyRachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-37174542563526577132017-06-09T08:44:00.002-06:002021-08-25T16:14:43.350-06:00Hacking the Earthship: In Search of an Earth-Shelter that WORKS for EveryBody<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is the first part of the book, which outlines our earthship research. We are giving this away free. The book gets into a lot of the details of HOW to do earthship type buildings, but better. But we want EVERYONE to know WHY!<br />
<br />THIS PROJECT IS NO LONGER BEING UPDATED.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Please check out our website theministryofarchitecture.com after 9/1/21 for the entire second half of the book, on designing your own home! It'll be free! <br />
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-33559671965299000042016-03-21T10:09:00.000-06:002020-04-07T11:15:22.131-06:00CHAPTER I: The Earthship at the End of its LifeEarthship Life Cycle Cost Assessment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc419108850">The Earthship at the End of its
Life</a></h2>
<div class="BodyNormal">
What happens to an Earthship when it dies? All buildings do
eventually. What will be left is a flagstone floor (in most cases), glass panel
windows, some concrete filled with
cans<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and
bottles, wood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>framing
and beams, cabinetry, plumbing, cisterns, metal flashing and roof, and the earthen tire berm. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The flagstone will be reusable. It will just need chiseling
out. The glass could be reused intact for other projects, or recycled outright
if it is broken. The metal flashing of the greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the metal roof<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>system will most likely be reusable or recyclable. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
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Plumbing probably will not be recycled due to health
concerns and deterioration of the PVC. The concrete filled with cans<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and bottles will not likely be good for
anything. The bottles and cans will likely break or be too encased in the
concrete for salvage or even recycling. The cabinets in all but the most
sophisticated Earthship are plywood, so there is no point trying
to save them. Those materials – about 10 dump truck loads worth – will most
likely be taken to the landfill. Footings and buttresses, if they are present,
will add another 5-10 dump truck loads. There is some possibility they can be
reused in non-structural landscape<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>walls, though the presence of
exposed rebar, which rusts and causes the concrete to spall, will likely render
those unusable.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Concrete<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cisterns<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>will also be discarded - another dump truck
load or two for the landfill… as will the raised interior planting beds –
another 2-3 loads. If the cisterns are plastic, chances are no-one will want to
reuse them because of deterioration, but maybe by the time they are abandoned
we will have figured out how to manage recycling them. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Maybe some of the wood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that was covered with metal can be salvaged,
though likely not from the greenhouse, as it will likely be
rendered unusable due to moisture damage. The vigas, and the roof<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>decking if it is solid wood, should be reusable. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Tires have a life of 30,000 years, so the berm, while it may deteriorate,
will likely be left to degrade and become a mini dumpsite of toxic materials
that may threaten the water supply. Or, the tires<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>can be returned to the landfill.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 0%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625346"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527766"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374030"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527766;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625346;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "amaranth"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 0%;"></span></span></span></a></div>
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<h2 class="BSubheadLevel2" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374030;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527766;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625346;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc419108851">Earthship Life Cycle Cost Assessment</a></span></span></span>
</h2>
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<div class="BodyNormal">
We talk about aspects of the life cycle cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of Earthships throughout this book, breaking
down embodied energy<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and cost, including maintenance. We do not provide an
accounting for regional differences, as there are too many to calculate. We use
the U.S. dollar and local costs in New Mexico as the basis for our
calculations. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Life cycle cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is a comprehensive assessment, and since that
is not our purpose, we did not want to include a whole book about it here. What
we did want to do was offer an overview so that our readers could focus on the
parts of sustainability and life cycle cost that matter to them. If you do not
care about embodied energy, skip those sections. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
What follows was the easiest way we could put the cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of the Earthship into perspective for
ourselves. We hope it works for you too!</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
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Comparing the Earthship to a traditionally built home: </div>
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<br /></div>
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A three bedroom home of the same size as the Global Model Earthship
requires approximately 13,000 board feet of lumber for framing. If laid out end
to end, this would make a line of wood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>nearly 2.5 miles long! We would need 14 tons
of concrete. Sheathing would add up to somewhere around 6,000 square feet, as would
drywall. Roofing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>material, exterior siding, and insulation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>would cover an area nearly 10,000 square feet.
We would need 15 windows, 12 doors, toilets, kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, cabinets,
fireplace(s) or stoves, and garage
doors. We would also need food, water, electricity, fuel,
and household products. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The Global Earthship still requires thousands of board feet
of lumber and vigas for framing. It needs 9 tons of concrete. The roofing
material, exterior stucco, and insulation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>would still cover an area nearly 7,000 square
feet due to extra levels of insulation required at the berm’s cisterns, thermal wrap, and tubes. We
would need 40 windows<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and 9 doors<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- double that of a normal home - since there
are two layers of windows and doors at the greenhouse, plus the same toilets,
kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, cabinets, fireplace(s) or stoves, garage doors, etcetera…
as a regular house. We would pay a premium charge for the systems and their
maintenance<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and require backup power<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and backup heat, plus we would need special
soils for the greenhouse, soil<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>amendments, and insect control. We would also
still need food, water, fuel, and household products.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Does the Earthship model actually end up increasing
financial and material requirements? The math suggests that the answer to this
is yes. </div>
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-38041137299891730332016-03-18T10:05:00.000-06:002020-04-07T11:15:28.409-06:00CHAPTER I: “Just the Facts, Ma’am”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="ChapterAuthorRight" style="text-align: center;">
<i>by Pratik Zaveri and Rachel Preston Prinz</i></div>
<div class="ChapterAuthorRight" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
One of the most difficult aspects of talking about the
Earthships is addressing issues around the data presented as supporting
evidence for the idea. The Earthship website and publications are a bit “fuzzy”
and we want to clarify what we can so our readers can have solid information
when making decisions regarding a potential Earthship home.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
We call some of what happens in the Earthship books,
website, and philosophy a “One-Way View.” Without realizing it, the literature
points to reasons to use the model… that actually point to problems with the
model. We have touched on some of these already. <u>Earthship Volume 1</u> and
the Earthship website both talk about indigenous materials being available
around the world and then go on to point out that shipping materials great
distances uses a lot energy and is therefore not sustainable. This statement,
while looking towards an ideal that we all really want to meet, fails to
address the economic and energetic inputs required to obtain and transport the
materials required to build an Earthship, as we identified in The Myth of “The
Most Economical Building Design in the World” section. It forgets that
Earthships require triple or quadruple the energetic inputs of a standard
building. It only sees what it wants to see – the ideal. This is a perfect
example of a “one-way view” and it is based on a concept called “cognitive
anchoring”. From Wikipedia: </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: #F2F2F2; border: solid #F2F2F2 3.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themeshade: 242; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 2.0pt 1.0pt 2.0pt 2.0pt;">
<div class="quoteresearch" style="background: #F2F2F2; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242;">
“Anchoring or focalism is a cognitive bias that
describes the common human tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of
information offered (the "anchor") when making decisions. During
decision-making, anchoring occurs when individuals use an initial piece of
information to make subsequent judgments. Once an anchor is set, other
judgments are made by adjusting away from that anchor, and there is a bias
toward interpreting other information around the anchor. For example, the
initial price offered for a used car sets the standard for the rest of the
negotiations, so that prices lower than the initial price seem more reasonable
even if they are still higher than what the car is really worth.”</div>
</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The many issues of not depending on traditional systems
that the Earthship literature attempts to address are absolutely valid, as
every day we seem to get nearer to an economic and cultural collapse that
renders alternates not only ideal but necessary. However, the “better world”
the Earthship ideal promises cannot be delivered through ideals and wishful
thinking. It has to come from actions… and those actions need to be based on
good science<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and good design.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-top: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 3.0pt 0in 0in 0in;">
<h2 class="BSubheadLevel2" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc419108848">Issues with the Data</a></h2>
</div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
Underlying Science</h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Especially in <u>Earthship Volume 1</u>, solid science<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is used to understand the movement of the sun
and other natural processes. Yet, some of the most important details that could
help builders to make the design more successful are omitted. For instance,
soil<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is mentioned only briefly, stating the
Earthships “must be built on undisturbed earth”, and yet, to build them, we
disturb the earth. There is also no mention that thermal performance<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is degraded when the soil used in the berm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is naturally wet, or that the Earthship needs
extra design consideration when the inner-earth temperature<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is lower than that of Taos. This inner-earth
temperature issue has led to critical issues in Earthships around the world. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Let’s look at this a little more deeply. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The Earthship website points out that the Earthship’s
technology is based on the sun, the earth, and the efforts of the people
themselves. That is sortof true. The passive solar<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>aspects of the design and the photovoltaics
use the sun. There is earth in the berm. People build the Earthships.
Earthships also use a huge number of solar panels, batteries full of toxic
acids, and countless manufactured goods, many of which have extremely high
embodied energy<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>equal to and even well beyond that of standard
buildings. As well, sophisticated engineering skills are required to design,
install, and maintain the Earthship so that the technologies can work. <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625314"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527734"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405373999"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527734;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625314;">So
the ideal is really based on simple natural AND complex manufactured processes. </span></span></a></div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405373999;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527734;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625314;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Affordability and Do-ability</span></span></span></span><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The ideal is that the Earthship is financially accessible
by the common person, but experience does not bear that out, as we have
illustrated previously in The Myth of “The Most Economical Building Design in
the World” section.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
It is stated in the Earthship literature that the
Earthships are specifically designed with the intent of being built by
unskilled people.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>While the methods
of construction may not necessarily require skill, they most definitely require
ability. Pounding tires<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is not for
the faint of heart and building angled walls<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is really only work for a master carpenter. This
is one reason why you may really want to consider using Earthship Biotecture’s
teams to build your home if you can afford them - they are second to none in
these skills.</div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625316"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527736"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374001"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527736;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625316;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Passive
Solar and Wind Orientation</span></span></span></a><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The Earthship books stress the importance of orientation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>towards the sun, but neglect that orientation
is only relevant when you live in a place with ample sunshine. Cloudy days,
which are not mentioned at all, can render the Earthship just another failed
building, as we will see in Chapter 2.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<u>Earthship Volume 1</u> talks about facing the Earthship
north in Taos. How would a north-facing design even work? It would be a snow<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>magnet and would hold ice and snow against the
house when it needs to be in the sun to melt! Sure, large north windows<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are not unusual in Taos… when the artists
arrived they wanted that pure north light so they built huge windows facing
north… but these were not used in Taos until the late 1800s, because in order
to pull off a completely nature-ignorant design, you needed a large wood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>stove<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to compensate for the cold north wind. The books do not address
this needed heat source. The book goes on to propose a roof<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>garden, in an area with a 140 day growing
season, high winds, and tendency for drought. This is not the recipe I would
follow for a house in Taos. Evidently, they figured out not to do that as well,
because the Taos Earthships face south and there are no rooftop gardens that we
know of.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The wind<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>diagrams in the book show wind coming from one
direction, and it looks like it is usually assumed as from the south. The
problem is… the wind in Taos comes from the North in winter and West in summer.
Showing it coming from a direction it rarely does suggests that the ventilation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>will not work effectively. The research<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and commentaries from users indicates that
this is accurate - many Earthships have ventilation issues, especially those
where predominant winds come from less than ideal directions for the design.
For the greenhouse’s low awning windows<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to functionally draw air into the space and up
through the skylight<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>there has to be some wind pushing into and
away from the building from the right directions to force enough draw. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625317"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527737"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374002"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527737;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625317;"></span></span></a></div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374002;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527737;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625317;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Materials of Construction</span></span></span></span><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The Earthship website’s Construction Materials page talks
about how for the vast majority of human existence, our homes were built of
found indigenous materials including stone, earth, sticks, and grasses. That
is true. But unlike tires, concrete, aluminum cans, and glass bottles… stone, earth, sticks, and
grasses have extremely low embodied energy, as they can be found at just
about any good potential building site. To add to that, the embodied
energy of concrete, which makes up roughly half of the building materials used
by volume in a modern Earthship’s construction, is staggering. (Refer to the Concrete<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>section for more information.) Concrete is not
a by-product of our civilization. It is a mined product that rapes the
environment and diminishes our ability to breathe.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Indigenous is typically understood to refer to locally-sourced,
raw materials, or local peoples. Indigenous is the epitome of simplicity.
Tires, concrete, bottles, and cans<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are not simple, nor are they indigenous to
anyone’s site<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that we
know of. Shipping tires, concrete, cans, and bottles from wherever they
are to your build site uses energy and removes these materials from the
recycling stream. These misconceptions help to illustrate why Earthships are
not truly sustainable.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The literature talks about wood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>being less than ideal as a durable material
for building, as it is natural, lightweight, and porous, which will lead it to
decompose quickly. The people of Bavaria, who have lived in some of their
wooden houses for 400 years, may disagree with that. As would the builders of
the Hōryū-ji temple pagoda in Japan, which still stands after the wood was
felled in 594AD! That is nearly 1,500 years old! Wood can last a long time when
it is felled at the correct time, is the right species for its use, and is well
cared for over its life. And not all wood is light and porous. Generally, we
use heavy and dense deciduous hardwoods<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on the exterior of a building and evergreen
softwoods for interior framing. Plus, to be fair… Earthships use a boatload of
wood. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The literature goes on to complain that manufactured
materials dictate the way buildings are built, and then goes on to suggest that
the reverse should be true, implying that housing should dictate the nature of
materials. And yet the primary building block of an Earthship is the tire – a
highly manufactured material.</div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625318"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527738"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374003"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527738;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625318;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Embodied
Energy</span></span></span></a><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
What the Earthship literature offers as a means of explaining
embodied energy<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is not a complete picture of what embodied
energy is. Embodied energy is the amount of energy it takes to take a raw
material, get it to a manufacturing site, manufacture the finished
product, and then get it to you. Embodied energy can be high – aluminum, a
common component of solar panel installations as well as an Earthship’s can
walls, contains an enormous amount
of embodied energy – it has to be mined, to the tune of 8 tons of ore per 1 ton
of usable material; shipped great distances for manufacturing; designed; then
takes a great deal of heat to produce a usable product – which also means a
great deal of fuel; then it must be shipped to a warehouse, to the supplier, and
then to the build site. Whether that aluminum is in a reused can or a brand new
window, it still had to have all of those processes applied to it. There IS
embodied energy in an Earthship. Just because we are reusing the embodied
energy required does not negate its existence. In fact, the reality here is
that reusing cans<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in walls
requires more materials to be mined and manufactured because the
first-generation cans are being removed from the recycling stream. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The literature also states that one of the main goals of
the Earthship ideal is to use materials that require little or no manufactured
energy.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>And yet, the building blocks
of Earthships… the tires, cans, bottles, concrete, wood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>framing and vigas, roofing, cooling<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tubes, insulation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and thermal wrap, cisterns, interior finishes, glazing
for two walls<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of windows, shades, glass doors, appliances, and the mechanical<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and plumbing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>systems… have manufactured or embodied energy… and lots of it.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The literature makes the case that the Earthship is using
such simple materials that it makes sense for large-scale production for
low-impact living. Except, large scale production of the currently extremely
oversized<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Earthships is not sustainable.
Earthships have gigantic footprints, in terms of the amount of land<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>required to build on, as well as square
footage, as well as embodied energy. They are also too expensive
to be viable for large scale development.</div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625319"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527739"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374004"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527739;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625319;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Reliance
on “The Machine”</span></span></span></a><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The literature goes on to discuss the ideal of not relying
on natural gas, but many Earthships at latitudes above and including Taos have
been retrofitted with propane or gas to stay warm enough in winter. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The importance of not relying on modern food<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>systems is discussed, yet the food growing
system as designed most often cannot provide the quantity of food that makes
self-reliance possible. What is offered is an extraordinarily expensive system
that cannot provide in grocery savings what it adds in cost.</div>
<span lang="IT" style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 0%;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 0%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374005;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527740;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625320;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Systems</span></span></span></span><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The literature speaks to the common house using “monstrous
systems” and states that the modern house cannot function without systems. Reynolds
likened the standard home and its large systems to being a patient in ICU being
“plugged in” at a hospital: If the lines were cut, then what? </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Yet, nothing is ever mentioned of the standard systems used
in an Earthship, which deplete resources, cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a great deal at outset, are prohibitively
complex to maintain and repair, and still do not work when something goes wrong.
All of this costs money and resources. To compound that, backup heat and power
are required in nearly every build because most Earthships do not work as
intended. Systems are a reality for the vast majority of owners.</div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625321"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527741"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374006"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527741;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625321;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Cars</span></span></span></a><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The literature goes on to discuss the Earthship in relation
to a car, addressing the very real concern that reliance on cars<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is part of what is wrong with sustainability
in our world. Yet, Earthships are often located out in the distant expanses and
do not work as intended, forcing users to depend on a car far more than the
average homeowner – to get materials, water, groceries, gas, to get the kids to
school - and, because they are “out there” where it is legal to build experiments,
oftentimes owners must travel further distances to do these things. My grocery
store is 2 miles from my home. I travel four miles total to get down to the
store and back. Greater World is 15 or so miles from the grocery store. That is
30 miles total. Even if we both only need a carton of milk, my cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and time investment is dramatically lower.
Multiply that mileage times 40 trips to the store a year. <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625322"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527742"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374007"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527742;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625322;">Now
multiple it by the number of trips into town you must make to get supplies, get
water, take the kids back and forth to school… </span></span></a></div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374007;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527742;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625322;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Saving the Rainforests and Oxygen</span></span></span></span><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The literature notes that when we cut down the rainforests,
we cut off our own oxygen supply. This is such an important issue and that fact
cannot be argued. The first book goes on to imply that Earthships are minimizing
the impact on deforestation to resolve this issue. However, Earthships use huge
amounts of wood, which results in forests being cut down. Is
this ideal really being met here?</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Earthships also use as much or more concrete as that used
in a traditionally constructed home. Concrete<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>uses oxygen to cure over its life and it gets
that oxygen from the air we breathe. The manufacture of the Portland cement used
in concrete contributes to between 5 and 10% of the world’s greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>gases.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625323"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527743"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374008"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527743;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625323;"> </span></span></a></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374008;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527743;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625323;">So,
in principle the Earthships are saving the rainforests, while in practice they are
making them work harder. </span></span></span></div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374008;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527743;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625323;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Impacts on the Water System</span></span></span></span><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"> </span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The literature addresses the issues of the global water
supply and its impact on the ecosystems that affect fish. This concern is justified,
as we continue to poison our oceans with untold numbers of toxins.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Yet, the leeching of the tires<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the septic<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>systems in an Earthship build has the
potential to affect the health of the aquifers from which we all drink. A
common admonishment in the professional and academic tire research<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is that the places we store tires are supposed
to be isolated from any contact with the water supply via sealed EPDM<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pond liners. </div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625324"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527744"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374009"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527744;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625324;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Thermal
Comfort</span></span></span></a><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The commonly held belief that Earthships are comfortable is
supported by the Earthship literature stating that the temperature ranges from
65-76 degrees with no backup heating<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or cooling. This is just not accurate,
as we have described in the Myth of Thermal Comfort section.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The Thermal Mass section of the Earthship website states
that a lightly-built house (presumably one without earth-sheltering) “obviously” takes more
energy to heat and cool. Only, that is not accurate. A light house with good
insulation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and located in the right climate<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>needs less heating<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and cooling<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>than an Earthship.</div>
<span lang="IT" style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 0%;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 0%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374010;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527745;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625325;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Landscape</span></span></span></span><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Landscaping is critical to great design, for important
tasks like turning winds into breezes; turning sunlight into food<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>energy and shade; and for minimizing the
reflection of the sun off the ground. Yet, the only hints of how to address
landscape<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that are provided in the literature are
effectively “do not puncture the roof”, “slope the berm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>away from the building”, and “do not plant
trees<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>within 20 feet of the tire wall”. But this
makes the building more dependent on systems to perform and offers no advice on
how to make these ideas work. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
It is suggested that locating the building on a sloping
site<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>can keep
water from the inside, but there is no guidance on proper site design for this.
