• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Carla Burke
  • Nancy Reading
  • John F Dean
  • r ranson
  • Jay Angler
  • paul wheaton
stewards:
  • Pearl Sutton
  • Leigh Tate
  • Devaka Cooray
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • Timothy Norton
gardeners:
  • thomas rubino
  • Matt McSpadden
  • Jeremy VanGelder

Looking for a earthship designer/engineer

 
Posts: 11
Location: spokane, washington
1
monies urban building
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hello I just acquired 30acres and am planning to build a earthship in the next few years but would like to get some help with designing it. If you have any recommendations it would be much appreciated. Thanks.
 
pollinator
Posts: 156
Location: Czech Republic; East Bohemia; Latitude 50˚ 12' 34"
41
10
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Take a look at John Hait's Passive Annual Heat Storage, It might be something you would like to integrate into your plan. They utilize the principle in the wofatis.
Maybe a wofati would work for you? No pounding tires

Good Luck,

Jason
 
pollinator
Posts: 241
66
7
hugelkultur books chicken cooking food preservation greening the desert
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Have you visited the Earthship community near Taos,  NM?

https://www.earthshipglobal.com/visit-us

Sandy
 
pollinator
Posts: 183
Location: Colorado Plateau, New Mexico
39
fungi foraging composting toilet building solar greening the desert
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Precision Engineering does a lot of green design and engineering. They are in Oregon (Klamath Falls, I think?) and are licensed in 50 states. They do earthbag, rammed earth, tiny houses, shipping containers, etc.
https://www.structure1.com/

I don't know if they design earth ships per se, but they engineered our "earthship inspired" tire bale home. (I recommend tire bales BTW if you can get them locally; no tire pounding and the 5-ft-thick main walls go up in days). They had never heard of building with tire bales before but eagerly took it on, did the research, and added it to their bag of tricks. They added a tire bale page to their website, based on our house.
https://www.structure1.com/tire-bale-home-engineering/

Good luck with your search!
 
Posts: 2
Location: Southwest Virginia
3
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hello Phillip and congrats on acquiring land. My husband and I coordinated the build of a studio Earthship for a Nature Center in PA. I visited the Earthship community outside of Taos in preparation. They are amazing structures. I bow to Michael Reynolds. However, they are a LOT of work. You'll need help, capital and heavy machinery. If you have plenty of this, then by all means go for it. They withstand earthquakes and hurricanes.

Are you in a dry area? If not, you'll need to modify for heavy rains and humidity. Find a local engineer/architect to help you with blueprints and local codes if that's an issue in your area. If I can be of any help, email me and I will offer what assistance I can.

I have not read up on Wofatis but would like to as Paul himself has gone from an Earthship enthusiast to a promoter of Wofatis.
 
Posts: 94
Location: "...where somebody's struggling to be free, look in their eyes and you'll see me..."
trees wofati greening the desert
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hello Phillip.
Congrats on getting your land!

I have designed, permitted and partially built a Hybrid Earthship like structure. I can't call it an Earthship, because instead of tire walls we have used Superadobe (earthbag) walls, as they are much quicker, easier and stronger than the tire walls. There are many other advantages to it, too long to list it here. Nevertheless in the design we have used the South facing glazing, with the greenhouse, walls for thermal mass, water reuse systems, etc. as I learned it working with Michael Reynolds' crew in New Mexico. I have added an air-conditioning system utilizing underground cooling tunnels.
As Lorrain said it is labor intensive, and as such, costly but not more than another structure of comparable size would be and you get a much better quality and longer lasting home for your money. Some people make the mistake of thinking earthen homes are cheaper, which is a misconception, they merely offer a better quality of living space.
If you think this experience can be useful for you, hit me up, I'll be happy to work with you, and/or send some pics.


 
pollinator
Posts: 1361
Location: zone 4b, sandy, Continental D
385
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Phillip Moore wrote:Hello I just acquired 30acres and am planning to build a earthship in the next few years but would like to get some help with designing it. If you have any recommendations it would be much appreciated. Thanks.



Welcome to Permies, Phillip.  Looks like you are in a zone 6, [lucky stiff!]
https://alderwoodlandscaping.com/blog/what-grows-best-in-eastern-washington#:~:text=Spokane%20(and%20the%20surrounding%20areas,that%20thrive%20in%20zone%206.
but wowzie! you only get 17" of precipitation/ year? In Washington State? That , I didn't expect.
I'm sure this may have some implications for an earthship. Certainly, in your shoes, I would first think about arranging for collecting water/ snow, irrigation...
I would not know how to build an earthship, so I won't presume  to give you advice here, but I'm pretty sure the climate enters for a lot in your plans, so good luck to you!
 
Posts: 73
43
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hello Phillip, my name is Michael. I am a traveling independent builder.

I attended the earthship academy back in 2016, have worked with Earthship Biotecture several times since then on global, tropical and Encounter models. I have also helped build several independent earthship inspired builds in different climates, and designed at least one Earthship inspired building.

I'm very busy this winter but I'd be happy to connect with you to talk about your project. Congratulations!
 
eco-innovator & pollinator
Posts: 551
Location: Russia
113
hugelkultur forest garden trees books homestead ungarbage
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Phillip Moore wrote:Hello I just acquired 30acres and am planning to build a earthship in the next few years but would like to get some help with designing it. If you have any recommendations it would be much appreciated. Thanks.



Hello Phillip, Please watch this video below, our friend Alosha spent over 10000 hours on redesigning an EarthShip, fusing it with Permaculture, Sacred Bio-Geometry and 5G protection. I am sure he can help you with designing. Please let me know if you are interested and I will give you his contact.

 
I promise I will be the best, most loyal friend ever! All for this tiny ad:
GAMCOD 2025: 200 square feet; Zero degrees F or colder; calories cheap and easy
https://permies.com/wiki/270034/GAMCOD-square-feet-degrees-colder
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic