Can my husband and I build an Earthship home in Michigan & how hands-on can we be?
I would love to build an off-grid, eco friendly, geothermal Adobe home but I’ve never heard of anyone in Michigan doing so. Is it feasible, and who do I contact to help me with the construction details and code guidelines?
An Earthship does not work well in a cold climate. They lack a few key components to be considered an ‘eco friendly’, or sustainable house, to specifically name the two biggest omissions– heat recovery ventilation and proper insulation. A really good HRV or ERV can recover as much as 90% of the heat in exhaust air, the ‘earth tube’ ventilation in an Earthship recovers 0%. The other main conceptual flaw is designing and building it with the notion that they will be warmed by the ground, which is completely untrue in a cold climate. So they usually have uninsulated floors, and with high levels of humidity that can lead to mold and mildew issues, as well as an increased heat load and uncomfortable feet. We have a full analysis of it here on this page–
Do Earthships work in cold climates?
If you want info on how to build a passively heated off grid house, see some of these pages Passive Solar Home Design and Living Off Grid.
As for Geothermal, it is a great system for efficient heating, the only problem is that the cost can be extremely prohibitive. For very large homes it can make sense, but for a modest sized home, the return on investment may be quite far away and you are often better to invest in better insulation, windows and air sealing. You can see more her on our page about geothermal home heating.
Not trying to burst your bubble on the Earthship, I just don't want you going in expecting one thing and getting something entirely different, as in a home that is often too hot or too cold for human comfort. Have a read on a few of those pages and feel free to write back with any questions.