In fact, the Hut designs create major water ponding issues right at the front
door. Positive drainage - the design of a site to shed water away from the
building - is a challenging thing to do even for an architect or designer with <span style="font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">lots</span> of experience. We
have spent days designing a site for positive drainage before. See our
Landscape chapter for tips and tricks to resolve these issues.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
There is a section about harnessing the power of natural
springs, but no mention is made about how springs can become rivers with
rainfall, or how water tables rise and fall though the moon’s cycles. These are
all manageable with good design. </div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
Earthquakes</h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Earthship website
talks about the Earthships in regard to Earthquakes. This section specifically
addresses horizontal movement, and suggests using “rubbery” and resilient
materials for building rather than brittle materials like concrete because they
crack.</span></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></span></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
So, a little Earthquake 101 here: an earthquake’s source, or epicenter, is
always located along a geologic fault line. A well-known example is the San
Andreas Fault in California. The fault line occurs where two tectonic plates meet.
The plates are moving at different rates and different directions, basically
grinding against each other along the fault line. But the fault line is not
perfectly smooth, so the line ‘holds’ the plates from sliding against each
other. When the forces along the fault line become greater than the ability of
a part of the fault line to resist them … boom! The energy is released
explosively as an earthquake. The energy is released as waves through the
earth, very much like a wave in the ocean. When the waves reach the surface of
the earth, where your Earthship might be perched much like a ship on the sea,
your Earthship (or any structure) is tossed horizontally <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and vertically</i>. We generally think of
buildings as static – they don’t move about. When the earth moves beneath it, a
building resists the movement. This is called inertia – put a salt shaker on a
napkin and yank the napkin away – the bottom of the shaker is attached to the
napkin and has to follow. But the rest of the shaker tries to stay where it
was, and the shaker topples. The same thing happens to our buildings.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Earthquake-resistant buildings (anyone that tells you a
building is earthquake-proof is uninformed or
misleading) are generally both strong and resilient. Strong enough not to
shatter under the earthquake forces, and resilient enough to “give” a little without
breaking. It is a little counterintuitive, but it is that resiliency that
usually helps buildings survive smaller earthquakes<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with little damage, and in a big earthquake,
resiliency allows a building to bend rather than break, to tilt rather than
topple, so people inside can get out.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The Earthship’s interior walls<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the buttresses for the back tire wall are
concrete. So the brittle material argument is moot. As to the insinuation of
the “rubbery” quality of the tires… once they are packed with
earth, the wall acts more like concrete than rubber. So this is moot too.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;"></span></div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
Walls</h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The Earthship books cover using wood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for framing, but offer no clarification on the
size or types of wood to use, or when it should be harvested. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The website suggests that the aluminum can walls<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are very strong.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>However, the strength of the walls is not achieved by the
aluminum, but by the cement that holds the cans<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>together. While aluminum itself is strong, in
this application, it has a smooth surface. There is no way the bond between
cement and metal is stronger than that of, say… porous bricks, to which the
cement can bind at the pore level… and hence it is not as easy to build a truly
strong wall by this means. Also, the way the walls are built requires you to
crush the can a little, decreasing the amount of space that is taken up by the can,
and requiring more cement.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625328"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527748"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625328;"><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: IT; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;"></span></span></a></div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527748;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625328;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Roof</span></span></span><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The roof<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>design from <u>Earthship Volume 1</u> is not well
designed and uses a huge number of resources. Plus, roof framing should really
follow the pitch of the roof for the best structural performance. Gutters<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>should have a minimum slope so they work. </div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625329"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527749"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374014"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527749;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625329;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Floors</span></span></span></a><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Earth floors are recommended, but earth floors<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>only work in some climates and they do not
always work for passive solar<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>design, which needs to be modified for the
installation type and climate. Many Earthships now use
flagstone or brick flooring. </div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625330"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527750"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374015"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527750;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625330;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Windows</span></span></span></a><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"> and Skylights</span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625333"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527753"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374019"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;">Awning windows</span></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;"></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>at the base of the greenhouse</span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;"></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>against the ground can get buried in snow</span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;"></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and cannot provide adequate ventilation</span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;"></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>unless they are cleared at every snowfall.
That is a maintenance</span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;"></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>nightmare in cold climates, where some of our
respondents noted that they had to remove snow as many as three times a day to
insure adequate ventilation. There are some design issues with the standard
skylight</span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;"></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>details too. They must be opened and closed by
the occupant in order to regulate ventilation and solar heating</span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;"></span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;">.
If left closed all day they can cause overheating, but if accidentally left
open on cold nights they can vent too much heat. Both windows and skylights are
also notorious for condensation problems. This often contributes to rot and
mold issues.</span></span></span></div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374019;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527753;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625333;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Maintenance</span></span></span></span><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
There is just no way around it: Maintenance-wise, Earthships
are on par with any naturally-built building, if not more so. Day-to-day maintenance<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on an Earthship can easily be double or triple
that of a traditionally-built building. Earthship systems also require
specialized repairmen that charge a lot for their knowledge and are sometimes
difficult to locate. </div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625331"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527751"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374017"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527751;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625331;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Pets</span></span></span></a><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"> and Kids</span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Your pets may not understand that the planters<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are not their personal litter box or
entertainment center. Or that the cistern, if left open to the
building, is not their swimming pool or bathtub. Sometimes, kids may be equally
susceptible. (I know I would have been.) <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625332"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527752"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374018"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527752;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625332;"><span lang="IT" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: IT; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;"></span></span></span></a></div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405374018;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527752;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625332;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Pests</span></span></span></span><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="text-align: left;">
In the video <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">From the
Ground Up</i>, there is a moment where we see someone using earth to plaster
the wall and you can see bugs milling about in the plaster. That does not stop
once the plaster dries. In fact, now the bugs have awesome places to build
colonies - in the tires. You might as well prepare yourself early…
centipedes, jerusalem crickets, moths, spiders, snakes, rats, mice… they will
all be your friends in an Earthship. That is totally okay for some people. For
others, it is a terrifying nightmare. </div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
</h4>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc407625334"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405527754"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc405374020"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc405527754;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc407625334;"><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Products
Offered</span></span></span></a><span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;"></span></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The books, especially <u>Earthship Volume 1</u>, are woefully
out of date. Some of the products offered, like the Dynasphere wind<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>turbine, are investments in less than ideal
technology (see our Wind Power<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>section for an explanation why). There are other
places to look for more up-to-date solutions, and the majority of them are free
online. </div>
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-1325637888303040492016-03-11T09:53:00.000-07:002020-04-07T11:15:34.696-06:00CHAPTER I: The Myth of Performance: Known Issues in Earthships Worldwide<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It seems that Earthships have been somewhat stymied in
their evolution due to the assertion that because they are “experimental”, they
do not need to work. We believe you should have a home that does work. We want
you to know that “better” is easily achievable if you approach the design armed
with good information. </div>
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We know that there are issues from decades of documentation of problems
at builds around the world, as well as from Earthship research. See “Earthship Research
Overview in Plain English” in Chapter 2 for more on this.</div>
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Here is a summary of what has been documented as having
gone wrong with some of the larger and more well-known builds around the world:</div>
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EARTHSHIP FIFE in Scotland had moisture issues because of using wet
soil<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>when filling the tires, which at the time was
thought to improve compaction. This trapped moisture inside the building. Once
it evaporated and moved out of the tires, the moisture led to rotting problems
with the wood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>framing in
the roof<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>system.<br />
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The VALENCIA SPAIN EARTHSHIP is known to suffer from summer
overheating. This was resolved by adding external block-out shades<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>over the south-facing windows<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and utilizing shading over the skylights in
summertime. The greywater system was modified - a typical retrofit in many
Earthships. Removing the kitchen sink from the greywater system seemed to
resolve smell issues. Modern Earthships use a grease trap<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to attempt to combat this issue, but
commentary from people utilizing the new systems suggests that because of the
regular and “gross” grease trap cleanouts required, removing the kitchen sink
from the system is ideal.</div>
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EARTHSHIP ZWOLLE in the Netherlands was built on a concrete
slab to accommodate a high water table, yet still had significant water
infiltration issues. Another issue with the design was using a north entrance,
which contributed to thermal performance<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>issues, as well as unanticipated weather<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>loading and impacts on the structure. The failure of thermal
performance has led to the building being closed during winter. Due to high
humidity in the Netherlands, moisture became a real issue as did mold. A lack
of construction expertise in the build team has also contributed to cracking in
the concrete around the tires, contributing to degradation
of the building envelope, as well as moisture infiltration and thermal
performance issues. There are also issues in the building’s water catchment and
filtration system, so these systems have been abandoned.</div>
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The STAR COMMUNITY lies at the end of eight miles of rugged
unpaved roads nearly an hour from Taos. The community<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is so remote that many people will not even
travel out there, let alone attempt to live that far out. People who have lived
there will tell you this neighborhood is only really viable for a specific kind
of person with a deeply self-reliant can-do attitude. </div>
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The Earthship built in 2007 in BRIGHTON, ENGLAND is a
“cottage” of over 1300 square feet built for half a million dollars. The Brighton
Earthship been studied extensively, and various remedies applied for its
thermal performance<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>issues, which include regular under-heating<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for extended periods, as well as periodic
overheating. This Earthships’ greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>does not extend the full width of the south
façade. It appears that a lack of thermal insulation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>at the floor, which is applied over a chalk
soil<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>substrate, is contributing to continued
coldness during the winter. Evidently thermal bridging is a substantive issue
in this building. Thermal Bridging has been documented as an issue in other
Earthships at higher latitudes, including EARTHSHIP GER in Switzerland. A case
study performed by EcoOpenHouses.org on the Brighton Earthship notes several
improvement suggestions which might be useful for our readers, including using compact
fluorescents in lieu of the undersized LEDs; replacement of the wood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pellet stove<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in favor of a multi-fuel type stove to offer
more fuel options; replacement of the less-than-ideally functioning wind<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>turbine with additional solar PV panels (at
considerable expense); using lime plasters in lieu of cement in the walls; and using adequate
insulation. In 2015, Earthship Brighton began an online fundraising campaign to raise $40k Euros for new "improved" systems. Because what they designed<i> didn't work.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttEDneFZpp0i6jcbMty9AYr-1ibd_5ax-2BVRXvkDBS5iZv85VYn6WqkR3M4eM0vTzcTZ1zfo3zW7bSEdtY_WqixB86oUoFikRy_nQzJ5QolXDp8PCgI56DorDDH5K8sr9JAy28trNRVb/s1600/EINTHESKY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttEDneFZpp0i6jcbMty9AYr-1ibd_5ax-2BVRXvkDBS5iZv85VYn6WqkR3M4eM0vTzcTZ1zfo3zW7bSEdtY_WqixB86oUoFikRy_nQzJ5QolXDp8PCgI56DorDDH5K8sr9JAy28trNRVb/s320/EINTHESKY.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
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One future product that we are compelled to address here is the EARTHSHIP
IN THE SKY design for New York City. One of our pre-order readers sent the
drawings for this Earthship to us and we promised we would talk about it, if only
briefly, here. So here it is. Hoisted on a triumphantly arched concrete wedding
cake topper, this fantasy Earthship requires more concrete for its base than
many entire buildings. The design loses the berm, which makes it more of a concreteship
than an Earthship, it will likely require OSHA compliance in the build which
eliminates all those who would want to work on it unless they are certified for
high-rise construction, and… it blocks out the light for neighboring buildings.
This is illegal in many countries, as older buildings were designed to harness
the light and heat of the sun. This Earthship raises itself above its neighbors
and steals their sunlight and airspace, while also preventing the truly
sustainable response to housing in a city where every square inch has value
beyond measure. The sustainable thing to do here would be to house as many
people and businesses as possible in the space below just as the neighboring
buildings do.<br />
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The entry at the new Earthship Visitor’s Center at GREATER
WORLD COMMUNITY has its own issues, not the least of which is the incredible number
of wooden materials used. The design of the framing structure<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on this building, as with most Earthships,
means thermal bridges that invite cold air into the building. The huge number
of pieces of bent wood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>used presents
challenges of building and maintenance<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for the less-than-expert carpenter. The
vestibule wall shades<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the entrance area from the sun, which is great
in summer, but it also allows snow<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and ice to remain in winter. The benches are
not deep enough to sit on for most people. Each piece of glass in this door and
sidelight detail is hand-cut and comes with that time, maintenance, and cost. The water-stained wood on
the interior of the skylight<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>assemblies suggests there are water intrusion
issues in this Earthship as well. The last and most frustrating issue for
visitors is that it seems like no-one ever bothered to plan for how the space
would be used. The greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is a dead-end when the movie viewing room at
the end of that corridor is being used for its intended purpose. More than
once, we have had to direct guests to walk back around through the greenhouse,
or to gently push them through the dark space while people were using it. This
made our guests uncomfortable; several noted they felt as if they were
“interrupting someone”. The functional aspect of design… is exactly what we want
to help you do better. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDXiBMcd32gnIR50e42DqnJvroDANZEeOmvr29Lfk6xvIHZ539I0JWk3A2tHrnU_J2NwcAOYiOdygFcGgNJLYf05koQNG1qiEeILhT6XpOC2f9HdzgJ-0xrLTWUfS9FS0r6AtrQYS0HZu/s1600/DSC05881+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDXiBMcd32gnIR50e42DqnJvroDANZEeOmvr29Lfk6xvIHZ539I0JWk3A2tHrnU_J2NwcAOYiOdygFcGgNJLYf05koQNG1qiEeILhT6XpOC2f9HdzgJ-0xrLTWUfS9FS0r6AtrQYS0HZu/s640/DSC05881+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Earthship that everyone wants to point to, to say
"Hey look, these CAN work" is THE PHOENIX. It is gorgeous! It is also
for sale, and you can make it yours for $1.5Million, or $277 per square foot.
It has some of the most beautifully detailed work ever done on Earthships. This
palatial Earthship has 1/3 of its 5,400 SF floor area devoted to food<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>production. An 1,800 SF greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that costs $277 per square foot is an
expensive greenhouse, indeed – that adds up to $498,000! We cannot help but ask
- will the amount of food it produces ever add up to a half a million dollars’
worth, and thus justify the cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of this feature? Similarly to the awkward room
arrangements at the visitor’s center, the Phoenix has one bedroom big enough
for a king and a full bed, and then another bedroom with a built-in headboard
that results in a closet/office space behind the bed that is so squished and
dark that a normal person cannot even use it. There is also limited privacy<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the house as nearly every room, including
the baths, has an open ceiling. Would someone really pay
$1.5Million for a home that does not work for the way people live? Or that isn’t
comfortable? And affords no privacy? Or where half of the floor space isn’t
usable? We overheard someone say that they “had probably invested around $1.4
million in making the house work.” If the Phoenix cannot achieve a high return
on the huge investment that was made in it, what does that mean for yours?</div>
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-27380808962876273482016-03-09T09:46:00.000-07:002020-04-07T11:15:40.915-06:00CHAPTER I: The Myth of Thermal Comfort<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the “Earthship 101” slide presentation, the second slide
says, “Imagine… living in a home that cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you nothing to heat or cool…” The problem with
this statement is that it is wishful thinking. The base water and power systems
required to run Earthships cost $60,000. Systems for heating, cooling, humidity control, and
ventilation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are required in almost every circumstance, but
they are omitted from the Earthship design and therefore budgeting, because the
“Earthship controls its own temperatures.” While this is an admirable ideal, it
is not accurate, or even physically possible, which we will explain in some
detail throughout this book. Regardless, a traditionally-built home’s system
for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>costs around $35,000. So in buying an
Earthship systems package, the owner has paid a $25,000 premium to “pre-pay”
for water and power. The problem is… an owner of a traditionally-built home will
spend somewhere around $20,000 over the life of their home to buy water, gas,
and electric from utility companies. That means an Earthship owner pays a $5,000
premium over and above what a regular grid-tied user will pay over the lifetime
of their home, plus they still need backup heat, additional solar panels and
batteries for some locations, as well as humidification<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>controls and cooling in many locations.
