Friday 4 January 2013

The negatives of Earthships

I was recently diverted to a blog post regarding the "negatives" about Earthships.

http://www.archinia.com/about-us/publications/215-solving-the-earthship-enigma.html

It was bit unnerving to read, but something I really wanted to know. It seems like people build them and then live silently ever after.  Any post interviews are usually done with extreme eco lovers who have lower standards than most folks.

Rather than me guessing, I now have a list of possible pros and cons, problems and solutions.

Ultimately, Earthships aren't perfect and the default may not even be possible in certain climates.  They tend to do well in "ideal" climates where the temperature doesn't vary a lot, the humidity isn't extreme and it rains regularly.  Sounds like a normal house lol  So how does one make an Earthship work in an extreme climate?

Here were some of my thoughts on modifications for my own climate:

Location: 
They suggested to not build one in a cool climate at all.  And to especially not build in high humidity or low rain.

Well I live in Canada.  The temperature can go as low as -40C in the winter (usually -20C) and up to +30C in summer (usually low 20's).  Rain and humidity aren't really a problem for most of Canada.  But ice, snow and wind are a problem.

I'm assuming that they are meaning this statement for the basic/standard Earthship.  That makes sense.  All I need to do is plan some modifications.  I already assumed that it might be wise to have backup systems, such as underfloor heating or fireplace/stove.  

Orientation toward the south will be a given since I want passive thermal heating to be the main source when possible.

Siting:
My design already incorporated south entrances for a snowy climate, which fits their suggestions. I also like evergreens and trees, which make good wind breaks like they say.  That's common knowledge up here. I have no problem putting in trees!

For overheating, we only have maybe one or two weeks a year where it gets uncomfortably hot.  They suggest overhangs or leafy trees.  The problem is the possibility of interfering with the heating, which is a bigger problem overall. I think I may consider retractable awnings if heat is truly an issue.

Structure:
They suggest to skip the tires.  I checked into tireless rammed earth walls and either you do it yourself (I'm not incredibly skilled) or you hire someone.  Up here, contracting for rammed earth walls costs 20-30% more than a conventional house.  No thanks, this is expensive enough. I know I can do tires though.  So tires it will be.  The concern mainly seems to be off gassing, for which there is no clear answer. I will have to consult others.
Note: I've researched more on off gassing.  It still doesn't seem to be a problem, due to the fact that used tires had plenty of time to "off gas" while they were being used, and they are being packed in several inches of covering material.  In terms of skipping the tires, the alternatives such as cement bricks or rammed walls are incredibly expensive, as you will see in the later blog entries. There are ways to make the tire pounding easier, as well.

Design:
Points noted.  I plan on modifying my drawings and posting them later.  I will keep these things in mind, but I'm skipping the part on sleeping pods.

Windows and Doors:

The "no sloping window walls" is confusing.  I'm not sure what they are referring to.  The only sloping window wall I can think of is the one on the outside.  It helps with the passive heating design, so eliminating it could be detrimental to this far north.  Vertical is certainly nicer looking, but it doesn't allow in as much sun and is better for hot climates.

However, if they are referring to the problems with humidity and leakage on the slanting windows, the architect I'm hiring has already fixed those issues so.....no big deal.  He has also fixed issues with the roof "kick up" in a standard Earthship; by eliminating it.

I didn't realize the part about the closing off the greenhouse though.  I made my plans fairly open concept.  Therefore I guess I will have to ditch that and close the space off a bit.  Not a problem.  Note: I contacted the architect and he said that closing off the green house can pose problems with "egress" in the building code (google it).  He says they can get away with it in New Mexico, but it's a lot harder to do such a thing elsewhere, including Canada.  Therefore, I had to go back to the open concept again. 

I also don't plan on using exterior bottle walls, which can pose an insulation/cold problem.  I will just use them on the inside. But I love the idea of solatubes for the back rooms.

13 comments:

  1. Hi
    Im Nick from North of Sweden. I have the same climate as you I guess. Some kind of fireplace it has to be to get it cosy in wintertime.
    So have you started to build?

