Hey B.S.;
What does Monte Vista have for stores? Groc., lumber, etc.?
Thx 2LC
What does Monte Vista have for stores? Groc., lumber, etc.?
Thx 2LC
-
ICMag with help from Landrace Warden and The Vault is running a NEW contest in November! You can check it here. Prizes are seeds & forum premium access. Come join in!
CO and NM People, Penny for Your Thoughts
- Thread starter DreamsofTesla
- Start date
Ifoundamountain
New member
Well, you made exactly my thread. Thanks everyone for the help, you never know who else is reading and learning.
I'm all about the earthship, just need to find a place to dock. I'm maybe a step ahead in that I'm in Colorado already, moved here 6 months ago.
Let's talk. Chat. Smoke one. Build an earthship or 3. I'll be more than willing to help you with construction.
I'm all about the earthship, just need to find a place to dock. I'm maybe a step ahead in that I'm in Colorado already, moved here 6 months ago.
Let's talk. Chat. Smoke one. Build an earthship or 3. I'll be more than willing to help you with construction.
monsoon
Active member
This may help: http://earthship.com/pockets-of-freedom
definitely check local codes/requirements to see of these types of homes are allowed in the county you are targeting. If no one has built one in the area you may have to petition or have an engineeer accompany you to the planning meetings/etc. to get permission to build. Keep in mind that even in the counties where there are no building codes you must obey the State electrical/plumbing codes and obtain permission to build (and pay a fee, no doubt..LOL).
Has anyone gone as far as to (own land?) try to finance one of these homes via a typical construction loan? I wonder how the bank sees all of this? Or, are you all independently wealthy? ;-) Has anyone done enough legwork on this to be able to estimate what building a house like this will cost here...either as an owner-build or via hiring a contractor to do it?
I'd love to see what ya got goin
definitely check local codes/requirements to see of these types of homes are allowed in the county you are targeting. If no one has built one in the area you may have to petition or have an engineeer accompany you to the planning meetings/etc. to get permission to build. Keep in mind that even in the counties where there are no building codes you must obey the State electrical/plumbing codes and obtain permission to build (and pay a fee, no doubt..LOL).
Has anyone gone as far as to (own land?) try to finance one of these homes via a typical construction loan? I wonder how the bank sees all of this? Or, are you all independently wealthy? ;-) Has anyone done enough legwork on this to be able to estimate what building a house like this will cost here...either as an owner-build or via hiring a contractor to do it?
I'd love to see what ya got goin
Ifoundamountain
New member
I'm in the process of doing the legwork and lining up road trips to scout land. I was successful in the business world, said fuck suits and offices, and moved to CO for mmj just before 64 passed. I had been so wrapped up in stuff I had no knowledge of 64 and was pleasantly surprised by the bonus to my count.
I'm gonna build it myself. Had a lot of jobs and have the know how and ambition though a pretty difficult pain condition that will probably make it my life's greatest work.
I'm thinking strongly about applying for an internship at Taos and at the very least will be heading there very shortly to visit the area and maybe some projects. I would like to find a place where there are others residing this way as well, not necessarily because of precedent or knowing it is feasible but rather because I feel very strongly about this idea and would like to work, share, and grow in life with others who feel the same.
With a healthy level of isolation of course. Good fences and all.
I'd surely like to hear of your results, on a county by county basis. Who's friendly and who's not. Where it's been done in Colorado, etc.... I heard there was something of that nature off Hiway 50, Weaver the actor, built it, as I recall.
I heard that some of the locals didn't like being told How they should live though. So may not be as friendly as one would hope.
I'm not in good enough shape to do it myself, however. At least not currently. In my present condition I'd probably be long dead before it was done. lol But I find the ideas to be plausible and of serious interest.
I wish you all the best on your search and your build. Might even show up and spectate if nothing else.
Big Sky
Member
never visited monta vista ..
the area is surrounded by small towns in the southern valley-
sure you can find anything you need within 30 miles of it-
Big Sky
Member
I'd surely like to hear of your results, on a county by county basis. Who's friendly and who's not. Where it's been done in Colorado, etc.... I heard there was something of that nature off Hiway 50, Weaver the actor, built it, as I recall.
I heard that some of the locals didn't like being told How they should live though. So may not be as friendly as one would hope.
I'm not in good enough shape to do it myself, however. At least not currently. In my present condition I'd probably be long dead before it was done. lol But I find the ideas to be plausible and of serious interest.
I wish you all the best on your search and your build. Might even show up and spectate if nothing else.
costilla county has a few and very earthship friendly from what i understand-
a 2000 square ft one usually cost around 50-60k to build yourself-
i plan on doing all my building and development myself-
most of all my research has been localized to that area because thats where i own property-
Glad to see so many earthship fans!