Furthermore, Earthships commonly use propane for domestic hot water, cooking,
and supplementary heating, as well as some form of gas generators for backup
power<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for cloudy days. These are not free and those
costs are not factored into the vast majority of budgets. </div>
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Because Earthships are not designed for their specific
climate, they tend to have hot and cold spots. The
Earthship literature tells us that “the average temperature in an Earthship is
70 degrees.” That sounds really comfortable, right? Except that temperature is
based on an average of 365 days. The research<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and experience of many owners tells us that up
to 70% of those days will include extended periods of over and under-heating<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- an Earthship is often hotter than
comfortable between 10am and 7pm in summer and colder than comfortable between
7pm and 9am in winter.</div>
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<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
Principles of a solar oven – why Earthships overheat</h4>
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There is no other way to say it: Earthships, especially
those with slanted glass and no overhangs, tend to overheat. Even in
the winter. Many Earthship owners will say that even when it is -10°F outside
and snow<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is blowing sideways in 40mph gusts, they will
have to open up all the windows<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to cool their home off enough to be
comfortable. That might be okay for a while. However, as we get older, or as
our hands cannot crank windows and vents anymore, as we tire of stopping what
we are doing to get up to open and close windows twice a day, or when we have
to get snow off the windows when its freezing cold… this becomes a relevant
maintenance<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>issue.</div>
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A substantial amount of scientific research<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>has been done on thermal performance<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of Earthships in varied American, Australian,
and European climates. We will share some overviews of the findings by these
researchers later in Chapter 2, but the consensus is that Earthships overheat
as much as 9 months a year, depending on location. Earthships also under-heat
in northern latitudes due to cloudy conditions, colder inner-earth
temperatures, and the fact that earth-sheltering<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is designed to be used for passive <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cooling</i>. That means
supplementary ventilation, dehumidification, and/or
heating<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>need to be
considered basic requirements for the Earthship to work. Most of the time,
these additional systems are installed after the build, which can lead to
unsightly additions that were not accounted for in budgeting. Acknowledging
this early allows us to address these issues in the design phase, where we can
make the intrusions fit beautifully into the home and plan for the financing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to make it all work.</div>
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We know now why the buildings overheat, which is great
because it means we can do something about it. Earthships, when they use
slanted windows<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and no overhanging roof, are designed like solar
ovens. The buildings are oriented to true south, and the slanted windows allow
in too much sun. In the summer, the greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>can be stiflingly hot and humid. The heat is
not quite as sweltering in winter, but neither is it comfortable. The
temperature in the greenhouse can be “unbearable” as some owners have stated,
swinging between 45°F and 95°F depending on the season. A shade cloth is often
required on the greenhouse in the summer to prevent overheating. If we design
this critical area correctly from the outset, we do not need that shade cloth
and can avoid overheating. </div>
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Many early Earthships did not use wall insulation. This is a problem, even in
Taos. Some builders these days are insulating their Earthships, and/or putting
a line of insulation as a secondary wall 4 feet outside the tire walls. The extra insulation costs
money, uses more unnatural and unsustainable resources, and takes more time to
build. Plus, it is yet another system that can fail. The issues that cause the
need for these extra materials can be addressed with good design that speaks to
your climate.</div>
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In the winter, because there are not many windows<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the north-side living spaces, the north
ends of the rooms stay at or near earth temperature, which is around 58 degrees
in Taos, but is much lower in other parts of the world. So you have to have a
sweater in part of the house and then strip to your skivvies to pass through
the greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to another part of the house, where you will
need your sweater again. We also know now that supplemental heat is needed in
winter, especially in areas where it freezes. Earthship builders in cold
climates who prefer comfortable indoor temperatures are likely to a) install
floor and foundation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>insulation, and b) install a heating<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>system. Foundation insulation is critical
because the cold can seep up from the earth and make spaces uncomfortable for
anyone not wearing socks and sometimes even insulated winter boots too. Radiant
floors, wood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>stoves, fireplaces
and furnaces are all common additions in colder-climate<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Earthships. </div>
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Even in the winter, non-vented Earthships with the
greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>open to the living areas can be stiflingly
hot. Supposedly, roof<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>venting,
and the new earth tubes (which are not able to be retrofitted) helps prevent
overheating in the summer. However, this natural ventilation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cooling<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>technique only works in areas where
humidification<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is of no concern. In humid or dry areas, we
also need to supplement the tube and vent system with dehumidification (in
humid areas) or humidification (in arid areas). Otherwise, in a humid
environment, an Earthship will collect water along their interior wall
surfaces, forming a vertical pool for molds and algaes to grow. This often
occurs on the walls<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of the planting areas and edible plants<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>end up being infected or overwatered. This is
an epidemic issue among the many Earthship dwellers who do not live in an
environment as arid as Taos.</div>
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This is why we discuss both active and passive thermal
comfort<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>strategies in this book.</div>
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-47264865356223602862016-03-07T09:44:00.000-07:002020-04-07T11:15:49.434-06:00CHAPTER I: The Myth of “Will Provide You with What You Need to Survive…”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Earthship greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is not just designed to provide a space to
collect natural heat and light from the sun. It is also intended to be used as
a greenhouse for growing your own food. The plants<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the greenhouse are fed by a greywater
system that uses reclaimed shower<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and sink water to water the plants, which then
clean the water for use in toilets later. That is a cool idea! In the Earthship
literature and books, it is emphasized that that the Earthship greenhouse can
grow “all the food you need to survive.”<br />
<br />
<div class="BodyNormal">
Of the people whose Earthships we surveyed, who we interviewed,
who commented on blogs or forums, or who answered our surveys… none were able
to corroborate this ideal. Certainly the greenhouses can provide some food. But, the people we spoke to
said that they could not grow their own food in sufficient supply to say they
were provided all they need. They used grocery stores, farmers markets, or CSAs
as their primary source of food. The Earthship greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>served as a supplemental resource, and only
seasonally, in many cases.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
An architect who blogs anonymously was in the audience at
one of the Earthship lectures in Australia. Afterwards, he reported in his blog
that he struggled with the lifestyle and thermal performance<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>data presented, as the presentations implied
the information presented was an “undisputed truth” when in fact some of the data
presented showed clearly that there were issues with performance. But, people
would have to know what to look for in order to determine what parts were
concerning. (This is why we attempt to explain the width and breadth of the
research<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in Chapter
2.) He went on to question if the fish or water plants<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the pond systems used for aquaponics were
edible. He then calculated that in order to eat fish in the recommended dietary
amounts of three times a week, you would need to harvest at least 12 fish each
month. Clearly that would require a large and sophisticated system, which would
put this ideal out of reach for the scale and budget of most Earthships.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
This vision of providing all we need through maximizing the
value of our space is awesome. We get it. We do. But it does not seem possible
to produce enough food<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>working at
the scale of a single Earthship to meet this ideal.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
According to the research<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>completed by <a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2014/12/kruis-and-heun.html">Kruis and Heun</a> in 2007, a family
of four living in an Earthship would require 98 gallons (370L) of water per
day, or 37,500 gallons (135,000L) of water per year. They identified in their
research that the water requirement was totally achievable in a wet place like
Michigan, but those quantities could not be achieved in Hawaii, New Mexico, or
Alaska. This corroborates our experience in Taos where most of the Earthship
owners we know have to buy water. This makes a backup dependable water supply
essential for many locations.</div>
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-8117144406655982392016-03-04T09:41:00.001-07:002020-04-07T11:15:58.616-06:00CHAPTER I: The Myth of Build-Out Time and Reality Check: There is no such thing as a Global Model <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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While the legend is that an Earthship can be built in a few
weeks, that does not seem to be most people’s experience. Most often, builder-led
projects take from a few weeks to 2 months. When doing it on your own, an
Earthship can easily take 2 years to build. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The design and permitting process can also take years - first,
learning for yourselves, then training the local code enforcement officials. With
planning and permitting, a build can as long as 5 years. Are you ready for a
multi-year camping adventure? Can you afford a hotel/rental for that time?
Regardless of HOW you do it, you need a plan as well as cash flow to pull it
off.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<h2 class="BSubheadLevel2" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc442606445">The Myth of “Will Perform as
Expected in Any Part of the World, in Any Climate” or, Reality Check: There is
no such thing as a Global Model</a></h2>
<div class="BodyNormal">
We love the idea of a convenient one-size-fits-all approach
to design. However, the Global Model promise is one that fails to deliver, in
Earthships, and an every other kind of architecture. The reality is: Not every
building works in every climate. There is a thousand years of
architectural and archaeological evidence in New Mexico that backs up this
fact, and tens of thousands of years of evidence from around the world.
Cultures migrated and modified their own home designs as they went. They did
not do so because they were trying to be stylish or to merge with the new
culture. They adapted to the new conditions because they needed to stay warm in
winter and cool in summer. The only things they had to work with were natural
forces like the sun and physics (gravity, thermal and liquid dynamics, etc.),
the materials and tools they had available to them, and history. It was
anything but convenient to have to adjust, but they did, because they needed to
in order to survive. </div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
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Let’s try an exercise. We are going to give you a new
religion. We will not tell you what religion it is, but it is not from here,
and we do not care what you were brought up as. We just want you to start being
that religion, today. OK? Ready Set Go! What? You do not love that idea? Good,
because we are not going to ask you to do anything of the sort because it is
preposterous. It is, however, a decent metaphor to illustrate just how absurd
the concept of a Global Model of design is for architecture. Many of the
underlying reasons why a Global Model is infeasible are the same as why we
cannot adopt a new religion from somewhere else around the world on a whim. </div>
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<br /></div>
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First, there are cultural concerns. People around the world
are building on traditions that have been developed over 10,000 years of their
own settlement and technology patterns. They would be wise to be reticent to
adopt a new building technology that is not proven, culturally appropriate, or
technologically feasible. I think back on several projects I have worked on
where sophisticated technology-based systems like water filtration systems,
have been donated to worthy charities in third world countries. At first, wow!
How they changed things for the better! New school uniforms were purchased from
the proceeds from the sales of purified water, and a bustling business was
born. But, then, a tiny plastic part broke. Suddenly, that awesome system
turned into an expensive piece of wall art because the people who were gifted
the technology did not have the knowledge, parts, access to alternatives, or
technical know-how to repair it. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Another great example to technological appropriateness in
design came for me on a project I worked on in Peru. A non-profit organization
wanted to build a 20,000 square foot multi-level concrete building and
ceremonial space in a jungle that is only accessible by a 2 hour powered canoe
ride. I kept asking, “How are you planning on building that?” knowing that
cranes and a pump truck would be required. Someone would justify how it could
happen using experimental technology that was not available in Peru. We could
always have tried - spending huge amounts of money and effort to buy and ship
the systems there and experiment with making it work. Finally I quit the
project because I realized that my approach to design was too “traditional” and
it would be an uphill battle to go simple within the context of these very big
dreams. I stayed in touch, however, because I love the organization’s work. A
year or so ago, I received a newsletter that announced they had finally built
their facility in the jungle. When it came down to it, they built a 1,500
square foot building out of local materials and that was built by locals.
However, it took them 2 years to break away from the big idea and back to
something that truly worked for its place. The best news of all (for me) was that
humble little building supported local crafts, culture, economies, and because
of all that – it was both affordable and easily maintainable. That was good
design. And it was sustainable.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Climate is another important criteria for why there can be
no Global Model of architecture. There are different climates around the world
and different microclimates<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>within those climates. While ideas that work
in Iran may a great place to start for ideas what might work in New Mexico,
because they share similar climates, the wind<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>directions, snowfall and rain amounts, soil<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>types, and geography<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>play important roles in differentiating how
the designs perform. We can see this illustrated quite easily. In New Mexico,
where many presume we are “all in the same climate”, there are actually 6
diverse bioregions that have different water, climate, agricultural, soil, and architectural
properties. The architectural systems especially cannot be made to “fit” in all
these regions. In the flat and hot desert, our traditional adobe<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>homes with flat roofs placed directly on the
ground are ideal. But in the mountainous regions, they utilize small
easy-to-heat log<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>buildings on sturdy foundations that elevate
the homes out of the snow<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in winter. To ignore the sun or landscape<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is to risk overheating and/or water
infiltration. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Few Earthships seem to place an emphasis on site<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>selection for anything other than solar access
and views. In one example of how this can go wrong,
several Earthships were built at the Rural Earthship Alternative Community
Habitat (REACH) near the Taos Ski Valley. The REACH community, despite the assertion
otherwise in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Garbage Warrior</i>, is not
entirely a success. Some of the Earthships at REACH are only used by the
interns at Earthship Biotecture or as rentals during summer. Most often, the
people staying there have no idea there are issues with these buildings because
they are so happy to be part of the movement and living in the beautiful spaces
with the stunning views in the summertime when the site is accessible. They most
often do not recognize that those buildings are available to them for a reason –
the spaces do not work for homebuyers. Homes in this prestigious area can sell
for $300,000 or more – an expensive dorm room indeed! But the builders did not
follow some basic but necessary design principles and thus, the buildings were
difficult to sell. Not everyone wants to climb stairs in the dark to get into
bed, to be colder than comfortable in winter, overheated in summer, or to go
down a dark set of stairs into their closet. Or to listen to your neighbor’s
conversations because the site acts like a natural amphitheater and the houses
are placed too close together. Or have to abandon their essential veggie
growing planters<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>because their cat will not stop using them as
a litterbox. Or to use the wench on their 4WD to drag themselves up an
impassable snowboarding-worthy hill in the winter. REACH is an experimental
dream that did not end up manifesting so well. Once it was removed from the
Taos Plateau to a hillside just a few miles away from the original Greater
World development, the weaknesses in the one-size-fits-all approach of the Earthship
concept began to be revealed. Some of the issues were due to limited design
understanding and poorly designed building details by novice builders, and some
were due to the unique mountain climate<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and landscape<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that the design was not modified to respond
to.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
This is just one close example of how even small
microclimatic variations can undermine the performance of a building. With
every mile traveled away from Greater World, these issues become more
challenging and more important to resolve. Once we get into the hot/humid
regions, the idea implodes, and not just for Earthships. Buildings that work
well in the high arid desert do not work well near the equator. Earthship
Biotecture will go into areas hit by natural disasters to help them out by
quickly building micro Earthships to try and assist in the rebuilding efforts.
That is an awesome thing to do. The people in those areas need help now and they
can assist, as well as attempt to work the Global aspect of their design out by
modifying it for tropical climates. The only issue is that observers and users
of these facilities report that the tropical models have issues, including lack
of humidity control, lack of ventilation, poor lighting, wind<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>channeling, mold, darkness, and worst of all…
acting as a reservoir to capture hurricane water while shedding hurricane
winds.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
We need to utilize architectural tools here in New Mexico
that you may not need where you are. In his article “Earthship Hype and
Earthship Reality” on GreenBuildingAdvisor.com, building expert Martin Holladay
points out that while a cistern<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>may be required in New Mexico where we
struggle to have enough water, a place like New England may not need the
cistern because of the natural wetness of the climate<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the predominance of springs and wells. Issues
like this are why we need to pay attention to climate and not blindly follow
the standard design when that standard does not work FOR us.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
There are specific issues in the design of the Global Model
Earthships. There are Code-compliance issues of not having a means of
egress from every bedroom without passing through a secondary space. The new
earth vents can render the berm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>dysfunctional and are, in some locations,
wrought with snow, mold, and maintenance<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>issues. The cisterns<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>diminish the earth-sheltering<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>benefits of the berm. Hidden hallways and an
uninhabitable greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>account for an average of 50% of the space
being unusable. Openings in the south wall in the living room render the
greenhouse part of the space and thus create humidity and overheating issues
which can rot furniture. This causes a demand for additional ventilation. The over-sizing of rooms and
under-sizing of functional spaces, and the inclusion of the mechanical<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>room and all of its noise and heat as part of
the main body of the house are yet more design challenges faced by Earthship
dwellers. We can do better.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The overwhelming evidence does not support a global model
of design… and it is not a bias towards Earthships … neither Earthships nor any
other building type works for everybody in every place. Evidently, Earthship
Europe agrees, based on this quote from their website, </div>
<div style="background: #F2F2F2; border: solid #F2F2F2 3.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themeshade: 242; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 2.0pt 1.0pt 2.0pt 2.0pt;">
<div class="QuotationPullQuote" style="background: #F2F2F2; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242;">
“…concerning
the Global Model (one model for everywhere) I can only say: </div>
<div class="QuotationPullQuote" style="background: #F2F2F2; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-background-themecolor: background1; mso-background-themeshade: 242;">
‘Would you built an igloo in the desert?’”</div>
</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Earthship Europe has modified the designs extensively to
make them work for European climates, and their spinoff Flagship Europe has
walked away from the Earthship concept entirely. That is one way that we can
know if Earthships or any other new build type works in an area. We can ask how
many more got built after the first one. And, if they changed things, what got
changed? In many cases, Earthships are modified heavily so they perform
adequately, often at great expense and over a long period of time. That fact is
not advertised, or for that matter… even acknowledged. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The most important factor we can suggest for those who
really love this idea and want to make it work is to study everything you can
about the vernacular<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>architecture in the place you want to live.
Visit every historic or archaeological site<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you can. Learn from these buildings and their
relationship to their place, and adapt the design of your home to fit the
area’s climate<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and existing building traditions. Then, think
small. Design only what is needed for space, and then plan ahead for additions
to make them easy. The Earthship firms will not guarantee that anything they
design for you will be permitable, so you might as well tweak the design and
make it work for you. </div>
</div>
Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-66940746754722671222016-03-04T09:41:00.000-07:002020-04-07T11:16:06.436-06:00CHAPTER I: The Myth of “The Most Efficient, Easy to Build Construction Method on the Planet”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="BodyNormal">
Earthships require extraordinary amounts of time, patience,
self-education, and physical labor to build. One builder noted that he could
tell if people were “real prospects” to build an Earthship by testing them on a
build site. He said, “I just let ‘em pound one tire full.
It takes 3 wheelbarrows of dirt and a good pounding, and the first time they do
one, it can take up to two hours that will rock their entire body. If they are
standing at the end of it, they might be a candidate for building their own.”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>How many would-be builders are really
prepared for this? Several of the people we interviewed ended up injured from
all that pounding. There is a price for that, too.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
While Earthships might be “easy to build”, there is no
promise of producing a well-built result. This is an issue inherent in using
unskilled labor, no matter what the building project type. People who have
never built anything will not know what not to do. This can turn your home into
a giant craft project. That might be okay for the hidden stuff, but what if you
really care about your home being well-built and beautifully so? Several
builders in our research<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>noted that even with years of experience in constructing
other types of buildings, the Earthship proved to be a monster project to both manage
and learn the techniques for. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The most concerning part of the “most efficient” issue is
that the time needed for building the home is either devoted to, or sacrificed
from, daily activities. If you are not independently wealthy and require a
source of income, you have to sacrifice your time to build a home (which can be
a full-time job in itself); in addition to having a job to make the money to
pay for the home you are building. When this happens, the sustainability of the
process comes into question.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Sometimes we need help – an expert – to get things built.
