Earthship Biotecture

Awesome concept and off the grid access for rental.
The Bio homes are self sustaining, end of the world perfection.
I stayed in the Phoenix house and the amount plant and animal life living in the sun room are amazing. They have a mini jungle habitat complete with fish pond, birds and a garden.
It housed 8 comfortably, can hold more if you maximize, and has as many comforts of home you could expect for a solar, rainwater and self purifying filtration system.
The house had WiFi, tv, fireplace, and full kitchen. The appliances ran off the solar grid and had generator backup if needed. The homes are decorated to enhance the natural light and have some pretty neat fixtures and plant walls, yes plant walls.
I would highly recommend you do some research as there is alot more I could never fit in a review and would definitely come back with the right group of people.

We drove by and saw what there was to see from the road. Pulled in and walked around a little, but looks like you cant just wander around as these are residences. There’s a tour available, but it was more expensive than i wanted to pay with very limited time to devote. The architecture is pretty cool and is a great photo op. I’d love to learn more!

Really glad I decided to do some exploring when I drove past this earth ship compound. The inhabitants were very friendly, and helpful in offering information on the structures and community.

A strong advocate of tiny living and being self-​sustainable in order to avoid being tied to everything, Earthships can do everything in one place. Water catchment, electricity from solar, sewage treatment, aquaponics if desired, and a greenhouse inside behind the long windows, it’s a lively machine that runs on its own if put to that extreme. You have to understand that they don’t stick with one or two models, they evolve from their mistakes from previous ones, so each structure is different as you progress on their timeline of their builds. I think it’s just plain badass. There’s even an academy that anybody can study. I’ve studied there, learned SO many things, and some people carry that knowledge and integrate some of the principles into their own potential build. Ain’t nothing wrong with a garbage house, eh? Instead of growing the landfill, try to make those materials useful. Anything is possible, right?
Yes, there is wood and cement involved. The use of cans and bottles is to help reduce the amount of cement and wood involved. You see a conventional American house that uses a huge wooden frame placed on a concrete foundation. Earthships are placed on the natural, cleared-​of-​debris dirt, with a small layer of cement or Adobe as the flooring. And walls are of the plastered tire walls with roof and all. Basically, it’s reducing the amount of materials to an appropriate level, focus on a small to no carbon footprint as much as possible.
Also, to help those that place concern on off-​gassing of the tires, the tires used are old, tossed-​out ones, not the brand-​new ones you’d smell in a tire shop. And they’re sealed in the adobe-​plastered walls, like putting a rotten egg in a ziploc bag, it’s sealed. Also, the earth-​rammed walls becomes a natural thermal mass so it maintains a healthy temperature year-​round. Colder it gets outside, the warmer it gets inside, coming from the earth in the ground, and vice versa. Little to no utility bills, hell yeah!
Anyway, that’s it, for now.
Seriously, read up on it. Stop by and check us out!

A stay in an Earthship is life changing. Both incredibly educational, and (especially in some of the more elaborate ones like the Phoenix) a sensory delight. Awesome for adults, but especially powerful for kids, who will now understand exactly how much they consume and pollute, and how much more waste there is in ordinary houses. Don’t just stop by the visitor’s center, spend a couple of nights in one.

The friendly staff at the Taos visitor center recommended we stop at the Earthship visitor center, so we decided to check it out. The woman at the front desk was very helpful in explaining the tour and what was included prior to us purchasing our tickets (you knew what you were getting into for the $ 7 per person ticket price). A short video explains how the Earthships are constructed and how they are self-​sustaining. I found the video to be engaging and helpful in explaining how the structures work. The self-​guided tour doesn’t take much more than 30 minutes. I would have liked to tour an actual home, but I found the process of building these homes to be fascinating. Definitely worth a stop if you’re in Taos.

I’ve always wondered why put toxic tires in your home? My understanding is that the tires are packed with dirt (20 minutes per tire with sledgehammer) for «thermal mass». Adobe bricks are used for TM and have no toxic outgassing. Surely a Genius Architect could have figured out a way to put an Adobe wall below grade, protected against moisture? Beware and Go Green: Instead build with Adobe and The Worlds Most Insulative And Greenest Material: Strawbale. There are strawbale houses in every state in America and many countries around the world. Sorry Mike, but turning people’s homes into toxic landfills ain’t Green or smart.

Truly a unique experience.
We were exploring the area, as my wife is writing a book about a post-​apocalyptic America — based in Colorado/​New Mexico/Kansas.Staying in an Earthship (a self sustaining abode) eerily felt like we were in her novel — she plans to incorporate some of the self-​sustaining house ideas as a way people cope in her book.
But in the present, it was really a fun night to stay — and to see and understand the concepts firsthand.
So why not five stars? I have sleep apnea, and the self-​generated electricity must have been slightly off kilter, or needed a line voltage regulator. I plugged in my cpap, and it went crazy (and actually something fried in it — I now have a new machine)
Sure, I could have screamed and yelled and threatened to sue or something, but I did know what I was getting into — i.e. a home that did everything itself, and I learned this particular Earthship had the electricity off somewhat.
So of course, I didn’t sleep well, but I did sit outside and watch the stars quite a bit. Really cool as well.
So I recommend this place — just watch your devices a bit (my computer didn’t seem to notice the problem, and recharged fine.)

This was a surprise. Our unplanned trip to Taos led us into the northern outskirts of Taos, or basically the middle of nowhere desert, but the barren landscape was interrupted by a strange, out-​of-​this-​world community. From afar, I couldn’t decide if the homes looked like undersea mermaid dwellings or structures from another planet.
When we found the visitor’s center on the south part of the community ($ 7 admission to tour the interior and free outdoor self-​guided tour), we stopped to find out just what this was all about. Basically, the occupants are striving to be Earth-​friendly with self-​sustaining homes and practicing all manner of clean energy generation and re-​use.
On their website, you can rent some of the homes here for vacation stays — surprisingly the prices aren’t bad.
Fascinating place to stop by if you happen this way!