My understanding is that people anticipate living in a temporary residence like a camper or trailer until the earthship is livable. Looks like Saguache County is a go, which is where Crestone is if I'm not mistaken.
Guarantee you won't be able to even think about this in North Carolina.
My understanding is that people anticipate living in a temporary residence like a camper or trailer until the earthship is livable. Looks like Saguache County is a go, which is where Crestone is if I'm not mistaken.
Guarantee you won't be able to even think about this in North Carolina.
monsoon
Active member
This forum has experienced builders talking costs per sq. ft. to construct an earthship. you may be surprised at what you read if you think you can build one for $25-30 per sq ft. These folks all say you should be calculating your build costs on $200 a sq ft for an owner build project and that it will cost you more to build upfront than a stick house will. The general consensus is that lower energy costs, not the cost to build, is where the savings lie.
http://earthship.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=185&catid=8&id=3137&lang=en&view=topic
Dennis Weaver's house was 10,000 sq ft. What a whopper! Very cool.
pics, folks! pics!
http://earthship.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=185&catid=8&id=3137&lang=en&view=topic
Dennis Weaver's house was 10,000 sq ft. What a whopper! Very cool.
pics, folks! pics!
Ifoundamountain
New member
Costs can vary greatly depending upon how you build, with what, and who does it. In my case I've generaled a house or two on the official side, built a log cabin by hand, and a couple hunting cabins including septic, pipes, and electric.
The main thing for people such as myself is finding the location, which is why I moved to CO first. I'm liquid enough for a few McMansions but the 200 a Sq ft would be daunting if I was hiring out labor etc as the possibility of failure does exist.
Cost aside this is about taking nothing and giving back as much as possible in regards to nature, community, and humanity. This is about freedom.
Does anybody have a set of prints for one? It'd be interesting to do a material list/take off. to see what it really takes. I did a 'pole barn' a few years ago 12' x 36'. It cost me just over $4000 us, OSB decking, 90# felt and corrugated tin. That's with no labor of course.
monsoon
Active member
We're looking at our last home/final plot of ground as well after 30 years here and 3 home builds. (2 stick homes, one 1800 sq ft Swedish cope log home) We still own 2 of those homes. I have 200K in the loggie and many years of sweat and it is easilty worth 2X that. Try as I might, I just wasn't happy with used/less efficient materials and have found that buying products that truly save energy are not cheap. It's definitely a balancing act with more variables than many folks realize and a lot of things they should keep in mind as they look for land.
Just setting up a few caution flags, that's all. Properties in CO don't demand what they do because they were built cheaply, nor will such structures last in this climate.
Search Google images under "earthship plans" and a buncha stuff pops up.
hope you guys find some land and can truly make it happen.
Just setting up a few caution flags, that's all. Properties in CO don't demand what they do because they were built cheaply, nor will such structures last in this climate.
Search Google images under "earthship plans" and a buncha stuff pops up.
hope you guys find some land and can truly make it happen.
There's an amazing "hobbit house" in Wales, took the builder four months and cost 3,000 pounds. The pictures of the inside are great too.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ow-I-built-hobbit-house-Wales-just-3-000.html
The thing about earthships is that they're a concept. How you go about it is very flexible, and will depend on the location, the builder, the overall dynamics. You can spend as much or as little as you want. How much water do you have access to? What are your average temperatures? All these questions and more, different on every build.
Seriously, if you want to do everything yourself on weekends over the course of 10 years, it will cost a lot less than a standard house. Or you can spend more and do it faster. Or you can work a lot harder at it and do it with salvaged materials pretty fast. Up to you.
There's no law against using straw bale or whatever in an earthship, no hard and fast way to do it. It's an entirely individual creative process.
Anyone who would see a quote at $200/sf and be deterred probably isn't the right person for it. The idea is to figure out what you want and how you can make it happen. The problem solving is part of the reward.
Monsoon, I think the distinction needs to be made between "cheaply built" and "built cheaply." These aren't shabby little shacks (though clearly they can be if you want them that way). The idea is to make them last pretty much forever (unless you're a nut and don't care). They're also generally not built for resale.
For me at least (and I think this is the driver behind most people who want an earthship) is to make your own home to your own liking. Have it be sustainable for the rest of your life. Live out your days there as you see fit, living comfortably off the grid, producing most of your own food.
www.earthship.com has a ton of information. Some of the floor plans are like $8,000 for the drawings.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ow-I-built-hobbit-house-Wales-just-3-000.html
The thing about earthships is that they're a concept. How you go about it is very flexible, and will depend on the location, the builder, the overall dynamics. You can spend as much or as little as you want. How much water do you have access to? What are your average temperatures? All these questions and more, different on every build.
Seriously, if you want to do everything yourself on weekends over the course of 10 years, it will cost a lot less than a standard house. Or you can spend more and do it faster. Or you can work a lot harder at it and do it with salvaged materials pretty fast. Up to you.