But it is difficult to find an expert in Earthship building who can provide the
help you need and that you can afford. We heard time and again… a lack of
professional assistance can totally derail a project for unseasoned builders.</div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
The Abandonment Phenomenon</h4>
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><br />
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Nearly a third of the people who contacted us after hearing about
this project wanted us to share that they had given up on their Earthship
dream, sometimes in mid-build. They felt like they had lost time, money, and even
faith from their Earthship experience. Some had been injured. Some ran out of
money. Others ran out of patience for trying to train building inspectors in
something they barely understood themselves. Others could not figure out the
systems, which, as one interviewee commented “required German language
knowledge or an engineering degree to make work.” Still others gave up because
other teams wanting to build Earthships in their area had failed to obtain
permission. The most disheartening part was that the prospective builders who
were forced to quit seemed depressed and demoralized by the experience. Once we
knew to look for it, this sentiment was quietly echoed in the message boards
and forums. Several sources in our research<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>commented that people they knew had spent
years pouring every penny and thousands of hours of sweat equity into their Earthship,
and when the project was finally complete… they lived in them for a while and
then sold their home at a loss just to “get out from under it.”<br />
<br />
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-48715734052309551912016-03-02T09:37:00.000-07:002020-04-07T11:16:23.458-06:00CHAPTER I: The Myth of “A Radically Sustainable Home Made of Recycled and Natural Materials…”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="ChapterAuthorRight" style="text-align: center;">
<i>by Rachel Preston Prinz and Carrie Christopher</i></div>
<div class="ChapterAuthorRight" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Just because it is organic in form does not mean it is
natural. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The Earthship literature states that 45% of a typical
Earthship is made from recyclable materials. That means; a) that 45% of the
materials used are removed from the recycling stream where they would be used
until they cannot be used anymore, and; b) that 55% of what constitutes the
Earthship is virgin material, which must be harvested, mined, manufactured,
and/or transported to the site. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Only the soil<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>used in the berm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the earth plasters, framing, and vigas are
natural. The roofing, thermal protection and rigid insulation, gutters and downspouts, EPDM, aluminum cans, plumbing, wiring, glass bottles, tires, cisterns, cooling<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tubes, tools, concrete, glazing for two walls<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of windows, window shades, glass doors, appliances, rebar, and the mechanical<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and plumbing system are not natural. Of these,
the concrete, plumbing, and windows can amount to twice the number of those
materials used in a traditional stick-built home.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Looking at the natural angle a bit deeper, the modern Earthship
relies heavily on the use of concrete, which has been documented as
contributing between 5% and 10% of the world's greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>gases. Concrete<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>also removes oxygen from the air we breathe as
it cures over its life. This can be a real issue if we have breathing issues or
allergies.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
In some ways, Earthships are even more polluting than other
building types. They introduce toxins to oftentimes virgin land, are generally junkyards
during construction, and they remove materials from the recycling stream. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
We have to be careful in how we talk about the Earthships,
or any other building type. Using wishful thinking, passing on legends that are
not true, and using buzzwords people have an emotional reaction to in order to
trigger a belief that these buildings are recycled and natural… does not lead
to better or more sustainable design. It does, however, lead to frustration for
would-be builders. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
</div>
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</td>
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We point these issues out only because we want to help address the
real concerns that people have.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="-moz-border-bottom-colors: none; -moz-border-left-colors: none; -moz-border-right-colors: none; -moz-border-top-colors: none; border-color: windowtext -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-image: none; border-style: solid none none; border-width: 1pt medium medium; padding: 3pt 0in 0in; text-align: left;">
<h2 class="BSubheadLevel2">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc442606442">The Myth of Earthships and
Recycling</a></h2>
<div class="BSubheadLevel2" style="text-align: center;">
<i>by Rachel Preston Prinz, Pratik Zaveri, <br />Asha Stout,
and Carrie Christopher</i></div>
</div>
<div class="ChapterAuthorRight" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Nature operates on the principles of zero waste. Trees make flowers and fruit
in order to germinate and grow new versions of themselves and keep growing.
Excesses of flowers and fruits are consumed by other species - they fall on the
ground, decompose, feed various organisms and microorganisms, and enrich the
soil. Animals and insects exhale
carbon dioxide, which plants<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>take in and use for their own growth, and then
the plants release oxygen which helps us and the animals and insects with our
own survival. Nitrogen from plant waste is transformed into protein by
microorganisms, animals, and other plants. This continuous cycle is a symbiotic
relationship: they feed us and we feed them. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The Earth's major nutrients—carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and
nitrogen—are CYCLED and, then, once they are used and discarded to be used
again, RECYCLED. Industry altered the natural equilibrium of the planet. We
took substances from the Earth's crust and concentrated, altered, and
synthesized them into vast quantities of modified materials that cannot safely
be returned to the soil<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or to the earth’s original biological cycle
because they are no longer made up of the primary constituents of life. We have
to think of another way to make use of these used materials.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
So when we want to talk about true sustainability, we begin
with the familiar “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” philosophy. First, we REDUCE our use
of materials insofar as we are able. Some people would say that having an
exterior and interior window wall, as is common in the newest Earthships, is a
violation of the REDUCE principle. These walls<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are not necessary. You can have the greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>via other means - like a stand-alone
greenhouse that can be built of all recycled or reused materials. Another way
we can reduce our footprint<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is to literally reduce our footprint. The
Phoenix Earthship, for instance, has a total area of about 5,400 square feet,
of which about half is unusable because the space is devoted to greenhouse and
mechanical<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>rooms. A 5,400 SF house is not sustainable,
especially when only half of it is usable. Is it really necessary? Well, that
is up to you. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
RECYCLING is the process where used materials are
remanufactured into new products by taking the material, breaking it down, and
then using its raw ingredients to build something new. This prevents the waste<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of useful materials, reduces the consumption
of virgin materials, lowers energy use, decreases air and water pollution, and
lowers gas emissions. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Downcycling</i>
converts used materials into products of lesser quality and reduced
functionality. Making rags from old clothes and using cardboard boxes as
packing or insulating material are examples of downcycling.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Upcycling</i>, or
returning the used materials into original raw form and reworking them into new
forms, is what happens when we recycle aluminum and glass. Aluminum is melted
down and made into new cans, saving over 90% of the
energy required to make new ones from scratch. Glass works in the same way.
This cycle can continue in perpetuity. Upcycling reduces the amount of waste<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that we produce and reduces the need for new
virgin material to be mined, fabricated, or harvested. In the case of plastic,
this means fewer oil wells drilled. For metals, fewer mountains mined. For
paper, fewer trees<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>felled. All around, this means less expended,
or embodied, energy. The goal of upcycling is to prevent wasting potentially
useful materials by making use of existing ones. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
REUSE takes a used item and reuses it, rather than putting
it into the waste<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>stream.
This helps in exploiting the full potential of a material before it is
discarded. So, as in the case of the tires, bottles, and cans<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>used in Earthships, we are REUSING them, not
recycling them, because we use the intact item as filler for the walls. None of those materials are
going back into the production cycle; they are just making the recycling chain
longer.</div>
<br />
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-48391593911220579552016-02-29T09:36:00.000-07:002017-06-09T08:48:08.909-06:00CHAPTER I: The Myth of “The Most Economical Building Design in the World... (which will) cost about the same as a conventional non-sustainable home…”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="BodyNormal">
The Earthships are legendary for being ultra-affordable and
doable by anyone, which is exactly what Mike Reynolds hoped they would be and
this ideal… this story… is what gets passed on from each generation to the
next. The issue is that the data does not fully support the noble idea that adopters
of this technology wanted to be true. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
There is no way around this but to face it: Earthships are
one of the most expensive, most labor-intensive, most technologically
demanding, and time-consuming structures out there. They are also not as
sustainable as they are reported to be, which we will go into further detail
about throughout this chapter. The Earthships of today cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$225+ per square foot (PSF). This is confirmed
in a 2007 study by researchers <a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2014/12/kruis-and-heun.html">Kruis and Heun</a>, which found that the cost to build an off-grid Earthship at that
time averaged $162 PSF, a grid-tied Earthship averaged $107.50 PSF, and a
standard stick-frame home cost $97.75 PSF. Adding in 7 years of inflation
brings those numbers close to the $225 mark of today’s builds. Several
designer/builders have confirmed that their Earthships cost around $200 PSF.
This data belies the assertion that the Earthships “cost about the same as a
conventional home”, since a conventional home costs from 1/2 to 2/3 of that
depending on the techniques used. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>myth is further exacerbated by other means as
well. While tires, glass bottles, and aluminum cans<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>may be “free”… the plans and permits,
excavation, tools, concrete, wood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>framing and vigas, roofing, cooling<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tubes, insulation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and thermal wrap, cisterns, interior finishes, glazing
for two walls<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of windows, shades, glass doors, appliances, and the systems… are not.
Plus, nearly every piece of an Earthship is custom-fabricated and therefore
comes with the delays of custom construction and often, a higher cost. If you
are a do-it-yourselfer, this can be OK, but if you are paying for labor and you
are on a budget… maybe not so much. </div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
Reality Check: Base costs of an Earthship</h4>
<div class="SubSubhead">
</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
When we ran the numbers on a Global Model 3 bedroom
Earthship, and then compared them to build budgets from our research, the base price for an
unfinished building was $179,000 in U.S. dollars. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 4.0in;">
Excavation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>20,000</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 4.0in;">
Tools <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5,000</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 4.0in;">
Roofing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>35,000</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 4.0in;">
Concrete<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>& Rebar<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>17,000</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 4.0in;">
Front wall framing +
Windows <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>20,000</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 4.0in;">
Cooling tubes<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5,000</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 4.0in;">
Cisterns <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>7,000</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 4.0in;">
Thermal wrap and poly
sheets <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>10,000</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 4.0in;">
<u>Systems Package <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>60,000</u></div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 4.0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$
179,000</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 4.0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
While these base prices may seem high, and they are... many
homes need these items. Building a home costs money, no matter how you go about
it. Some homes cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>more than
others. The off-grid Earthship is one such home.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>issue is even further exacerbated because “early
adopters” of any technology often pave the way for future builders. It can be quite
expensive for the early adopter to test an idea, as they have to become a
scientist: they first devise a theory – the design and plans – and then find
the funding to prove the system works. Even strawbale<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>construction, which has been around for a very
long time, has only recently been accepted for use in seismic zones. This
approval only came once full scale structural testing of the system had proven it
to work. The change came from people taking a chance and building and then
testing the system to prove it could withstand the loads. The good news is, in
leading the charge for more sustainable and natural design, we improve the
chances for others to get to use what we prove works.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
We offer these initial costs considerations here because
budgeting data for Earthships, overall, is pretty lacking or outright avoided,
which might explain why so many builds run over budget. These cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>considerations are also why we decided to
cover building types in this book that are a bit more expensive and/or a bit
more “out there”. If you are going to spend this amount of money, you should
get exactly the kind of home you want. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
So let’s address some of the cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>aspects of the materials typical to Earthship
builds…</div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
Land</h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
One of the factors that people often miss when planning a
build is the cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of the
land. The Earthship has a huge footprint<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of up to 3,500 square feet including the berm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(this high density per square foot ratio is
part of what makes it non-sustainable) which means you really need an acre to
place it on. Land can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000 an acre depending
on where you build. To combat this, many have made the mistake of buying cheap
land for their building, but cheap land usually is not ideal for settlement. We
will cover why this is a bad investment and what makes an ideal build location
in Chapter 4.</div>
<h4 class="BodyNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Tires</h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
An average Earthship requires about 900 tires<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for its back wall. But those tires are most
likely not located on your building site. Or within 10 miles of your
building site. Because, most likely, you are going to be “out there” where it
is still okay to do experimental architecture. To get the tires to your site,
you will need to make time to go select them out of a tire dump, which can take
20 hours or more, and then transport them the however many miles between the
dump and your land. One option would be to get them all in one load
on an 18-wheeler, which can carry 800 tires. But there are road access issues
to address, rental and fuel costs, and driver hire issues with that. So, let’s
look at a more practical option… you can get up to 50 tires piled and tied into
the bed of a standard pickup truck and get it done in 16 loads. (Have you
budgeted to sell your fuel-efficient hybrid and get a pickup truck?) How much
mpg does the truck get? What is that cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>per load? Times 16 loads? According to the EPA
report, “Scrap Tires: Handbook on Recycling Applications and Management for the
U.S. and Mexico” from December 2010, the cost of transporting one tire in an
average 25 mile haul (12.5 miles each way) is nearly $0.50. Multiply that by
900 tires and we have a fuel cost of $450 for tires. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
A horse trailer would be another
great option for this work. Know someone who has one you can borrow?</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
There is a lot of debate on whether the tires<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are a good idea or not because of potential
off-gassing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of dangerous chemicals. To learn more about
this debate, see <a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/01/tires-and-offgassing-issue.html">Tires and the Off-gassing Issue and Chapter 2</a>.</div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
Cans</h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The average number of uncrushed soda and beer cans<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>used in an Earthship is 10,000. You can drink
all that yourselves, but it comes at a price - buying the drinks - which you
may well do for a two year build using volunteers. But you can get creative
too! One of the most ingenious ways we have heard of is from a renowned
Earthship build in Canada. Manitoba Earthship Project partnered with the
Winnipeg Folk Festival to collect the cans from the recycling bins at the
festival! That garnered them more 12,000 cans in one week. However you get the
cans, if you do not get them delivered, you need to get them to the site. If you pack them well, you
can get 4,000 cans in the bed of a pickup truck. That is three loads, for
planning purposes. Then, you want to budget time and water for washing them out
so the house does not reek of beer and soda or attract pests. </div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
Glass Bottles</h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
You will need 2,000 bottles to make the standard 1,000
bottle bricks<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for the beautiful bottle walls. Those easily fit in one
truckload if you pack them tightly and organized like a honeycomb. More likely,
however, you will do it in several less organized truckloads as you are able to
go to the recycle center and sort them. Predict three loads minimum for that.
Plan 2 hours for sorting and bagging per load. You will want to plan for enough
water and cleaning time to get these cleaned up as well. An easy way of getting
all the bottles you need in one day might be to partner with a local wine
festival and take all their empties. You might not get the colors you want, but
you will get a lot of bottles quickly. Like with the cans, the number of loads and gas
required to bring them back to your site<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>will depend on the vehicle used and distance
traveled. </div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
Cement and Concrete</h4>
<div class="BodyNoIndent">
We did a takeoff off of plans for a Global Model Earthship
to help budget for cement and concrete costs. Contrary to popular belief, concrete
makes up the majority of the materials used in the build. Here is the overview
of how much concrete might be needed: (Please note that haul numbers do not
include sand or aggregate.)</div>
<div class="BodyNoIndent">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikT342ko2WZiWm-Bka5q4mBk0QSD-V0fNojmg-zGmNDoRmlqtyx0NezaTMD4kT5YlfXZZn4HIbbzqkz6Ljwm9WOAK5QpefmyZLcW8ENg6b8HMOUY6fbnfcIsUb2bhw2r3X2r2CpYas7ZlK/s1600/Concrete+Takeoff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikT342ko2WZiWm-Bka5q4mBk0QSD-V0fNojmg-zGmNDoRmlqtyx0NezaTMD4kT5YlfXZZn4HIbbzqkz6Ljwm9WOAK5QpefmyZLcW8ENg6b8HMOUY6fbnfcIsUb2bhw2r3X2r2CpYas7ZlK/s640/Concrete+Takeoff.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<h4 class="BodyNoIndent" style="text-align: left;">
Hidden Costs</h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
One thing we noticed in the research<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– mileage and time is not included in the
budgets for most builds. Now add volunteer’s driving time and mileage, plus the
mileage for family and friends who help, inspectors, and near daily trips to
the hardware store or into town for more water. Fuel costs and time involved
are real hidden costs that can make or break a project. When added to the cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of feeding, watering, and insuring volunteers, these hidden costs can
derail a build. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="SubSub" style="text-indent: .2in;">
Additional costs to plan in advance
for:</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Propane<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>costs for cooking, clothes drying, space
heating, and on-demand water heating.</li>
<li>Backup water supply.</li>
<li>Backup power supply.</li>
<li>Re-mudding the earth plaster<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>each year.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Re-staining or oiling the exterior wood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>each year.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Periodic septic<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cleanouts.</li>
<li>Periodic cistern<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cleanouts.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>PV battery banks should be replaced every 15
years.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>PV panels should be replaced every 25 years.</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 0%;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 0%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h4 class="SubSubhead" style="text-align: left;">
Emotional Costs</h4>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the negative factors that came up repeatedly in our
research<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is the
emotional cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of
building an Earthship. A build can negatively impact a person’s: sense of
privacy, financial stress, employment, physical state,
happiness, and sense of comfort and safety. A build can also have an impact on
a person’s relationships with people in general, and their relationship with
their spouse in particular. This is something to consider for those who might
want to build a home inspired by the Earthship model, especially for those who
may be especially sensitive to these energies and emotions.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="Tip" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There is more to discuss
about the affordability equation and it deals with more of
the legends around the Earthships. </span></div>
<div class="Tip" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-67381810947564597732016-02-24T09:24:00.000-07:002020-04-07T11:16:33.843-06:00CHAPTER I: The Earthship Reality Project: Opening<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="ChAuthors" style="text-align: center;">
<i>by Rachel Preston Prinz, Pratik Zaveri, and Asha Stout</i></div>
<div class="ChAuthors">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 56.5pt; mso-text-raise: -5.0pt;">A</span></div>
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n Earthship is constructed of three exterior walls<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(west, north, and east, in the northern
hemisphere; west, south, and east in the southern hemisphere), of used
automobile tires<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>rammed or
compacted with 300-400 pounds of soil, and stacked, bricklike, to a
height of 8 feet or so. The floor plan of an Earthship averages about 1700
square feet (SF) or 160 square meters (SM). Interior plumbing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>walls are traditionally-framed and the
remaining walls are most often constructed of salvaged aluminum drink cans<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or glass bottles<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>placed in concrete. The houses are large and
feel organic in their form.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
In most Earthships, there is a slanted glass greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on the south face of the structure<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>which opens to the main body of the house. Due
to the overheating this causes, in the newest models, the greenhouse - which
now has nearly vertical or true vertical windows<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- is separated from the main body of the house
with a wall of windows and doors.
The greenhouse hallway between the outside window wall and the interior window
wall is used for growing plants<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and vegetables year-round and it is intended
to perform the function of a solar thermal battery.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The metal panel roof<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>collects rainwater<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and an underground piping system funnels it to
cisterns<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>usually located
in the sloped earth berm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>behind the
house on the north. The water is filtered and pressurized to provide running
water for sinks, showers, and baths<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in a system called a Water Organizing Module.
