It’s made of cans and old tires and can grow tomatoes in the winter: Take a tour of Alberta’s first earthship
LETHBRIDGE COUNTY — In the dead of winter, in the middle of the southern Alberta prairies, the Kinneys’ Christmas dinner included juicy tomatoes freshly picked from the family’s new home.
Producing vegetables even when there’s snow on the ground isn’t the only feature that makes the Kinneys’ abode unusual.
Made of 800 recycled tires and 12,000 cans encased in mortar, the long and skinny bungalow is a radically sustainable building that offers all the comforts of a modern home without any electricity or water bills.
The dwelling has running water, flush toilets, a washer and dryer, a television and Internet.
More impressively, the off-grid structure grows its own food, treats and recycles its grey water, generates its own electricity, and regulates its temperature, whether the mercury outside is hovering around -30 C or 35.
Located north of Lethbridge, past rolling prairies in a stunning scenic valley, the couple’s retirement home is Alberta’s first official earthship.
“When people first hear the word (earthship), they think hippie-dippie tinfoil hat type things,” said co-owner Glen Kinney. “Once you explain it they start to get the idea. It’s sustainable.”
Constructed during the summer of 2014, the home blends into the barren natural environment and faces south for maximum sun exposure to best charge the building’s solar power system.
The front of the structure is covered in large glass windows and a greenhouse runs the length of the front wall, serving as a main hallway and air barrier between the living space and the outdoors.
The greenhouse also produces vegetables year-round, including those tasty tomatoes the Kinney family enjoyed while spending Christmas at their newly built earthship.
Insulation and sunlight mean the home stays warm in the winter, while earth tubes and ceiling vents keep it cool in the summer.
Rainwater is caught by the metal roof and collected, treated, and filtered down into the home where it’s ready to drink.
The earthship reuses all household sewage in indoor and outdoor treatment cells for food production and landscaping, without polluting aquifers, says a website describing typical design features. Toilets flush with non-stinky grey water.
The house produces its own electricity with a photovoltaic/wind power system. The energy is stored in batteries.
Kinney and his wife spent five weeks building the earthship with help from their adult children, volunteers from around the world, and a paid crew of 13 people from Earthship Biotecture last summer.
Michael Reynolds, founder of Earthship Biotecture and the inventor of earthships, attended the build. It marked the first time an official Earthship Biotecture-built structure was constructed in Alberta.
“What these buildings exemplify is that it’s entirely possible to have everything you need in luxury — flat screen TV, high-speed Internet, everything — without spending a dime and certainly without hurting the planet,” Reynolds said when he was in Alberta during a July interview with the Herald.
The American architect coined the term earthship more than two decades ago, a name he picked because like a ship, the homes are fully independent vessels.
The alternative housing form has evolved over the years and became better known following a 2007 documentary about Reynolds and his “green disciples” called Garbage Warrior.
From the outside, the Kinney home is reminiscent of a dwelling a hobbit might live in.
But inside, the radical residence looks like something out of the pages of a rustic home decor magazine.
The earthship contains three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a cosy living room.
Building the skinny bungalow cost the same as what a similar-sized structure in Calgary would have cost, according to Kinney.
“It’s a funky off-grid home,” said Kinney’s adult son Duncan, who lives in Edmonton.
“It’s a really great space. It’s fun to visit. It’s refreshing to visit. I’m excited to drive five hours to get to it.”
Kinney was introduced to the alternative housing concept several years ago by his son, who read about earthships in a book by Calgary journalist Chris Turner.
Like many converts, the father-son duo volunteered on other earthship builds and gained first-hand experience before undertaking a project of their own.
The Kinney family got the plans for their earthship from Global Model, but made a few modifications. And while there’s still some furnishing, finishing and tweaks needed, Kinney said he’s already impressed with the 2,000-square-foot finished product.
“We like what we’ve got,” he said. “It works good.”