There's no law against using straw bale or whatever in an earthship, no hard and fast way to do it. It's an entirely individual creative process.
Anyone who would see a quote at $200/sf and be deterred probably isn't the right person for it. The idea is to figure out what you want and how you can make it happen. The problem solving is part of the reward.
Monsoon, I think the distinction needs to be made between "cheaply built" and "built cheaply." These aren't shabby little shacks (though clearly they can be if you want them that way). The idea is to make them last pretty much forever (unless you're a nut and don't care). They're also generally not built for resale.
For me at least (and I think this is the driver behind most people who want an earthship) is to make your own home to your own liking. Have it be sustainable for the rest of your life. Live out your days there as you see fit, living comfortably off the grid, producing most of your own food.
www.earthship.com has a ton of information. Some of the floor plans are like $8,000 for the drawings.
Attachments
monsoon
Active member
The concept is well inderstood here, Tesla, as are some of the hard costs of building in Colorado.
It's interesting that the creator of the concept does not live in an earthship himself. He makes alot of money off the dreams of others, for sure, but he obvioiusly isn't a fan of the lifestyle itself.
It is also interesting that he, someone who has built many of these homes, saysd they cost $120 per sq ft and up to build and that the savings, again, comes in later on utility bills.
Not saying you can't pound away at those tires for years and learn to mix adobe/stucco and cobble things together and make it work on the cheap. I'm betting you can if you have the mind to do it and the resouces to make it happen. (That's how we're doing it, except for the cheap cus we've saved 35 years for this point in our lives). Can't wait to see it all come together for you! Gonna be another long/dry Summer for building, that's for sure.
Micheal Reynolds Q & A http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/QandA/earthshipQandA.htm
It's interesting that the creator of the concept does not live in an earthship himself. He makes alot of money off the dreams of others, for sure, but he obvioiusly isn't a fan of the lifestyle itself.
It is also interesting that he, someone who has built many of these homes, saysd they cost $120 per sq ft and up to build and that the savings, again, comes in later on utility bills.
Not saying you can't pound away at those tires for years and learn to mix adobe/stucco and cobble things together and make it work on the cheap. I'm betting you can if you have the mind to do it and the resouces to make it happen. (That's how we're doing it, except for the cheap cus we've saved 35 years for this point in our lives). Can't wait to see it all come together for you! Gonna be another long/dry Summer for building, that's for sure.
Micheal Reynolds Q & A http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/QandA/earthshipQandA.htm
I'm surprised to see the quote that he doesn't live in one. I saw a video of one that seemed to be where he and his wife lived, and videos of a number of other ones that he's made and it sounded like he lived in at the time.
Whether I use his actual plans or not remains to be seen. It's a pretty long-term goal for me. I have a lot to do before I can sell the house I already own. I anticipate living somewhere else for quite a while. I definitely won't be there by the summer.
I'm also thinking I definitely want to be in or very near Crestone rather than the high desert, for cultural reasons. I appreciate the heads up about the water, that will be an increasing problem in years to come no doubt.
About the money he makes, I don't have a problem with that. He's done a lot of work. Plenty of people aren't able to follow all the way through with their plans -- earthship or otherwise -- because they haven't done the research, or weren't committed enough, ran out of money, etc.
Whether I use his actual plans or not remains to be seen. It's a pretty long-term goal for me. I have a lot to do before I can sell the house I already own. I anticipate living somewhere else for quite a while. I definitely won't be there by the summer.
I'm also thinking I definitely want to be in or very near Crestone rather than the high desert, for cultural reasons. I appreciate the heads up about the water, that will be an increasing problem in years to come no doubt.
About the money he makes, I don't have a problem with that. He's done a lot of work. Plenty of people aren't able to follow all the way through with their plans -- earthship or otherwise -- because they haven't done the research, or weren't committed enough, ran out of money, etc.
The reason I asked about plans was to see the materials spec'd. $200 sf doesn't reflect cheap materials (used tires), or it does and reflects a large amount for labor.
I've done some reading in the past on 'earth friendly' living. So I understand a few of the problems involved in the project. Just haven't spent a great deal of time on the subject recently.
Have been interested in earth sheltered structures for a long while now.
Off the Grid? Now that's a whole case of worms to think about opening. lol Backup systems are perhaps a bit less final?
Earthships seem to require a rather delicate balance of systems to maintain 'self sustaining' scenario. Biologically speaking. Most interesting however.
I've done some reading in the past on 'earth friendly' living. So I understand a few of the problems involved in the project. Just haven't spent a great deal of time on the subject recently.
Have been interested in earth sheltered structures for a long while now.
Off the Grid? Now that's a whole case of worms to think about opening. lol Backup systems are perhaps a bit less final?