If the water is stored for long periods of time, it is treated to prevent
microbial growth. Greywater<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from sinks and showers is cleaned via a grease
trap<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and delivered to interior planters, and then to toilets. Water
is then moved outside to a septic<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tank or a blackwater<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>botanical waste<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>treatment cell and then, if required by Code<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(most often it is), to a septic field.</div>
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In the Earthship concept, photovoltaic<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>panels and/or small wind<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>turbines store enough energy to supply all the
houses’ power needs. In principal, the Earthship’s main heating<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>source is the sun, captured via the greenhouse<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on the south face of the structure, and cooling<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is provided by natural ventilation. A berm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on the north side of the structure is intended
to provide thermal improvement, helping to maintain the Earthship at or near a
comfortable inner-earth temperature<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>near 58 degrees. A recent addition to the
model - long vent tubes passing through the berm - are intended to bring fresh
air into the structure to improve occupant comfort. These passively-inspired design
techniques sometimes work, and sometimes do not… requiring additional heating
and/or cooling depending on location… which we will explain in some detail in
later sections.<br />
<br />
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<br />
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According to the Earthship
website and literature, Earthships are sustainable, use recycled materials,
will work anywhere in the world, and will give us everything we need to
survive. They also aim to be the most adaptable, affordable, fastest, and
easiest to build building in the world, and they will give you the best resale
value of any other options available.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="tab-stops: 324.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
However, if this was accurate, we would not be writing this
book.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="SubSub" style="text-indent: .2in;">
It can be said that the Pros of the
Earthship model are:</div>
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Energy efficiency: the buildings utilize solar
and/or geothermal<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>heat, cooling<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and hot water, and provide rain and greywater
harvesting. </li>
<li>Self-sustainability: you can grow veggies
inside, use and reuse water, and minimize impact on the environment. </li>
<li>Ease of construction: in principle, anyone can
build an Earthship. If you can pound dirt, you can do it. </li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>“Recycling”: some of the materials used come
from waste<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>products
that would otherwise fill up a landfill, or are made from recycled materials. </li>
<li>
Natural light: these buildings have it in
abundance. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="BodyNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Not all of
these pros are as pro as they seem. As we come to learn more about what the
underlying processes are, maybe not. What follows through the end of this
chapter may be considered the Earthship’s cons.</span></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
We should mention here that many of the titles that follow
are in quotes. When that happens it is because we are quoting the various
theories presented in the Earthship films, website, and literature. When you
see something in italics, it is a direct quote from the listed source. Also,
because this book is written from the point of view of a conversation between
friends, we use the term “you” when what we are talking about is something we
cannot help you with here, and “we“ when it is something this book can help you
with or is an approach we take in our offices. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br />
I use “I” when sharing something from my own life. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Please also note that because many of the Earthships are in
Taos, we talk about the Taos climate<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in detail. We do that because we want to show
you how the design works in this climate, so you know what to look for in your
area. But we focus on helping out most… in the place we know best.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
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<h2 class="ASubheadLevel1" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc442606439"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc413233300"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc410719372"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc410633343"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc410719372;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc413233300;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc442606439;">The Mythos</span></span></span></a></h2>
</div>
<div class="ChapterAuthorRight" style="text-align: center;">
<i>by Rachel Preston Prinz and Pratik Zaveri</i></div>
<div class="ChapterAuthorRight" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="SubSub">
<b>myth·os </b></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Noun: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">mythos</span></i>; plural noun: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">mythoi</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Crimson; mso-fareast-font-family: Crimson;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>myth or mythology.</div>
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A set of beliefs or assumptions
about something.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="text-indent: 1.25in;">
<br /></div>
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The term mythology used in reference to a type of building
may seem surprising. But it is really not so far of a stretch. The Earthship is
just that – a building ideal based on beliefs and assumptions that are passed
on by the use of traditional storytelling elements. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Mike Reynolds and Earthship Biotecture have used
traditional storytelling in the form of sharing both established and new myths
to illustrate their story to their fans since the beginning of their efforts to
birth Earthships into the world. These stories have become part of the mythos
of Earthships worldwide. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Reynolds says in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Garbage
Warrior</i> that his hero is the Biblical character Noah, a reiteration of the story <u>Earthship
Volume 1</u> opens with: the story of Noah and the Ark. In the relating of the
story, the book talks about “the fact” that Noah saw the clouds before the
great flood and knew he needed to build a ship before the coming deluge.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
This is relevant, when we start to ask questions about how
the Earthships work. Because, like the Noah story, the factuality of which has
been debated since that story was written down hundreds and maybe even
thousands of years after it happened, if it happened… what IS – how the Earthships
work and if the buildings do what they aspire to – and the ideals they are
inspired to make happen … are not yet in agreement. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
But that is the beauty of inspiration: it leads to
salvation. At least, in the Noah story it does. Hopefully, eventually, the Earthships
and other sustainably designed buildings will help us to achieve a better
lifestyle than that which we have been offered. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
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And that is the whole
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-88260794802380798992016-02-22T09:16:00.000-07:002020-04-07T11:16:41.543-06:00Background and Methodology<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->An Earthship is a trademarked building type introduced in
the 1970’s and designed by architect Michael “Mike” Reynolds through his firm
Earthship Biotecture (previously known as Solar Survival Architecture). Because
of the worldwide dissemination of the concept since, the term Earthship…
generally accepted as meaning something to the effect of “underground house
with a solar wall”… has become part of the common lexicon. It is as synonymous
with calling a drink that is sparkly, sweet, and caramel colored a “coke” even
if it is not the original Coca Cola product. We are going to use the common
parlance in this book, and use the term Earthship to refer to any building
built on the methodology, even if it is a modified version of the original trademarked
design.<br />
<br />
<div class="SubSub" style="margin-left: 13.5pt;">
In principle, Earthships:</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Use recycled waste<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tires, glass bottles, and cans<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>along with natural materials and concrete to
construct a structure<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that is intended to have minimal impact on the
environment.</li>
<li>Make their own water using the roof’s gutter system to direct
rain and snow<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to cisterns<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>where it is stored. Then a gravity-fed Water
Organizing Module filters, pressurizes, and pumps the stored water to sinks, showers, bath faucets, and sometimes
to solar thermal hot water heaters.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>After the filtered rain water is used once, it is
directed to rubber-lined greywater planters<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to be filtered and aerated. A pump panel at
the end of the planter moves the water to the toilet tank for flushing. The
blackwater<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from the toilet goes outside to a septic<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tank, and possibly a blackwater planter which
cleans the effluent before delivering it to a septic field.</li>
<li>Produce their own heat and cooling, through using a combination
of passive solar<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>design, natural ventilation, a photovoltaic<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>solar array, a wind<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>turbine, and/or a gas generator.</li>
<li>Produces food<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>via a “food forest” and “salad bar” grown in
the indoor greywater planters.</li>
</ul>
<div class="BodyNormal">
An Earthship’s exterior walls<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are typically constructed of used tires<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>filled with dirt to provide thermal mass<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“cooling<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and heating”. Interior walls are
constructed of a honeycomb of empty aluminum drink cans<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or glass bottles<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>set in concrete. Earthships are artistically
beautiful and the houses appear to rise out of the earth as if by natural
commandment. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
However, there is a disconnect between how the Earthships
are intended to work and how they actually work. Around the world, groups and
forums discuss the design’s many issues. In order to identify patterns within
the issues, in early 2014, we started case studying Earthship builds around the
world as well as here at home in New Mexico. We catalogued the issues and
resolutions that expert builders and other researchers were finding. We studied
the data collected from Earthship builds in 15 countries and visited 20 sites
in the US… from the smallest tiny house Earthship to some of the largest and
most palatial Earthships in the world. We read commentaries from builds,
builders, and systems; digging ever deeper into the data - what research<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>has been done? If not on this wall system,
what do people know about the materials? What are the pros and cons? What is
the embodied energy? We designed surveys and
conducted interviews of owners, builders, and renters to find out what issues
they were having and how they solved them. We started collecting weather<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>data to see what tweaks make the homes work
well in what climates. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Then we branched out, finding scientific research<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and data to support both sides of every
debate, conducting more interviews… we started collecting enough data to start
to identify patterns in what techniques worked where and why. That the
Earthships have some issues is an established fact. What was not fully
established are the reasons or patterns that explained why. We analyzed the
data and tried to figure out what it did, and maybe did not, say. Academic
research is especially difficult to digest, so in as much as we were able, we
translated that into plain English. We also found some places in the Earthship
website and literature that were confusing, and we attempted to explain more of
what was happening there. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Our next goal was to document what design tweaks worked for
people, and pair those tips and tricks with some solid design advice so that we
could empower readers to design a space that meets their physical needs of food, shelter, and water; fiscal
needs of value, budget, and schedule; and psycho-emotional needs of a space
that supports you in becoming who you dream of being.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Then, we kept going, cultivating the list of “people to
watch” in Earthships in particular and Natural Building in general. We checked
out the websites, blogs, research, forums, and Facebook fan
pages of the foremost experts in their fields. Some were professional designers
and contractors and some were hobbyists who had learned by doing. We paid
careful attention to their advice and problem solving tips, and then dug into
the next level of data… the comments… sometimes hundreds, even thousands, from
invested readers who were sharing their own stories of triumph over common
issues raised. Too hot, too cold, just right - what they did and how they did
it - we wrote it down.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Then, after reading <u>Earthship</u> Volumes 1-3, we
realized that what people really needed was help a) deciding what systems
worked for their climate<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and values, and b) learning how to utilize them.
Finally, we consulted experts - architects, engineers, landscape<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>architects, and researchers - to help us offer
better clarifications and more useful design tools.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
It is our goal to supplement the standard Earthship
literature with helpful principles of design that can help elevate the
Earthship ideal into its next generation, and hopefully help to make the
process as painless as possible for would-be builders along the way. <span style="color: black; font-family: "amaranth"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-80205311330180842072016-02-18T16:44:00.000-07:002020-04-07T11:17:15.741-06:00"Where can I go to learn to build my new home? Is Earthship Academy the way?"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of the amazing things about having written the book from the point of view of writing "for my peeps" is that, I somehow actually touch the hearts of some of my peeps with this work! I love getting notes from people after they have finessed their ideas! It's fun for me to take a break from my practice to help someone out or see what shifted for them!<br />
<br />
A few days ago, I got one of the questions I get pretty regularly about the Academy-type programs, and I thought I might share my thoughts on it here, in case it could help more people.<br />
<br />
Q: "Should I go to one of the Earthship Academy-type programs (now offered by several builders), go to the original EA, or choose another path to achieve my new ideal home? Is the Earthship a viable idea for the future? Where would I best spend my time and money?"<br />
<br />
A: "While I have personally moved past the earthship idea, I encourage
people who are passionate about it to go to the original Earthship Academy course. Michael's got a
decent program for what he offers, and you can learn a lot about his
particular brand of sustainability, and enjoy a unique view into Taos if
you have the time and money and desire. The only "problem" with his
course is that it really prepares you to only do things his way. But
that's okay if you LOVE the ES idea! His team is the best in the world at what they do!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, that said... I had
every intention on doing a second edition of the book, with WAY more
information from builders around the world, and so far I am stuck - it
came down to my not really wanting to invest more time in the idea. I
lost interest in the first book halfway through, if I am totally
honest... the research made it clear that the idea isn't all it is
cracked up to be - that's why it became a book about designing your own
home rather than focusing on salvaging the earthship ideal. The part of me
that wants people to have homes they love, that are affordable, and
built to last generations... wants more. That's why I am moving, much as
the original Earthship Europe crew has, towards a permaculture-based
natural home integrated into it's unique landscape. They have partnered with Oliver Swann of
<a href="http://naturalhomes.org/">NaturalHomes.org</a> and created a new concept called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permahome/">Permahome</a>. They also have listings of natural building workshops you can go to around the world!!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As
far as the future of earthships go, I think it's like the (Bucky) Fuller
dome... there will always be someone who wants to work with the idea. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If
it was me, and I had enough money to do something big and brave and had the time and could go anywhere I wanted, I would
spend it:</div>
<ul>
<li>Learning cob building with Architect/Builder Ianto Evans and Michael Smith! (OMG both building GENIUSES!) at Cob Cottage Company in Oregon: <a href="https://www.cobcottage.com/apprentice" target="_blank">https://www.cobcottage.com/<wbr></wbr>apprentice</a></li>
<li>and THEN I'd go workshop with Robert LaPorte and Paula-Baker LaPorte at EcoNest: <a href="https://www.econesthomes.com/natural-building-workshops/overview/econest-intensive/" target="_blank">https://www.econesthomes.com/<wbr></wbr>natural-building-workshops/<wbr></wbr>overview/econest-intensive/</a> Their workshops are amazing... they even include mindfulness training!</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I
just think cob building, combined with timberframing and
light-clay-straw construction, will be the future for those of us who
are more naturally-inclined but want something lower maintenance. I
think you could learn everything you ever needed to know, and adapt to
changing ideas... like hempcrete... really easily with those tools in
your metaphorical tool-belt. Plus, they are INCREDIBLE people... the
kind you end up friends with for the rest of your life... doing solid,
well-built design that will last FOREVER and whose ideas empower people
to do it many, many ways, with nearly any budget."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I hope that this is helpful! </div>
<div>
I'm cheering for you! <3</div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-50829569855522630982016-02-17T09:21:00.000-07:002020-04-07T11:17:20.716-06:00Our Earthship Survey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In 2014, we started collecting information from Earthship
owners, builders, and renters in an online survey. The questions we asked were: </div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Have you owned, rented, or built an Earthship?</li>
<li>What is the Zip Code of your Earthship? (We collect this for climate analysis)</li>
<li>Was your Earthship designed or built by Earthship Biotecture?</li>
<li>In what year was your Earthship finished?</li>
<li>If you built your Earthship, how long did it take you to build it?</li>
<li>How long have you lived in or did you live in your Earthship?</li>
<li>Do you still own or rent your Earthship?</li>
<li>If you do not still own or rent your Earthship, why did you sell it or move?</li>
<li>Is/was your Earthship a standard or custom design?</li>
<li>Did you purchase drawings? If so, how much did they cost?</li>
<li>What was the cost to build your Earthship? Does this include your own time?</li>
<li>Is your Earthship oriented due south?</li>
<li>If your Earthship has slanted glass, does it tend to overheat in the buffer zone/greenhouse? If yes, what is too hot by your standards?</li>
<li>If your Earthship overheats, is it doing so year round or certain months only?</li>
<li>Does your Earthship have the buffer zone/greenhouse separated from the body of the house by windows and doors?</li>
<li>If the buffer zone/greenhouse is separated by windows and doors, are they pre-fabricated exterior grade doors and windows or custom made doors and windows?</li>
<li>Do you use custom diagonal shades on your slanted front windows?</li>
<li>If you look out from your slanted windows, is the ground higher than the floor you are standing on?</li>
<li>Did you have any issues with the aluminum cans in your build during construction or after completion?</li>
<li>Do you know how many tires you used?</li>
<li>Did you have any issues with the tires in your build during construction or after completion?</li>
<li>Did you have any issues with the glass bottle walls in your build during construction or after completion?</li>
<li>What type of finishes did you use on your wall?</li>
<li>Do you have pets? Have they had any impact on your use of the home?</li>
<li>Does your Earthship utilize a cistern or is it connected to city water? Is it an open cistern or closed?</li>
<li>Does your roof work like a teacup (have a V in it for water collection) or is it a shed roof draining to one side of the house?</li>
<li>Do you utilize a solar electric system?</li>
<li>Are the planting beds at or below the ground level?</li>
<li>Are you able to grow all the vegetables you would like in your Earthship?</li>
<li>Do you have any pest issues in your Earthship?</li>
<li>Are you using composting or flush toilets?</li>
<li>Are there any issues with your systems?</li>
<li>Does your septic include an exterior blackwater recharge area?</li>
<li>Do you find your earth-bermed rooms in the habitable area to be cold or dark?</li>
<li>Are your rooms on multiple levels? Has that ever not worked for you? (i.e. have you had trouble while on crutches or in a wheelchair, tripped, etc.?)</li>
<li>Are you as satisfied with the Earthship today as when you moved in or decided to build it?</li>
<li>Do you feel like you got a great deal on your Earthship?</li>
<li>Would you like to be made aware as new questions get asked, or as we collect the data from these surveys and share it? Read: Would you like to be added to our mailing list?</li>
<li>Is there more you would like to share? Do you have ideas you think would make them better or tweaks that you used successfully that you want to pass on? </li>
</ul>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Asking these questions allowed us to collect and analyze
the data on the Earthships, including climate<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>data, without assuming that we knew what the
outcome would be. This gave us access to unbiased information which we used to
build upon the foundations of our research. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
if you would like to submit your answers for the survey, please add to the conversation HERE. </div>
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-32681957804658116122015-08-03T16:45:00.004-06:002020-04-12T10:42:18.384-06:00What does an Earthship cost to build?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So someone found us the other day by googling this question:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i> What does an Earthship cost to build versus a "traditional house"?</i></span></h4>
</div>
<br />
And the Answer is:<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
It Depends! </h4>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Always with the "It depends" thing... yes. I know. LOL!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But it does. It depends how much of an earthship you build, how much you build yourself, how many volunteers you have, how much your plans cost ($50k is not unusual for a custom home... including earthships... and that's not mortgageable!), etc.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The EASIEST answer is this: </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A normal Earthship, built in Taos by the powers that be... costs <b>$225 per square foot.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A normal house, built nearly anywhere in the US, will cost you probably <br />
<b>$150 per square foot</b>, if you do the "greener" version.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So you are paying $75 per square foot more... </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
plus... in many cases, that doesn't cover the entire cost of the earthship. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
If you live somewhere like Alaska, where solar energy storage is challenging <br />
because of low light levels for part of the year, <br />
you can add another $75k to the cost for solar batteries.<br />
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<b>But here's the kicker! </b></h4>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<b> </b>A research<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>study conducted by the website
RealAssetsJunkie.com noted that the resale cost<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of an Earthship averages $191 per square foot (PSF). This means
that a builder stands to lose up to $34 PSF if they choose to resell their
home. An average Global Model Earthship is 1,700 square feet, which results in:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="BodyNoIndent" style="margin-left: 3in; text-align: left; text-indent: -1.5in;">
COST TO BUILD <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1700 X $225 = <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span> $382,500</div>
<div class="BodyNoIndent" style="margin-left: 3in; text-align: left; text-indent: -1.5in;">
(-)<u>RESALE
VALUE</u><u><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1700 X $191 = <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$324,700</u><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
<div class="BodyNoIndent" style="margin-left: 3in; text-align: left; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> NET LOSS = <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>$
57,800</b></div>
<div class="BodyNoIndent" style="margin-left: 3in; text-align: center; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>
</div>
<h3 class="BodyNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">To help address
these issues, a great floor plan, an inviting home, and thus, great detailing,
is required. </span></h3>
<h3 class="BodyNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">Start with our section Secrets of Great Curb Appeal for more
information about how to build a home that people will pay more to buy.</span></h3>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="IT" style="mso-ansi-language: IT;">♥</span></div>
</div>
Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-9497383601614130272015-06-18T11:26:00.001-06:002020-04-07T11:17:28.080-06:00Adapting your #home to changing circumstances: #UniversalDesign Tips and Tricks for #Accessibility<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Most home designers these days fail their clients in regard to the long-term
livability of their homes. We build homes that cannot easily be modified when
someone becomes disabled or ill, or when our child is born with special needs.<br />
<br />
Universal Design makes architecture that works for everybody, whether they be
in a wheelchair permanently, on crutches for a couple of weeks, just having a
little issue with “a hitch in their giddyup”, or even are just too little to
manage bunches of steps and tight pathways. We find that our clients love the
ease of getting around in spaces designed on Universal Design principles, and
believe it or not, it also reduces the efforts required in mundane tasks like
cleaning, which can be a bear when hoisting a vacuum and cleaning supplies up
and around steps and landings. What is awesome about this, for us, is that many
users of Universal Design in their home designs are finding that they are
ready-made for the market for Baby Boomers who want something a little more
manageable to buy for a home. So, they are selling their homes for a premium.<br />
<br />
Here are the ways we can tweak the home’s design to make it work for
everyone:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc410370956"></a>
<b>Floors and Landscape </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Use 1:12 slope ramps instead of single steps. </li>
<li>Use a 3 foot door with a threshold less than ½” high. </li>
<li>Make a lightly textured non-slip path 36 inches wide and without steps from
the street curb and driveway to the home entrance. Use 1:12 slope ramps as
needed and place 36” long landings at top and bottom of any ramps. Use handrails
at locations where the path has a drop off of 12 inches or more at the side.