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    1. Not yet but yes we would have a very similar climate. I don't want to get too cold!

      Do you plan to build one?

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  2. Interesting blog, curious to know how your progress is going?

    I too am very interested in the points you noted above. I live on PEI and I am curious to note what adaptations will need to be made in your design for both practical and legal reasons.

    I have found this to be insightful, as it is a few modifications to the older designs or earthships

    http://bhudeva.org/blog/2012/01/23/building-an-earthship-in-a-cold-climate-stop/

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  3. Thank you for your comment Roland. So far progress is slow, because I need to save up quite a bit of money to purchase the land and building materials. (About $130,000-150,000). I guess I should write up a blog post on some of the designs I'm interested in making. Legalities I'm not sure about yet. Thanks for the link too!

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  4. Hi Kristen,
    Thanks for your blog. I found it quite helpful. I'm actually from Canada too. Ontario. Just getting started with my planning. I would love to hear more about updates with your progress.

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  5. Have you visited any of the already built earthships in Canada to see what their owners have learned from them?

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  6. This is GREAT modification info Kristen! I can't wait to find out what all you do to make yours work and how all your tweaks work! Please keep us in the loop! Brightest Blessings, Rachel at Archinia

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  7. Glad to be of help. Facebook is also a good resource as some of the owners are posting there under Canadian Earthships. They've been built from east coast to west coast! We know that they do work in this climate!

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  8. High Kristen I live in Bariloche Argentina, our climate is not as harsh as yours but we get some snow and lately with global chance a lot of rain. Thank you for your comments on eartships which I have been consideringas a possibility. Good luck with your project. Pablo

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  9. Hi Kristen. Curious where in Canada you are? We are in Southern Alberta and seriously considering building one ourselves. Would be very informative to speak to others in the area that are in the planning/building stage. :) Janice

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  10. I have looked seriously at the design of earth ships. For me there are a few non starters.. Rammed tires. I am going with 6 inches of poured in place concrete. I will NEVER have a problem with getting past the permit department. As to off gassing.. Even though the tires are buried they will indeed continue to breakdown over time. Off gassing is still a problem though not huge. I looked at the time involved to pour a wall vs pounding tires. laughing I do not have a year to give up out of my life and frankly the cost of a poured concrete wall is not huge.

    I live in SE part of Tn so we do get rain and we do get humidity but not like down along the gulf coast. To help mitigate some of the draw backs of the over heating like they have in the homes in New Mexico.. plan to use 10 -12 4 inch earth tubes. I am not concerned about having adequate fall where moisture can make for mold growth.. am on the side of a mountain so .. there really is almost zero chance of any moisture not draining down and out .. yes will need to build a small vent chase at the bottom to keep bugs and varmints out. good hardware cloth and a couple layers of bug screen. The problem with most places today is they are so well sealed that people live in sick houses due to lack of ventilation.

    I also plan to have not just a small atrium but want to build it 12 foot deep so I have plenty of room for my aquaponics. Unlike many of those who plan to build with sloped windows .. I will put them vertically.. so less chance to leak.. plus they will be operable and I will be able to get to them without reaching over a planting bed.

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  11. Having a suspicious mind, I have done some Googling trying to find out the “dirty little secrets” I was sure existed with regard to earthships. Zip! No objective evals/reviews! Well, if you can’t find objective, second best is to see what the competition has to say. A sort of rival design firm, Archinia, has a lot to say about the failings of earthships, especially the tire offgassing. Check out their site.

    What I have’t found yet is any hard data on how earthships actually hold up in a serious earthquake. I would guess they don’t, and failure of only one element (cracked glass, cracked plaster, movement of tires due to various ways the earth reacts to violent earthquakes) could result in the death by freezing of all occupants. I also have reservations on relying on solar power: one substantial volcanic ash blast could block the sun for more than a year. Doom and gloom. Perhaps buried shipping containers are a better option?

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  12. I've heard that earthships cannot be left for very long, like a week or 2.is that true?

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