The family’s unusual green abode has attracted plenty of attention — when the Kinneys hosted an open house in the summer before the earthship was finished, hundreds of people came to marvel at the structure’s systems and ask questions.
“Earthships can inspire a lot of interest and ours certainly fell into that category,” said Duncan, who is looking forward to many more Christmas dinners in his family’s sustainable abode.
“It’s a nice back-pocket fantasy to have: I’ll go and get a spot of land and build an earthship and live off-grid. It scratches a lot of itches for a lot of different people.”
You don't
Thats much nicer than most "green" home concepts on the market. I dare say the interior looks nicely finished for the most part.
If they want to market the off grid/green market to the general population, you have to offer more than a 500 square foot sardine can. Maybe for some its fine but for most people we want the bigger home, and luxuries we are used to. If they can make them spacious, open, visually appealing yet practical within a reasonable price point they're laughing. This home in Alberta is a great start imo.
https://www.internationalpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=7738
Thats much nicer than most "green" home concepts on the market. I dare say the interior looks nicely finished for the most part.
If they want to market the off grid/green market to the general population, you have to offer more than a 500 square foot sardine can. Maybe for some its fine but for most people we want the bigger home, and luxuries we are used to. If they can make them spacious, open, visually appealing yet practical within a reasonable price point they're laughing. This home in Alberta is a great start imo.
Amen to that. I'm guilty too to think that "I need" at least a 3 bed/2 baths house for our family of 3. I love the concept though and wish I could find one with a bit more room.
...just saying.
OK, what part of DIY home didn't you guys get? So there's no size problem is there? OH! your still dreaming of a cumfy consumeristic life in the SHTF event? WTF! Think before you post. It's up to you to decide what your needs are and what luxuries you put in...just saying.
Gee... Somebody needs a chill pill... And the "think before you post" comment is a two-way street, friend.
Now to politely answer, I admitted that it seems as though most people would benefit from such a self-sustainable house but that however, the average Canuck now expect bigger and bigger homes, complete with master suites (not just ensuite, I'm talking master suite), man cave and all. Indeed, looking back at our grand parents' houses where families of 10 were common, they made the best out of much smaller houses that are currently built for 3 people. I also admitted I'm guilty of thinking that all that space is "needed" instead of simply wished.
As for living with comfy consumeristic expectations... Well, I personally believe in a balanced approach to prepping. I don't see a point of living an entire life in fear of SHTF, spending 10 hours/day and half my pay cheque prepping (and thus having no friends, no social life and missing on so many good things life has to offer). Anyone can agree to disagree on that one, we live in a free country. The Doomsday Prepper show approach of spending one's entire saving on an underground bunker, telling the kids: "sorry, we're moving to a remote, deserted piece of land in Montana and we will never travel or see friends ever again but at least we have a bunker to survive a polar shift" makes no sense in my personal opinion.
While I can't speak for others, I would sure like to live completely off-grid, in a self sufficient residence like one of those earthships (or similar in concept) but I indeed still want some luxuries of life, a place where I can have friends or coworker over for dinner/drinks/hockey game without them thinking I secretly wear a tinfoil hat under a wig. At this point in life, I'm transient due to work, but I would sure like such a house when I settle down (as long as it comes with a man cave...)
I'm with your thinking for more space as well, Helicopilot.
For many reasons.
Need a good sized pantry and what about family, if SHTF, needing to come home.
Oh and a crafts/knitting/sewing room as well. If the big SHTF, one will be making all clothing and would need extra room setting up to manufacture clothing, as well as storage for bolts of material, sewing equipment and such.
So you see there's lots of reasons (and more) for bigger, but that's MO.
(hehe) Besides, my main reasoning would be the longer its made, the bigger the grnhse is to plant in. 😉
So all that would mean is more tires to round up and cans for non bearing walls.
I was interested when it first started making its rounds on the net. Think that was back in the 70's, when the first one came out. What a huge difference from then to now. 🙂
There are plans out there to make bigger so they can be had/made.