</li>
<li>Place trees so they do not drop berries or leaves onto the path. If trees
already exist, make sure to maintain the path free of debris. </li>
<li>Provide path lighting on the major access to the house. </li>
<li>Provide a handrails and good lighting at steps. </li>
</ul>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc410370957"></a>
<b>Design </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Have a ground floor bedroom and complete bath. </li>
<li>Place the washer and dryer on the main floor and use front-loading machines.
</li>
<li>Design halls and stair treads at least 36 inches wide. </li>
<li>Use one landing for every 10 steps in a staircase. </li>
<li>Provide a light switch at the top and bottom of stairways. </li>
</ul>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc410370958"></a>
<b>Entry </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Have a 5 foot square space available inside and outside at the front door.
</li>
<li>Cover the front entry so it is weather protected. </li>
<li>Provide exterior lighting at the front door. </li>
<li>Have a wipe off mat on both sides of the door to keep dirt and pollen
minimized. </li>
</ul>
<b><b>Kitchen and Bath</b> </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Use sinks that can be “pulled in to”, without casework below, and install
them 34” above the floor. </li>
<li>Vary the height of countertops so little ones and big people can use them
too. For instance, really tall people might want to use a kitchen cabinet in the
bath. Those extra inches of height can keep a back from going out! </li>
<li>Provide extra-long hoses for spray attachments. </li>
<li>Use lever handles, not knobs, on sinks, baths, and tubs and use one handle
to control both hot and cold water if at all possible. Locate the handles and
faucet at the side of the sink instead of the back if possible. </li>
</ul>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc410370960"></a>
<b>Kitchen </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Locate the kitchen close to the entrance where you bring groceries in. </li>
<li>Have a fire extinguisher located within easy reach between 27 and 48 inches
above the floor. </li>
<li>Use a sink 6 ½ inches deep. </li>
<li>Use a dishwasher, and any other appliance, with button or push controls
instead of knobs. </li>
<li>Use heat resistant countertops. </li>
<li>Use a side-by-side type refrigerator with sliding shelves and a water and
ice dispenser in the door. </li>
<li>Store heavy pots and pans in bottom shelves and drawers. </li>
<li>Mount the oven with the top pull less than 48 inches above the floor. </li>
<li>Use a range with push button controls at the front instead of sides.
</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc410370961"></a>
<b>Baths </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Provide a shower bench in a walk-in shower with a 36 wide opening at the
entrance. </li>
<li>Have a shelf for shampoo and soap in the shower at 48 inches above the floor
or below. </li>
<li>Provide a hand-held shower sprayer with extra-long hose (these are great for
washing dogs and little ones too!). </li>
<li>Add 1 ½” textured grip grab bars to the bath, toilet, and shower or install
blocking for them, when framing the walls. </li>
<li>Use a raised toilet seat. </li>
<li>Use a door that opens out instead of in. </li>
<li>Have a 5 foot wide circle open between all the fixtures and cabinets. </li>
<li>Have a sitting bench on the edge of the tub. </li>
<li>Have a non-slip bathtub and shower floor. </li>
<li>Make the top shelf of the medicine cabinet less than 50 inches above the
floor. </li>
<li>Use a tilting mirror. </li>
<li>For wheelchair users, leave 42 inches of open floor space on one side of the
toilet. </li>
<li>Locate the TP holder at 27 inches above the floor. </li>
</ul>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc410370962"></a>
<b><b>Cabinets, counters, and closets</b> </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Use shelves less than 12 inches deep throughout. </li>
<li>Use lazy-susan corner cabinets. </li>
<li>Use rolling carts under counters. </li>
<li>Use pull-out shelves. </li>
<li>Use height-adjustable cabinets and closet shelves. </li>
<li>Use loop or lever shaped drawer pulls and handles. </li>
<li>Use easy-gliding hardware. </li>
<li>Locate some wall cabinets at 48 inches above the floor or lower. </li>
<li>Use cabinets on 6 or 8 inch tall toe kicks (spaces under the bottom shelf
for toes to go underneath). </li>
<li>Use clothing rods 22 inches to 44 inches above the floor. </li>
<li>Use drawers 40 inches or less above the floor. </li>
<li>Use 18 inch deep or less shelves in closets and pantries. </li>
<li>Locate the light switch in pantries and closets close to the entrance.
</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc410370963"></a>
<b>Windows and doors </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Use 3 foot wide doors throughout, with 18 inches minimum of clear floor
space on the handle side of the door. </li>
<li>Use 5inch long lever type handles that curve towards the door and hinges
with the tension reduced on them. Set them at no higher than 44 inches above the
floor. </li>
<li>Use swing-clear door hinges. </li>
</ul>
<b>Electrical</b><b> </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Locate switches and thermostats less than 48 inches above the floor. </li>
<li>Locate outlets 27 inches or higher above the floor. </li>
<li>Provide direct and indirect lighting in every room. </li>
<li>Switch lamps at the door of the room they are in. </li>
<li>Use nightlights in night-visited rooms like baths and kitchens, as well as
the halls between them. </li>
</ul>
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc410370965"></a>
<b>Finishes </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Use non-slip flooring.</li>
<li>Use low pile carpets with a firm pad.</li>
<li>Secure the corners and edges of rugs. </li>
</ul>
<br />
Of course, some of this costs more. We are offering all the suggestions we
know of, because we have a wide range of clients to serve. Some people will want
all of this and will be happy to pay for it. Others maybe not so much. Just know
that you do have a choice!<br />
<br /></div>
Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-55722986255471696612015-06-15T10:46:00.002-06:002020-04-07T11:17:33.651-06:00Why you should NOT retrofit your home to be more " like an #Earthship ”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Recently, I got an email asking me what could be done to an
existing home to make it “earthship-like”. The text of the email I received was
this: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Hi, do you know of
any resources available about converting an existing <br />
traditional home structure into an "earthship" or more sustainable
design? <br />
It would seem to be an important niche, especially if a simple system could be <br />
installed that easily bypasses traditional water/electric/waste systems. <br />
Thank you.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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I offered that you wouldn’t really want to do that with a
bit of justification why, and we built on the conversation over a couple of
days. During that time, the asker let me know that they had also asked the
Earthship concept's main cheerleader/builder about what could be done to
retrofit a traditional home to be more Earthship-like, and they were offered
some ideas. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The asker shared the response with me, and I am sharing the four ideas they were offered with you today… because the better part of what they were offered was <b>TERRIBLE
ADVICE</b>. It was so bad that it took me a couple of days to begin to
formulate a response. Even then, I was so distraught about how to actually help them that I called in backup...
bringing in Marcus Lewitski, the founder of what was Earthship Europe (now <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/permahome/">Permahome</a>), to help
explain WHY these are bad ideas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So. Let’s just start at the beginning - we don’t really know
here what we are dealing with. Before ANY answer should be offered, we need to
establish some baseline criteria by answering two important questions. </div>
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<br /></div>
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1) WHERE IS THE BUILDING? </div>
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There is no way to know what type
of design techniques will work without knowing where the building is. The
orientation of the building on the site, its location, landscape, and climate
are all critical factors in good design. </div>
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<br /></div>
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2) WHAT IS THE BUILDING MADE OF?</div>
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There is no way to know what you
can potentially do to retrofit a building without knowing something about the
existing construction of the home. Is it frame? CMU (concrete block)? Brick?
Concrete? Is it in-ground, on-ground, or on piles? How many stories is it? When
was it built? What are the insulating materials, what are the windows, and what
is the roof construction? Is it designed for passive solar gain? </div>
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<br /></div>
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These details are necessary to understand before we offer <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">any</i> ideas
design-wise regarding retrofitting.</div>
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We will endeavor to explain what each of the Earthship
firm's suggestions (in italics) mean to the potential re-builder in the
Northern hemisphere.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>EB Idea #1: “If your house has a South facing side with
lots of windows or if you can add windows then maybe you can add a greenhouse.”</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
This answer seems to be predicated
on the idea that the Earthship-style greenhouse with windows along the south
side of the home is the only way to add a greenhouse. That’s just not true. AND
the Earthship greenhouse is poorly designed, for a variety of reasons it took
me two chapters of the book to explain. Let me do what I can to help illustrate
how those issues apply to this particular question. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So, let’s assume that you can build
the earthship-style greenhouse on the south. Here’s how that can go wrong: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">A.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>If your house has lots of windows on the south
intended for passive solar gain and you add a greenhouse, then you will be
diminishing the performance of the passive solar. And if you are in a cold, wet
climate, and your home uses passive solar, you can increase your heating load
significantly by adding a greenhouse. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">B.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>You will be adding high humidity to a building
that is most likely not designed for it. Marcus reminds us that “in this
scenario we are combining the moisture transpired by the plants with the
moisture transpired by people, so in other words – a lot more moisture.” The
reason the earthships work as well as they do is because the interior walls are
made of concrete, which is forgiving, humidity-wise. A frame building will
slowly start to rot from inside if the greenhouse is open to the home. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">C.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>The greenhouse may also cause the home to
overheat, as it does in the traditional Earthships themselves <a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2014/12/kruis-and-heun.html" target="_blank">for up to 9months a year</a>. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">D.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>The greenhouse addition will change the way
natural ventilation works. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">E.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>The typical Earthship greenhouse design adds
thermal bridges that cause heat loss during winter and heat gain during the
summer. So you have a much higher potential for uncomfortable hot and cold spots
in the home.</div>
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<br /></div>
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To add to that, some locations
don’t require greenhouses for growing food. In the American South, for
instance, you can grow everything you need outside. So to add a greenhouse
“just because” is an unnecessary expense that can actually cause more harm than
good. And a greenhouse can easily cost
$20,000 to build.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Here's how we recommend addressing these issues: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
If you do want a greenhouse, you
can put it quite literally anywhere except directly north of the home if it is
attached. And, for that matter, it doesn’t need to be attached to the house at
all. As Marcus points out so perfectly, “Attaching a greenhouse to a building
shouldn't be a major problem. Ventilation will of course have to be taken into
consideration and if the intention is to use the greenhouse all year round in a
cold climate (i.e. a heated greenhouse) – one should implement a heat exchanger
into the ventilation system to save on heating as much as possible. But then again
– effective and energy saving ventilation shouldn't be exclusively utilized in
the greenhouse.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
To resolve the issue of diminishing
passive solar performance, a solution for locating a
greenhouse without diminishing the performance of the passive solar heating is
to simply locate the greenhouse on the west side of the house instead, like a
wing facing south. In this way the sun's path to the thermal mass won't get
obstructed by the greenhouse or the plants therein, and your plants will still
be able to receive a lot of sun. The north wall of the greenhouse could then be
constructed of a continuous wall of thermal mass (cob, adobe, bricks, stones
etc.), insulated on its outside with straw or some other natural insulation
material. There's really no point in having windows on the north side of a
greenhouse.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Another factor that needs to be
taken into consideration when trying to answer this question is what kind of
passive solar we are talking about here. Passive solar in the sense that you
want to store the Sun's heat from daytime to nighttime? Or a so called
PAHS-system (Passive Annual Heat Storage) that stores heat from summer to
winter? OR the kind of combined daily AND annual heat storage system that the
Earthship concept aims at? This third kind of passive solar doesn’t really make
any sense really, because the two first systems implement thermal mass in
different ways. An annual system (PAHS) needs vast amounts of insulated thermal
mass in order to store heat from summer to winter. You also need to consider
the different alternatives of how to store and deliver the captured heat. But
no matter what choices you make you will still need an appropriate location for
this to work properly, and it needs to be a place with many sun hours even
during winter. Especially in the great many areas that do not have adequate
sunshine, this system doesn't make any sense, mainly due to the laws of
thermodynamics. (The issues of which we describe in detail in the Passive Solar
design chapter <a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/">in the book</a>.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Marcus continues, “As I see it the
daily system is a bit more universal in its application since it works quite
well even with other heat sources than the Sun. It will even out the
temperatures during the day by absorbing excess heat which it will later
release during the night when the indoor air temperature falls. And since you
have a substantially lower mass, it won't take as long to equalize the
temperature of the thermal mass with the indoor air temperature and you don't
have to burn extensive amounts of fuel in order for the house to stay warm
during cloudy periods...<br />
<br />
These are major issues and factors to consider whenever you build a house, no
matter where you build it. Especially if you want to build sustainably. Good designers won't just blurt out advice like that just because it agrees with the
product they are trying to sell. People are starting to become more
interested in sustainability and it is in everyone's best interest that people get the best advice available... and that's simply not the case here,
far from it.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>EB Idea #2: “The North side windows should be closed up.
You can add insulation.”</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
We shouldn’t close up the North
windows “just because.” The reason the earthships do this is because of the
berm. If you do not have a berm, and do not live where there is ice or snow,
there is NO reason to close up your north windows. In fact, there are many
reasons not to. For one, earthships use operable skylights in those rooms in
lieu of windows. Without natural light and ventilation, those rooms will be
dark, moldy, and dank. This gets exacerbated when you introduce humidity into
the home with a greenhouse. Also, artists and people with light sensitivity
like the cool light that comes in from north windows. It’s more even and gentler
on tired eyes.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Ventilation is critical, and to get
that, we ideally want two windows on opposite sides of the room. That allows
air in one side and out the other. If the south and north are no longer
accessible for adequate air, then we can get sick. That’s not okay. These
two bad ideas (the greenhouse and closing North windows) put together can
destroy what is already working with your home!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Adding insulation to the home is
only a good idea if you live in an area that is either a) very cold, or b) hot
and arid. The house should be ultra-light and raised above the ground in
tropical or humid regions. So this advice is also not well considered for many
potential remodelers. This is why we explain in detail <a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/">in the book</a> what the
impacts of climate can be on the design of the home. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>EB Idea #3: “If you install a metal roof you can do water
catchment.”</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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Absolutely true. The cost of a new
metal roof these days, with an upgrade for most homes to the recommended energy-efficient
insulation, can cost upwards of $35k. Adding cisterns can set you back another
$7k. Excavating for them can be another $3k or so. Gutters and piping can be
around $1k. So that upgrade will cost you $45k and allow you to catch water you
can take a shower in but not drink. That’s an awfully expensive shower. Adding
water filtration will tack on another $2k, at least, usually.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>EB Idea #4 “And you could add solar power.”</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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Absolutely. You can. That’s a great
idea and in many places, the solar power companies will get you into a system
suitable for your area for around the same cost per month as your old
utilities. Unless you live in far northern climates like Alaska, where the
batteries required to make solar work can bring the system cost up to $100k or
more. The good news is… while the battery technology is moving forward in terms
of efficiency, durability and cost effectiveness, they are still very
expensive. Hopefully that will change soon. </div>
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<br /></div>
I hope this effort helps people to understand what could go wrong in their buildings if they blindly follow bad advice from people whose job it is to propagate the idea they are wanting to sell you. You deserve better information. That's what we are trying to get to you. That said, if you have been successful or unsuccessful at adding details from Earthships to YOUR traditional building, please <a href="mailto:intentiondesign@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">let us know</a> how it went, and we'll adjust this accordingly. <br />
<br />
Blessings, everybody. <br />
<br />
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-42351038923941971352015-05-18T14:32:00.001-06:002020-04-07T11:17:39.849-06:00EARTHBAGS! A newly FREE chapter inspired by Cal-Earth Institutes latest earthbag success! #BuildSimple #GreenerByDesign<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sometimes the Universe shows up so clearly there is NO way to ignore her.<br />
This week was one of those moments. I got the following post sent to me three times in a few hours.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=11e77b0bfd0ddc97f4d53c6cc&id=2dc198c87a&e=1362723586" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFwUSh_1eVIr-Twj7hADKcowNklCV4ER2feem8BkWIChIZtOq25IpaFRT06Nl9dHX26yP2SGKaqHjcLSX_BwUm0ahpz5UVHD1foeBHtQEvZA_6pyuzYbLwu18uVtl-XQyhMkYBSZEVKfB/s320/earthbags.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I knew there was a way I could share with people some tips about how to make earthbags work for them.<br />
And it's time.<br />
<br />
So, here is our Earthbags chapter. For Free. Yep, I mean it.<br />
Tip: USE the details from Build Simply linked at the end of the article to get good design advice for seismic locations. And if you live in a humid place, consider all your other options before going with earthbags. These are the PERFECT quick build for emergency situations where the materials are available. But these are NOT a long term option for really humid locations, unless a supernatural amount of ventilation is possible (and preferable). Trust us, 'kay?<br />
<br />
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<div class="BSubheadLevel2">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc419108962">Earthbags</a></div>
</div>
<div class="ChapterAuthorRight">
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">by
Chiara Riccardi and Rachel Preston Prinz</span></i></div>
<div class="ChapterAuthorRight">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 1.5in;">
Wall Type: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thermal
Mass </div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 1.5in;">
Appropriate Climate:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All
regions</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 1.5in;">
Structural Capability:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Load-bearing</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 1.5in;">
Suitable for Berm:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Possibly</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 1.5in;">
Natural:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mostly</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 1.5in;">
Learning:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Easy</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 1.5in;">
Doing:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Easy</div>
<div class="BodyNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 1.5in;">
Engineering Required: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If
bermed</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Kit Available:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>No</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Earthbag<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>construction is a natural building technique
that evolved from military bunker construction and temporary flood-control
methods. Rooms in earthbag structures often are circular in shape and have a
dome roof, though square rooms are achievable with
buttressing and/or interlocking of the bags at the corners. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Earthbag<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>building usually begins by digging a trench
down to undisturbed stable subsoil. The trench is then partially filled with
cobbles or gravel to create a rubble trench<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>foundation. On this foundation, several
rows of doubled woven bags are filled with gravel and placed into the trench,
and another two courses are stacked above grade to form a water-resistant
foundation dampcourse. Then the actual earthbag wall starts. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The most popular type of bag is made of solid-weave
polypropylene, like those used to transport rice or other grains. Polypropylene
is very affordable and is resistant to water damage, rot, and insects. These
bags can be purchased as mis-prints or bought used at agricultural warehouses
and producers. Alternative bags include those made of hemp, burlap or other
natural-fibers. Though, when exposed to air, water, and time, these natural
options may deteriorate. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Moist
subsoil that contains 5 - 50% clay, enough to become cohesive when tamped, or
an angular gravel or crushed rock is used to fill the bags. Portland cement,
lime, or bitumen stabilizers can be used to allow earths with high clay content
to withstand flooding. The addition of stabilizers in a ratio of 5-10% may be
required to meet Code. The thermal insulating value of the fill
material is directly related to both the porosity of the material and the
thickness of the wall. Crushed volcanic rock, pumice or rice hulls yield higher
insulation<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>value than clay or sand. However, thermal mass<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>properties are also an important
consideration, particularly for climates that experience temperature extremes.