Earthships seem to require a rather delicate balance of systems to maintain 'self sustaining' scenario. Biologically speaking. Most interesting however.
monsoon
Active member
I hear you. I contracted the logwork out on my log home and then took over the rest of the project. It was quite the experience and the challenges/surprises/unexpecteds were many. I will make out well on it because of the labor factor and have a wide margin in the mix to play with sales wise. This go around I am looking for a qualified builder of alternative homes and we are going to go from there with our eyes open. I'm sure I'll have work to do but this go around I am going to write the check and enjoy rather than toil for 15+ years on weekends and paying cash as I go. I'm focusing on growing weed and veggies and learning how to watch!
Backups, for sure. Water and power. We will cut costs but not our throats. Grey water systems. A vault toilet or composter or if cost allows an individual waste treatment system. A greenhouse built for year round use. Lotsa wood burning and solar for heat/some lights/light electical needs, etc. woodfired hot tub/sauna. We have many ideas we'd love to implement over time.
Backups, for sure. Water and power. We will cut costs but not our throats. Grey water systems. A vault toilet or composter or if cost allows an individual waste treatment system. A greenhouse built for year round use. Lotsa wood burning and solar for heat/some lights/light electical needs, etc. woodfired hot tub/sauna. We have many ideas we'd love to implement over time.
I agree, backups are always optimal. I think most of the solar powered off-grid homes have battery backups, and it does take a bit more attention to lifestyle than just being on the grid.
Personally I'd prefer a composting toilet system to the complete reuse system in earthships, with grey water for the garden. But I love the earthships' indoor garden. Like Monsoon, I'm just looking mostly at weed and vegetables. I don't eat fish or meat, but wouldn't mind having chickens and a goat or two. i don't know how you'd keep them from getting eaten by critters in CO.
The wood fired hot tub would be very cool, too. There's a guy named Paul Wheaton who works on "rocket stoves," another thing people can royally screw up if they're not paying attention. But it's a great idea.
Personally I think if you're in the right climate adobe is an excellent choice. I can tell you right now I'm not going to pound dirt into old tires enough to build a wall around my house. I'd rather cut into a hillside like the hobbit house in Wales, but it will depend on the land I end up with.
Personally I'd prefer a composting toilet system to the complete reuse system in earthships, with grey water for the garden. But I love the earthships' indoor garden. Like Monsoon, I'm just looking mostly at weed and vegetables. I don't eat fish or meat, but wouldn't mind having chickens and a goat or two. i don't know how you'd keep them from getting eaten by critters in CO.
The wood fired hot tub would be very cool, too. There's a guy named Paul Wheaton who works on "rocket stoves," another thing people can royally screw up if they're not paying attention. But it's a great idea.
Personally I think if you're in the right climate adobe is an excellent choice. I can tell you right now I'm not going to pound dirt into old tires enough to build a wall around my house. I'd rather cut into a hillside like the hobbit house in Wales, but it will depend on the land I end up with.
Good luck with that..... The watching part, that is.
Dreams of: Out here, you could end up needing Explosives for the digging.
monsoon
Active member
Plenty of work to be done besides the house. This time I want to do some of the fun projects. Building a house sucks ass and takes a lot of time.
As far as explosives: Yup. We had a well drilled in '98. Hit a boulder that measured somewhere around 20 x 20 and had to spend an unscheduled $1200 to have a blasting expert come and pop it and another $1500 bringing in heavier-duty equipment to move the peices we were left with.
Radon, salinity. alkalinity, denied well permits, non-potable water sources/heavy metal contaminants, engineered($) septic systems for non-perking areas are all things I have personally had to deal with in the 3 homes I have built to date. Some of these issues , no matter what area you build in or who builds the home, must meet minimum State standards and are fixed costs across the board.
Our friends who are already doin what we want to do have a good network of friends /neighbors who all barter for dairy/meat/veggies/etc. Raise something someone else wants and jump in the mix. I have enough savings to feed us for life and then some, so whatever we can save off the top, as with energy consumption/alternatives, will help overall.
As far as explosives: Yup. We had a well drilled in '98. Hit a boulder that measured somewhere around 20 x 20 and had to spend an unscheduled $1200 to have a blasting expert come and pop it and another $1500 bringing in heavier-duty equipment to move the peices we were left with.
Radon, salinity. alkalinity, denied well permits, non-potable water sources/heavy metal contaminants, engineered($) septic systems for non-perking areas are all things I have personally had to deal with in the 3 homes I have built to date. Some of these issues , no matter what area you build in or who builds the home, must meet minimum State standards and are fixed costs across the board.
Our friends who are already doin what we want to do have a good network of friends /neighbors who all barter for dairy/meat/veggies/etc. Raise something someone else wants and jump in the mix. I have enough savings to feed us for life and then some, so whatever we can save off the top, as with energy consumption/alternatives, will help overall.