Here's a little more info if anyone is interested in possible making one and before starting. Its not just a jump in and do type thing, lots of hard work and organizing everything......
oh yeah and ya got to mind rules and regs too. 😐
http://valhallamovement.com/8-lessons-learned-help-prepare-earthship-build/
A sense of humor is absolutely essential to survival.
I wonder how much it would cost to have such a house built? Understand that for the house in the article above, there were many volunteers (and a crew of 13 paid staff) which would surely help lower the total cost, but how much would it cost for the material, hydroponic supplies, solar, engineering/architect plans, etc? Understanding that the upfront cost is greatly offset by the long term savings of this self sustaining habitat.
I just spent the day doing, guess what? Shovelling gravel into tires. Its amazing how few I got done. I cant imagine what these guys did. I think the next time someone brings up,"What is the ultimate SHTF Vehicle" I'm going to do my usual shock answer and tell people that it is a backhoe. I have serious backhoe envy at the moment. Oh, what I could accomplish with a backhoe. Well, Its never going to happen. I just have to tell my burning arms, "One tire at a time".
So what am I up to? Turning the front of the house into a more primitive version of greenhouse in the picture. Purely coincidental.
I have a Tactical Harness and I have a Tool Belt. The Tool Belt is more Useful.
I just spent the day doing, guess what? Shovelling gravel into tires. Its amazing how few I got done. I cant imagine what these guys did. I think the next time someone brings up,"What is the ultimate SHTF Vehicle" I'm going to do my usual shock answer and tell people that it is a backhoe. I have serious backhoe envy at the moment. Oh, what I could accomplish with a backhoe. Well, Its never going to happen. I just have to tell my burning arms, "One tire at a time".
So what am I up to? Turning the front of the house into a more primitive version of greenhouse in the picture. Purely coincidental.
Tires full of gravel... Are you sure you're not secretly building an hybrid greenhouse/machine gun pit there C5? 😆
Tires full of gravel... Are you sure you're not secretly building an hybrid greenhouse/machine gun pit there C5? 😆
I'ld have to belly crawl over the glass raining down on me....but the thought certainly has crossed my mind. LOL
I have a Tactical Harness and I have a Tool Belt. The Tool Belt is more Useful.
I just spent the day doing, guess what? Shovelling gravel into tires. Its amazing how few I got done. I cant imagine what these guys did. I think the next time someone brings up,"What is the ultimate SHTF Vehicle" I'm going to do my usual shock answer and tell people that it is a backhoe. I have serious backhoe envy at the moment. Oh, what I could accomplish with a backhoe. Well, Its never going to happen. I just have to tell my burning arms, "One tire at a time".
So what am I up to? Turning the front of the house into a more primitive version of greenhouse in the picture. Purely coincidental.
Gravel you say? I thought they put dirt in the tires.
Water will run into it so I needed better drainage.
I have a Tactical Harness and I have a Tool Belt. The Tool Belt is more Useful.
Seems like pictures will be interesting to see... (hint)
This 355-square-foot shipping container home cost just $20K
Custom-built by 29-year-old Canadian engineer Joseph Dupuis, this simple shipping container house is actually composed of three corrugated-metal units, clocking in at a total of just 355 square feet. The dwelling's charm lies in its rugged, utilitarian aesthetic: This isn't exactly the most adorned shipping container home we've ever seen. The land, reports Inhabitat, belongs to Dupuis's family—which certainly helped keep the total cost down—and the shipping containers were purchased for about $2,600 USD each. For a total of $20,000, we'd say this set-up is a bit of a steal.
The house is entirely off the grid and draws absolutely no energy from local utilities. Instead, a rooftop solar array provides power when needed. When it comes to the facilities, Dupuis has an indoor shower and an outhouse for "other business." Apparently, Dupuis plans to add a fourth shipping container to his small collection, one outfitted with a special glass ceiling for sheltered star gazing.