Materials like clay or sand have excellent heat retention characteristics. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Each successive layer of earth-filled bags is placed like
bricks, with one or two strands of barbed wire placed on top to increase
friction between each row of bags and improve tensile strength. Bags can be
pre-filled with material and hoisted into position or filled in place. A light
tamping and twisting of the bags serves to consolidate them and creates a wall
with a strength between that of adobe<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and rammed earth. The same process continues
layer upon layer, forming walls. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
The completed structure<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is then quickly covered with earth plaster<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to prevent solar radiation from degrading the
polypropylene. Natural earth stuccos allow the wall to breathe and natural
mineral pigments can be added to provide beautiful color<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>effects. A standard mix for earth plaster for
covering earthbag superstructures is: 1 part clay, 3 parts earth, 1 part straw,
and 1 part lime.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Windows and doors<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>can be formed with a traditional masonry
lintel or by using earthbags in traditional masonry corbeling or brick-arch
techniques using temporary forms. Light may be brought in by skylights,
glass-capped pipes, or bottle bricks<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>placed between the rows of bags during
construction. </div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
A roof<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>can be
formed by gradually sloping the walls<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>inward to construct a dome. This inherently
limits the size of the space you can create and increases the size of the
volume, because you want to use the minimum overlap on the bag that you
possibly can: an inch or less of bag overhanging the bag below is best. Keeping
the angle of the dome walls to no more than 60 degrees will usually work
adequately. The trick with domes is waterproofing the roof; this can be
difficult, and requires the use of commercial roof sealers. Using a traditional
framed roof of panels or shingles is another option.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
It is possible to combine earthbag building with
earth-sheltering.</div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="BodyNormal">
Self-built earthbag homes can start at $20 per square foot
of floor space. </div>
<div align="left" class="SubSub" style="text-align: left; text-indent: .2in;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Earthbag</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pros</span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Heat
(or cold) penetration of the wall is slow and the internal temperature of the
building remains relatively stable. </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span></i></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Allows
the building to be constructed in culturally and regionally appropriate styles.
This preserves the look and feel of the community</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The
tools needed to complete an earthbag build are limited to those that are
readily available pretty much everywhere: gloves, picks, shovels, hoes,
hammers, barbed wire, twine… </span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Earthbag</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>structures can easily be built solo or with
just a few friends. The effort is much easier than that of traditional Earthships.
</span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Earthbag</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>homes are the only way to get an Earthship in
some European countries like Belgium who have outlawed the use of tires</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in architectural projects.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Earthbag</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>homes can range from cozy huts and domes to
multi-story traditional homes. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Earthbag</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>construction uses the least energy of any
durable construction method. With on-site</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>soil</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>being used, practically no energy is expended
on transportation. The energy-intensive materials that are used —
plastic (for bags & twine), steel wire, cement or lime, and perhaps the
outer shell of plaster or stucco — are used in relatively small quantities
compared to other types of construction, adding up to only 1-4% of the total
construction materials. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">The
buildings last a long time; however, when they are no longer useful they may
simply erode with no serious threat to the environment, or even be recycled into
new earthbag-constructed buildings.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Earthbag</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>buildings last many years with low maintenance</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">. Earthbag</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>structures do not rot or mold and they deter
pests including termites, roaches and the like, because there is no wood</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to
chew through.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Building
with earthbags means not contributing to the deforestation, air pollution, or
build-up of landfill materials. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Only
1-4% of earthbag construction uses manufactured resources. The main materials
used are dirt, straw, and water.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Earthbag</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>structures can survive fire, flood, wind</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, tornado, hurricanes and
earthquakes</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="SubSub" style="text-align: left; text-indent: .25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Earthbag</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>Challenges<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The
process of filling earthbags and tamping them requires a fair amount of
physical strength for the self-builder; United Earth Builders has developed a
skid-steer operated earth home building machine. It fills earthbag
tubes of many sizes at a rate as fast as 400 feet per hour. At production
speed, a crew could fill about 30 feet per hour of earthbag by hand (depending
on bag width). Another option is using a small concrete-mixer on-site</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to blend materials.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">E</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">arth plasters are an acquired skill
requiring practice to get the mix right. The difficulty is there is no list of
definitive ingredients, and it all depends on your mud.</span> <span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
<div align="left" class="BodyNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .75in; text-align: left; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Waterproofing
earthbag buildings is a complex and sometimes expensive process for humid
regions. </span></div>
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</span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Earthbag</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>buildings</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> might take more work to meet with approval by
building officials, bankers and insurers. </span></div>
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</span></span></span>If an earthbag home gets damaged it is nearly
impossible to fully repair. Large sections of the wall must be removed and
replaced to complete a repair that could be considered more than a band-aid.
Same with additions. They require a great deal of demolition if not planned for
in advance.<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
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</span></span></span>Polypropylene, which the bags are most often
constructed of, is a toxic agent known to cause cancer,
allergies/immunotoxicity, organ system toxicity, and neurotoxicity. Though,
rats and bugs are not keen on eating this material and rot is rarely a concern.
Like tires, this material is encased, and may present no
threat. That has yet to be determined.<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
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</span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Water
Alert: earthbags cannot withstand prolonged soaking. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Since
2010, earthbags have been used moderate and high seismic risk areas with new
reinforcement techniques. A</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">
reinforced concrete footing or grade beam may be recommended. Additionally, </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">corner reinforcing is required,
since corners are one of the most vulnerable parts of buildings in earthquakes</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, and can often be pulled apart. A
typical and easy-to-build solution suggests barbed wire should be cut to extend
24″ past each corner, and when the next course is laid and tamped, tightly pull
this extra wire back up onto the upper course. Then lay the next set of bags
and barbed wire, extending again out past the corners. </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">However, the Build Simple Institute, an architectural
research</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>firm in
Placitas, New Mexico, suggests using </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">a 2 foot deep buttress, extending each wall beyond the intersection at
corners in earthquake</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>prone areas. They have several alternatives if
buttressing is not preferred, just visit their website at </span><a href="http://buildsimple.org/earthbag.php"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">http://buildsimple.org/earthbag.php</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> <u>f</u>or details.</span></div>
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-852930877808461562015-04-27T11:06:00.000-06:002015-04-27T11:06:00.176-06:00Community Space: Assembly Occupancies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It does not matter if you design your space to be a home and then decide later to host tours or building workshops. Once you open it to the public, the space will no longer be considered just a residence and you will need to acquire adequate permissions and permits in order to continue using the space for public use.<br />
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An Assembly Occupancy is what the Building Code considers a space for public accommodation that is not a business, school, or industrial site. Usually the space will be deemed an A-3 occupancy, which is for public spaces other than restaurants without fixed seating. So, if you want to avoid having your classes shut down and avoid having to do a lot of expensive upgrades to the space later to make it meet Code, plan now for it to be considered an Assembly Occupancy (minus the expensive fire sprinklers). It will cost a little more. It may take a little longer in design. It may not look exactly the way you hoped. But, you may find that these accommodations will make your home perform better for day-to-day use anyway.<br />
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Plan ahead. Spend some money now. It will cost much less now than later.<br />
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You will likely have to design the structure according to stringent rules for occupant safety and accessibility. <br />
To make a bathroom that is accommodating for everyone (and doubly so if the space will ever house a public function like parties, tours, or workshops...), use a 3 foot door, so people with crutches or in a wheelchair can use the space. Include a minimum 5 foot round empty space (5 foot is the spinning diameter of a wheelchair) and place the sink, toilet, and bathtub around the outside of that. Use a wall-mounted sink and make sure there is a 26 inch high clear space under it so wheelchair users can wheel up to the sink and use it. Add ADA-compliant hardware and include a floor drain in the center of the space with a beautiful cover on it. You may find that you will thank the Code for this requirement someday when you need to wash the skunked dog or dump buckets of mop water from some minor disaster and can hose the place down when you are finished. Put a sign on the bath noting that is a handicapped unisex bathroom.<br />
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There will likely be maximum hall lengths and maximum distances between the furthest corner in a usable space and an exterior door (usually 75 feet). Sometimes they will make you install mechanical ventilation and electrical outlets every 7 feet. There will likely be sewage/septic requirements and you will want to have a drinking fountain or a filtered water bottle available. The publicly-accessible parts of the building will have to be handicapped accessible. This is easier if you just plan a minimum of 3 feet clear floor space around every obstacle (like a curve in the planter), plan 4 foot wide hallways on the public corridor, and make all stairs at least 36 inches wide <i>at the inside of the railing</i> (That is about a 40 inch wide stair tread in most cases). The area on the handle side of a door will have to be open (without projections or walls in it) a foot or so beyond the door is wide. There will not be able to be steps between the public parts of the space and the exterior or they will require rails. If you plan on cooking greasy foods and not just bringing cold foods and using crockpots for your guests, that means big grease traps and expensive ventilation. (If you use crockpots you will want to have lots of counter space and extra plugs.) Smoke detectors will be required and possibly a fire alarm. You may have to install a fire sprinkler later. (It can be fed by the pond in some cases.) There will likely have to be a phone in case of fire so you can call the fire department. You will need a mop or service sink in the mechanical room, which you should have anyway if you really want the space to work as well as possible. Install exit signs to guide people back outside.<br />
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The key ingredient here is to make sure you use the services of a licensed architect either now or later to make sure you have all the things you need to meet the Assembly Occupancy requirements. We are not attempting to serve as architects here and do not claim to have knowledge of your local Code considerations or what your permitting authority will and will not accept. However, this area deserves some careful consideration and we are offering some guidance to make it as painless as possible for when you hire a local architect to help navigate the process.<br />
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There is a great mounting height diagram to help you make your bathroom ADA compliant from the outset at <a href="http://img.docstoccdn.com/thumb/orig/159038643.png">http://img.docstoccdn.com/thumb/orig/159038643.png</a> <br />
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-62675582734205247342015-04-26T11:22:00.000-06:002015-04-26T11:22:00.628-06:00Humidification Matters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Cool dry air is necessary for human comfort. Maintaining relative humidity below 50% prevents dust mite infestations, inhibits mold and mildew growth, and inhibits bacteria. Lower humidity also reduces the off-gassing of VOCs. In colder climates, wintertime humidity levels must be even lower - generally 30-40% - to prevent condensation on windows and other surfaces. <br />
<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XU6-4wluw8w/VTfXtGlw-SI/AAAAAAAAJ7I/eSubvZZuZEo/s1600-h/Chiara%252520%252528114%252529%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Chiara (114)" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HL0C4inxT4Q/VTfXtyR-wiI/AAAAAAAAJ7Q/Ehv-12uZxIU/Chiara%252520%252528114%252529_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="480" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px;" title="Chiara (114)" width="640" /></a> <br />
So part of what we have to plan for is dehumidifying wet air, and/or cooling down and humidifying hot/dry air. This process can be easily accomplished using a mechanical system, but when we do not use a system to manage it, we need to get creative. Some people warm up a crock of water on their wood stove to increase humidity. Others use misters in their greenhouse (though that can wreak havoc on your structural system if that system is wood-based). Some use fountains and waterfalls to serve the dual purpose of cycling the water in the cistern to keep it fresh while creating humidity within the livable areas. You might even use water walls with plants to increase humidification and oxygenation. Whatever you do, if you work with water, you need to make a plan for maintenance too… interior ponds and waterfalls require filtration and algae control to work correctly.<br />
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Alternately, people in humid climates may need to utilize salt de-humidifiers, using calcium chloride in most cases, which is readily available at your local agricultural store. This technique has been used by farmers for generations to keep hay from molding. You can also use air-based heating and cooling like stoves and forced-air systems to remove humidity from the air.<br />
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<span lang="IT">Note: interior ponds and waterfalls require filtration and algae control.</span> <br />
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-21501299387800477342015-04-25T11:21:00.000-06:002015-04-25T11:21:00.026-06:00Designing for Thermal Comfort<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
by Rachel Preston Prinz, Pratik Zaveri, and Asha Stout <br />
Thermal comfort has been one of the most difficult aspects of designing buildings since we started building them. Our earliest civilizations were more concerned about portability in regard to their buildings so they could move from hunting spot to gathering spot depending on the seasons. Once we started planting crops, we needed to build more permanent structures to keep our stores of agricultural products safe, at a temperature they could safely be stored at, and moist or dry depending on the product.<br />
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Using natural materials in their unworked forms makes achieving thermal comfort in cold climates more difficult, because natural forms are almost never perfectly square, which means they do not fit together in a way that can prevent air and thus cold from moving through the walls.<br />
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The stone buildings of our earliest major civilizations in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece had sophisticated tools which allowed them to work stone. They also had slaves and mason/architects who could tell the slaves how to work the stone. They used stone, not only for its monumental qualities which we still get to enjoy to this day, but moreover because a massive stone building is a great insulator from the heat. The cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde similarly use their overhanging cave shelter to provide shade for the hot summer months, while allowing the low-angled winter sun to come in and warm the spaces naturally. The stone buildings there were able to be tightly fitted with minimal working because of the type of sedimentary rock that was used. It flaked off in linear chunks that were relatively easy to stack tall without mortar.<br />
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But stone was not always available, nor were the slaves that many civilizations used to get these buildings built. Pretty much everyone else, everywhere else, had to make do with less formalized massive structures made of natural, easily worked, materials. They just came up with simple solutions for filling in the gaps. In log cabins, they would add a chinking of mud between the logs to stop the biggest leaks. They would add lime if they had access to it. Then they would put blankets and animal skins over the insides of the walls to keep the heat in and act like insulation. Even the teepees of the Plains Indian are lined with skins and blankets to keep the heat in. Igloo builders would often build their entrance on a sloped ramp that accessed the inside space below the living level so the heat inside the space would rise and stay in the building instead of escaping out the access hallway. Using this technique, they could heat up a space with just body heat and the heat from a lantern or small fire.<br />
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Early farmhouses in the Midwest and Eastern U.S. had a double entry vestibule, which acted as a buffer to present the direct loss of heat.<br />
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Tropical buildings, like the amazing bamboo Green School by Ibuku in Bali, Indonesia, are often built in the treetops. Tropical architects design their buildings like this to get up into the areas that are shaded and have access to cool breezes. They want to stay away from the earth because in humid locations, being near the earth also means being near water. These raised buildings stay drier longer during seasonal and storm flooding, and they stay cooler in the heat too.<br />
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These are just a few of the many ways in which humans around the world have found a ways of achieving thermal comfort.<br />
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Some building scientists will build their research around the idea that comfortable temperature limits are around a low of 65°F (19°C) in winter and a high of 80°F (27°C) in summer. However, when people are asked what their idea of comfortable really is, they will say that it is 70°F (21°C) in winter and 75°F (24°C) in summer. Knowing what your own comfort limits are will help you to plan your home for what you really need.<br />
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To achieve temperatures in these ranges, we really need to understand what makes those temperatures comfortable, and why they might be different in the summer versus the winter. To get to that, we need to understand that human comfort is dependent on heat retention and heat loss, which is affected by:<br />
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CONVECTION – the circulation caused by temperature difference; when air temperature is lower than body temperature, we get cold. This can be exacerbated by air motion.<br />
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RADIATION – when heat transfers are caused by electromagnetic waves; we radiate heat to cooler surroundings and absorb heat from warmer surroundings. Glass in winter can be 25 degrees cooler than the inside temperature at windows. That is a form of radiation. This causes “cold spots”.<br />
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EVAPORATION – changes liquid to vapor; this is another way we dissipate heat from our bodies: through the breath and perspiration. We can get hot or cold based on how much water we are evaporating from our systems.<br />
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We also need to understand a little bit about the physics of heat. Heat flows from the upper temperatures towards cooler temperatures. Like everything in nature, heat is trying to find balance or equilibrium. Because of this, the greater the temperature difference between two spaces, the more quickly heat will flow through them.<br />
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Building materials and insulation slow the movement of heat though them at a rate that depends on the properties of the material. No two materials work the same way exactly.<br />
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While it may be tempting to build as massive of a wall as possible, it is also important to note that resistance to heat flow (insulation) and heat storage (thermal) capacity are not the same. Concrete, brick, and stone are poor insulators, but work great as thermal collectors because they hold the heat for hours until the air outside them starts to cool down below the temperature of the warmth stored, and thus the heat starts radiating into the space.<br />
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One of the biggest ways we can improve thermal performance of the building is to minimize the air volume in the home. This allows us to use small systems to control airflow. Minimizing your footprint is the first step, and we will cover how to do that in later sections. The other important thing to consider is ceiling height, as this is what gives you your volume. The higher your ceilings, the more volume of air you need to heat, cool, humidify, or dehumidify. So soaring ceilings might not be the best idea throughout the house, unless you live in a hot/humid climate where getting that heat UP and out of the living space is a great idea for thermal comfort. When we have clients who want the beautiful effect of a large space but not the hassle of the larger systems, we suggest that they choose one room that is most important and make that space tall. Leaving the other spaces at normal heights will save you money.<br />
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-83161661349062666672015-04-24T11:02:00.000-06:002015-04-24T11:02:00.342-06:00Using Windows for Ventilation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The first way we can invite natural ventilation in is one of the oldest methods of all - windows. We want to locate windows on opposite walls to facilitate natural cross-ventilation. We want to make sure that every room has a place for air to come in and a place across the room for air to move out. In climates with daytime breezes (and if you use the landscape techniques we offer here you will have those), open the bottom half of double-hung or awning windows on the side of the house that the breeze is coming from and then the high half of double hung or high awning windows on the opposite side of the home. This will encourage cross-ventilation.<br />
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If you have casement windows, which open vertically, you can use those to capture the wind in the evenings. Just open those that open toward the wind and also those that face in the direction the wind is traveling. If they do not open in the right directions, keep them closed, as they will invite warm air in and actually make it hotter inside!<br />
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One of the great things about living in a two-story or clerestory structure is that you can use the extra shade provided on the north side of your home and your basement and stairways to create a form of natural air movement called stack-effect, which can be effective for air circulation and cooling. This technique works by capturing the coolest, heaviest, air on the north side of the house and encouraging it to move through the house and take the overheated air with it. To use this technique, simply open the lowest floor’s north windows, and if you have double-hung windows, open the bottom sash. Then, open the doors and head upstairs to open the windows on the highest story on the south side of the home, or in the direction the wind is traveling to. If you have double hung windows, open the top sash on the upper floor. You can also open your fireplace damper for a similar effect.<br />
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In all cases, the windows the air will escape from (preferably a high window on the side the wind is GOING) should be open as wide, or wider, than the window air is coming INTO.<br />
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If a room is overheating, open the high part of the windows to let out the hot air!<br />
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Make this work for you! In hot and temperate climates, with cooler nights than days, close and lock your windows during the day to keep the cooler night air IN, and then open your windows in the evenings to allow the cooler evening air in to cool down the house again. Locking your windows is not just secure – it seals leaks! <br />
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-82198883315741022972015-04-23T10:55:00.000-06:002015-05-08T12:01:50.648-06:00Going Green during Construction<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Or: Minimizing Waste and Pollution<br />
by Rachel Preston Prinz and Carrie Christopher<br />
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Construction projects produce seven to ten pounds of waste per square foot. This is one of the reasons why construction projects are one of the largest contributors to landfills. To reduce or eliminate construction waste, plan your purchases so that you use all of your materials, then reduce waste, reuse, and recycle what is left.<br />
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Materials and products that are benign and can easily be managed through construction either by recycling, reuse, or other means, include: <br />
<ul>
<li>Woody and plant materials</li>
<li>Concrete</li>
<li>Gravel, aggregate, stone and rock</li>
<li>Masonry and rubble</li>
<li>Metals (ferrous and non-ferrous)</li>
<li>Wood</li>
<li>Plastic</li>
<li>Glass</li>
<li>Doors and windows</li>
<li>Asphalt roofing</li>
<li>Gypsum board (also called sheet rock)</li>
<li>Carpet and carpet padding</li>
<li>Cardboard and paper</li>
<li>Plumbing</li>
<li>Lighting fixtures</li>
</ul>
Suggestions for preventing building site waste: <br />
<ul>
<li>Provide recycle bins for wood, drywall, cardboard, plastic, glass, aluminum, and metal (including steel framing).</li>
<li>Store lumber on level blocking and under cover to minimize warping, twisting and waste.</li>
<li>Set aside lumber and plywood/oriented strand board (OSB) cut-offs that can be used as fire blocking and spacers in header construction.</li>
<li>Set aside large drywall scraps for use as filler pieces in small hidden areas.</li>
<li>Reuse joint compound buckets for tool or material storage.</li>
<li>Stack and cover loose brick and other masonry materials to prevent staining or loss.</li>
<li>Branches and trees from site clearing can be stored separately and chipped for use as landscaping mulch and erosion control during construction.</li>
<li>Clean concrete chunks, old brick, broken blocks and other masonry rubble can be used as backfill along foundation walls as well as in landscape gabion walls.</li>
<li>When remodeling, separate metal radiators, grates, piping, aluminum siding, and old appliances for recyling.</li>
<li>Use leftover insulation in interior wall cavities or on top of attic insulation. </li>
<li>Collect clean sawdust for use in compost piles, around planting areas, or for outhouses. Avoid sawdust that might contain painted or treated wood. </li>
<li>Use biodegradable trash bags for actual trash. Compost what you can!</li>
<li>After construction is complete, donate unused materials to the local building component recycler (often Habitat for Humanity ReStore) or to neighbours.</li>
</ul>
To maximize the recycling benefits of building materials, also consider: <br />
<ul>
<li>If using a contractor to pour foundations, make sure that they use reusable aluminum forms rather than wood forms, which are most often thrown away after one use. </li>
<li>Use the more natural 30-year roofing materials like slate, clay, or metal. </li>
<li>Use finger-jointed wood windows, trim, top and bottom plate material, and studs (ask at your lumber yard).</li>
<li>Avoid large dimension solid lumber.</li>
<li>Minimize material cuts.</li>
<li>Use engineered wood "I" joists for flooring.</li>
<li>Use trusses or "I" joists for roofs.</li>
<li>Use structural insulated panels for walls or roofs. </li>
<li>Use engineered wood studs, beams, joists or headers.</li>
</ul>
One of the more subtle ways we can have a positive impact on our sustainability footprint, especially when we are building the home ourselves, is to think about how we get materials to and from our site. The first instinct for most is to use the vehicle we have. But if our vehicle is a Toyota® Prius, that could be a problem. Many people buy an old truck for the purpose of the build. The issue with that is... lots of gas and exhaust in most cases. So we are building green but polluting during construction. That does not make sense, does it?<br />
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To combat this, we suggest that if an alternate vehicle is required, consider one powered by renewable fuels. Buying new is always an option, but if funds are not readily available for that, consider that many governmental agencies auction their fleet vehicles. Check sites like autoauction.gsa.gov or your state’s fleet services sites for public auction dates. Government fleet auctions are a great place to find a first-generation biodiesel truck for getting your construction materials to your site in the most environmentally-friendly way possible.<br />
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-57437263006804101932015-03-23T16:43:00.000-06:002017-06-09T09:34:16.163-06:00Table of Contents<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i><span style="color: #0000ee;">For those who wonder what all we cover... </span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Free Chapters and Research Links are in blue. </i></span> </span></i><br />
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Introduction<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Background and Methodology<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Our Earthship Survey<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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The Earthship Reality Project<br />
The Mythos<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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The Myth of “The
Most Economical Building Design in the World... (which will) cost about the
same as a conventional non-sustainable home…”<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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The Myth of “A
Radically Sustainable Home Made of Recycled and Natural Materials…”<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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The Myth of
Earthships and Recycling<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Myth of “The
Most Efficient, Easy to Build Construction Method on the Planet”<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Myth of
Build-Out Time<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><br />
The Myth of “Will
Perform as Expected in Any Part of the World, in Any Climate” or, Reality
Check: There is no such thing as a Global Model<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Myth of “Will
Provide You with What You Need to Survive…”<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Myth of Thermal
Comfort<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Myth of
Performance: Known Issues in Earthships Worldwide<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Myth of Custom
Design<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Myth of
Education<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Myth of Getting
it Built by People who are Willing to Pay<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Myth of “A
Higher Resale Value.”<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Myth of Awesome
Community<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
“Just the Facts, Ma’am”<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Issues with the
Data<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Tire Issue<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Earthship at
the End of its Life<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Earthship Life
Cycle Cost Assessment<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Earthships are not
for Everybody<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><br />
<br />
Motivation: Why we
have to do something MORE<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
The Science: Academic Research and
Tire Off-gassing<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Academic Research
on Earthship Performance<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2014/12/kruis-and-heun.html" target="_blank">Analysis of the
Performance of Earthship Housing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in
Various Global Climates</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2014/12/freney-soebarto-and-williamson-2013.html" target="_blank">Thermal Comfort of Global Model Earthship in Various European Climates</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2014/12/freney-soebarto-and-williamson-2012.html" target="_blank">Learning from‘Earthship’ Based on Monitoring and Thermal Simulation</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2014/12/kuil.html" target="_blank">The Sustainability of Conventional Houses, Passive Houses and Earthships, Based on Legislation, Environmental Impact Energy and Operating Energy</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2014/12/earthship-europe_31.html" target="_blank">EarthshipPerformance</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2014/12/university-of-brighton.html" target="_blank">Case Study Report:
The Brighton Earthship:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Evaluating
Thermal Performance</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2014/12/freney.html" target="_blank">Earthship Ironbank</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2014/12/zimmerman-burger-nolan.html" target="_blank">Testing and Analysis
of Modified Rammed Earth Tire Walls</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2014/12/zimmerman-burger-nolan.html" target="_blank"> </a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2014/12/schmidt.html" target="_blank">Earthship
Biotectures: Experimental Subdivision in Taos, New Mexico:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Greater World Earthship Community</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2014/12/schmidt.html" target="_blank"> </a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Research
Conclusions<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/01/tires-and-offgassing-issue.html" target="_blank">Tires and Off-gassing Research<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
A Way Forward<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Earthship .:
Reinventing<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Home Design with
YOU in Mind<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Sustainable Home<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Working towards a
Better Definition of Sustainability<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Cost Effective
Sustainable Features<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/04/going-green-during-construction.html" target="_blank">Minimizing Waste
and Pollution</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/04/going-green-during-construction.html" target="_blank"> </a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
From Vision to
Reality<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
Where You Live Now<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
Wish List<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
Setting a Vision<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
Idea Book<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
Site Diagram<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Where is the
Money?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How to Afford to Pay Cash for
Your Home<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Mortgage Financing<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Tools to Facilitate
Financing<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Creative Funding
Solutions<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Pick the Right
Materials<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Homeowners Bill of
Rights<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Tax Incentives for
Green Design<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Budgeting for a
Contractor<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Deciding Factors<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/01/insurance-for-earthship-or-non.html" target="_blank">Insurance for the
Non-Traditional Home</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/01/insurance-for-earthship-or-non.html" target="_blank"> </a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Planning a Build<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/01/getting-your-earthship-built-managing.html" target="_blank">Getting it Built:
Managing Volunteers</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Regulatory Forces
–The Code<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
Design<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Building’s
Context and Site<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Land Uses<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Best Design of
All: At the Intersection of Two Ecosystems<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Choosing a
Building Site<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Geography<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Topography and
Climate<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Working with
Microclimates<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
General Site
Design Criteria<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Landscaping<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/04/growing-your-own-dans-epic-garden.html" target="_blank">Growing your Own: Dan’s EPIC Garden </a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Outdoor Living<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Fire-Wise Design<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Vernacular Design
Principals<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
North Pacific
Vernacular Zone<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Rocky Mountain
Vernacular Zone<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Southwest
Vernacular Zone<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Great Plains /
Prairie Vernacular Zone<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Lakes Vernacular
Zone<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Northeast
Vernacular Zone<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Southeast Mountain
Vernacular Zone<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Southeast Coastal
Vernacular Zone<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/04/designing-for-thermal-comfort.html" target="_blank">Designing forThermal Comfort </a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Passive Solar
Design<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Ultra-Tight
Construction<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Other Ways of
Staying Cool<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Other Ways of
Staying Warm<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Thermal Mass
versus Insulation<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Thermal Mass for
Heating<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Thermal Mass for
Cooling<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Earth-Coupling and
Earth-Sheltering <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Natural
Ventilation Strategies and Indoor Air Quality<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/04/using-windows-for-ventilation.html" target="_blank">Using Windows for Ventilation </a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Other Means of
Ventilation<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Earthship
Ventilation Issues<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Earthship Cooling
Tubes and Alternatives<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Indoor Air Quality<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/04/humidification-matters.html" target="_blank">Humidification Matters</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Thermal and
Moisture Protection<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Roof Thermal
Performance Improvements<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Framing for
Thermal Performance<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Thermal Bridging<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Choosing
Insulation<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Earthship-Specific
Thermal and Moisture Protection Issues<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Acoustics - Sound
Insulation<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Structural
System<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Foundations<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Rubble Trench
Foundations<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Floor Structures<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Framing<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: 0in;">
The Enclosure
System<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Secrets of Great
Curb Appeal<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: 0in;">
Walls<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Natural versus
Sustainable Materials<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Insulating Versus
Thermal Mass Building Materials<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Strawbale vs. Cob<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Traditional
Earthship Building Blocks<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Tire Walls<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Earthship
Greenhouse<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/01/glass-block-and-bottle-walls.html" target="_blank">Glass Block and
Bottle Walls</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/01/glass-block-and-bottle-walls.html" target="_blank"> </a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Can Walls<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Other Types of
Walls<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Soil Factors for
Rammed Earth, Adobe, Cob, and Earthbag Construction<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Expansion and
Control Joints<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Adobe<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Cob<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Rammed Earth<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/05/earthbags-newly-free-chapter-inspired.html" target="_blank">Earthbags</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: 0in;">
Wood Block
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Wood and Log
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Timber frame<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Log Buildings<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Cordwood<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Strawbale<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Stone<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Concrete<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Roofing<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Earthship Roofing
Considerations<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Roof Structure<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Roofing Types<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Doors and Windows<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Doors<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Windows<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Rooms, Spaces,
Colors, & Textures<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Create an
Efficient Floorplan<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Starting Small<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Easy Spaces<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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What about All My
Stuff?<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Living Simply with
Less<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Other Interior
Considerations<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Entrance<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Courtyards<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Hallways &
Hidden Hallways<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Living Room<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Dining Rooms<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Great Room<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Kitchens and Baths<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Kitchens<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Bathrooms<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Bedrooms<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Second Floors and
Lofts<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Storage<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Laundry Room<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Garage<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Root Cellar<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/04/stairs-and-furnishings.html" target="_blank">Stairs and Towers</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/04/standard-furniture-dimensions.html" target="_blank">Standard FurnitureDimensions</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Details of Design<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Planning for the
Long Game<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> <a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/04/community-space-assembly-occupancies.html" target="_blank">Assembly Occupancies </a></span></div>
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Universal Design<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Finishes<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Glues<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Paints and stains<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Wall Coverings<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Mechanical Systems<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Mechanical Heating
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Mechanical Rooms<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Mechanical Heating<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Fireplaces and
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Mechanical Cooling
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Typical Earthship
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Electrical Systems<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Lighting<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Power<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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The Art and
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Water Flow<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Waste Management<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Rainwater
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Greywater<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Maximizing
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Final Notes on
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Imbuing Space with
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What is Happy,
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Your Core Desired
Feelings<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Locating “Power
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Creating Sacred
Spaces<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/03/astrologically-correct-timing-when-to.html" target="_blank">Correct timing</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/03/astrologically-correct-timing-when-to.html" target="_blank"> </a> </span></div>
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Vaastu & Feng
Shui<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Vaastu<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Feng Shui<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Conclusion: A New
Set of Earth-shelter Building Criteria</div>
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Overwhelmed? Need
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Hiring an
Architect or Designer<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Stages of Design<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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APPENDICES<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><br />
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/03/new-home-design-worksheet.html" target="_blank">New Home Design Worksheet </a><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/2015/03/site-design-checklist.html" target="_blank">Site Design
Checklist</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/p/participate.html" target="_blank">Participate!</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/p/books-worth-look.html" target="_blank">Suggested Reading</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><a href="http://hackingtheearthship.blogspot.com/p/books-worth-look.html" target="_blank"> </a></span><br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Earthships around
the World<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Index<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
About the Author<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
Contributors<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="http://www.archinia.com/index.php/27-latest-projects/390-hacking-the-earthship" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
</div>
Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923773098481429897.post-73125144033412769762015-03-03T17:18:00.005-07:002015-03-12T16:37:54.172-06:00#Astrologically Correct Timing - When to Cut Timber and Do Building Projects<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: small;">We know how the moon affects tides here on earth… when the moon is full, the tides are highest, and when the moon is new, the tides are lowest. Well, the same gravitational pull between our planet and her orb pulls water up not only into the atmosphere, but into our bodies, the trunks of trees, the leaves of plants, and even into solid rock!<br /><br />It was once common knowledge that if you wanted lumber to last, you harvested the wood on certain days. Or if you wanted your firewood to burn as long as possible, you would harvest that on certain days too. There is a great book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1844133001/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1844133001&linkCode=as2&tag=archinia-20&linkId=FUVNVPNT2LI6IITC" target="_blank">Moon Time – The Art of Harmony with Nature and Lunar Cycles</a> by Johanna Paungger and Thomas Poppe which goes into many chapters worth of detail about these traditional ways of building. But allow us to offer a brief overview here so you can determine whether you might want to use correct timing to fell your wood and build your home. We will not get into all the “whys” - you can grab the book if you would like to know the details! We will at least give you the “whens”!<br /><br />For me, the biggest benefit of connecting buildings to the movements of the planets is more about connecting to the cosmos than it is about astrology or right timing. The functional benefits are a perk of setting my intentions! <br /><br />The moon is waning after the full moon and before the new moon. The moon is waxing after the new moon and before the full moon. As with everything, the ideal wood cutting astrology dates may vary slightly by region. Check to see if your area has its own criteria.<br /><br />If you would like to find out where the moon is today, or for any days this year, please check out our friend Molly Cliborne Gauthier’s Google Plus Moon Calendar at: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Best days for Cutting Wood</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b>The three days after the new moon each month, in winter when the moon is waning, February evenings when the moon is waning, September 27, December 21.<b><br /><br />Non-rotting Hardwood</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b>New Years, January 7, January 25, January 31-Feb 2, the last two days of the moon on the wane in Pisces (usually in March).<b><br /><br />Fire-resistant Wood </b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">March 1st after sunset, any day the new moon is in Libra, 48 hours before the new moon in March, the last day before the new moon in December.<b><br /><br />Non-Shrinking Wood</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b>December 21.<b><br /><br />Firewood </b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first seven days of the waxing moon in October, after the winter solstice when the moon is on the wane<b><br /><br />Planks & Building</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b>Waxing phase of the moon in Pisces.<b><br /><br />Floors & Tools</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Scorpio days in August (peel the bark immediately).<b><br /><br />Load-Bearing Walls, Concrete & Stone, Stairs, Electrical</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anytime.<b><br /><br />Site Inspections & Geotechnical Reports</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moon is waning, close to the full moon if possible so the water table is as high as it should get.<b><br /><br />Excavation</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moon is waning, preferring earth days ruled by Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn.<b><br /><br />Foundations</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Avoiding watery days ruled by Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.<b><br /><br />Basements & Cellars</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">During light and warmth signs – days ruled by Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, Aries, Libra, and Sagittarius.<b><br /><br />Earth & Concrete Ceilings</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Avoid days ruled by Leo.<b><br /><br />Walls</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">During the waning moon.<b><br /><br />Wooden Stairs, Windows & Doors, Wooden Floors, Setting the Roof Trusses or Vigas, Ceilings, & Paneling, Paving Stones, Verandas, Paths</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">During the waning moon, preferable on days ruled by Capricorn, avoiding Cancer days.<b><br /><br />Plumbing</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces days.<b><br /><br />Plaster, Exterior Cladding, Floor Coverings</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moon is waning.<b><br /><br />Paint, Varnish, Waterproofing, Gluing</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moon is waning, not on Leo or Cancer days, or Scorpio or Pisces Days either when drying is involved.<b><br /><br />Turn the Heater on the First Time</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moon is waning, on Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius days.<b><br /><br />Best days to ventilate or “air out” the house</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b>Days ruled by Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, Aries, Leo, Sagittarius. <b><br /></b></span></span><br />
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Rachel Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07047414948360387844noreply@blogger.com