Earthships themselves get 5 stars. The visitor center, not so much. Some great info in the video and the greenhouse is great. But it leaves something to be desired, like getting to tour a regular house and see it in action. That being said, next time we are down here we are definitely staying in one!

This is about the Earthship VISITOR CENTER. Not about the experience of staying in an Earthship overnight.
My boyfriend and I went to the Earthship Visitor Center after reading dozens of stellar reviews of Earthships. Turns out most of the raving reviews are from people who have stayed at an Earthship for a few nights, not people who just went to the visitor center.
We expected to tour a functioning house, or at least a model of one, but the visitor center was really just that: a visitor center. You pay $ 7 to go in and watch a short video about Earthship construction (the likes of which you have probably already seen if you’re interested in seeing an Earthship in the first place) and there’s also a 15 – 20 minute slideshow of pictures. There’s a place to buy books about construction and other Earthship-​related merchandise, you can walk through their garden and you can take a look at their roof-​top filtration system. But when they boast about you touring the grounds, all you’re really allowed to see is the outside of one Earthship that’s in construction. The rest is private property.
Bottom line: Earthship biotecture is fascinating and I’d love to live in one. But it’s not worth the money to pay to enter the Visitor Center unless you need resources to learn how to build your own.

From far away, you can see the glittering cans and bottles stuffed into dirt and tire structures on the horizon. The closer you get, the more of them you can see. Earthships.
I’m glad they have a visitor’s center, otherwise I would be tempted to drive straight into the unique community. Though it’s a strangely steep fee to check out the visitor’s center and explore a small area of Earthship territory, it’s worth it. They have a very complex and interesting water recycling set up. I’d love to live in one of those homes for a while, for sure.
This will likely be a quick stop along your adventure route, but if you have any interest in sustainable architecture and water conservation, this is a fascinating, quirky stop.

My boyfriend has been obsessed with Earthships since he first heard of them. So on a trip to New Mexico, we HAD to stay in an Earthship. We stayed overnight in the studio Earthship, and were in awe as soon as we walked in. I’ll admit I was a little paranoid being out in the middle of nowhere and especially after signing the contract. I worried about what I put myself at risk for or what may happen but I guess they need to protect themselves.
The studio Earthship is beautiful and has such great details in the design, me and my boyfriend marveled at the little things like the light switches and the bathroom floor, it may sound silly but these details are not found in other places. You’re also left to take care of things on your own after 4 PM unless there’s an emergency, not a complaint, just a statement. In that way it’s kinda like camping, we also had a lizard and other little critters in the Earthship, except you’re actually inside a (way cool and environmental) structure, sleep in a bed and have access to a bathroom and kitchen :) I look forward to staying again and someday having our own!
Oh, and DO NOT miss the view at night, it was so clear and beautiful!

I first heard of Earthships when I read the actor Dennis Weaver was selling his back in 2004. Earthship? A sustainable home built from recycled materials? As an old hippie I was interested to learn more.
I saw the video «Garbage Warrior» on PBS a few years ago and was happy to see the architect, Michael Reynolds was still building.
On a recent trip to Albuquerque I decided we had to make a pilgrimage to Taos and the Earthship community. I wasn’t disappointed.
The young lady working the visitor center was helpful explaining the systems of an Earthship and construction techniques. I was expecting an intern but she is an owner, who learned about Earthships and rented one during winter to make sure they performed as advertised. She said after spending a few nights in freezing weather, and being warm and comfortable inside without additional heat she was sold, and decided to move to Taos to live in an Earthship.
They’re quirky, colorful and beautiful. Built of old tires filled with pounded dirt and plastered with adobe. The natural wood viga ceilings accent curved walls. And everywhere the light, entering from the south facing greenhouse.
An Earthship is self-​contained. No utility bills! The home collects it’s own water and recycles it 3 times before being sent to a septic system. Filtered grey water is used for the plants in the greenhouse, the plants filter it again and it’s used to flush the toilet!
Solar panels generate electricity that is stored in batteries, converted to AC and distributed throughout the house.
It’s magic.
Earthships have been built around the world, from high tech European countries to the jungles of the Far East. They are adaptable to any environment.
Someday, perhaps sooner rather than later, people will realize what an amazing, progressive concept Michael Reynolds has developed.
Someday…

Anyone interested in sustainable living and living off the grid owes it to themselves to visit the Earthship at least once in their lives.
Taos is ground-​zero for the Earthship movement, it all began here. Earthship structures are now found all over the world since they can be built with recycled cans, bottles, tires, items found anywhere in the world.
Rainwater is collected. Grey water systems are in place. Vegetables grow year-​round indoors. Energy comes from the sun or the wind. Heat comes from the Earth itself.
I came on a slow day and had the entire facility to myself and had a great time taking the whole place in.
A wonderful way to spend an afternoon in Taos!

I found them to be totally inspiring and awesome. I don’t know why we don’t have these out here in Sedona.
The drive out there is beautiful. Keep your eyes open for the rigged up off the gridders past the Earthships on your way to Durango. There are some rugged individualists out there.

I was so excited when I started to Unilocal Taos and found out the Earthships were here! Yippee!
How cool are these homes, and the people that have the balls to leave their lives behind, move to the desert and build a home out of cans, tires, bottles, and go completely off the grid. Much love to these folks, I admire what the are doing. I have mad respect.
I see that some reviews state that they paid in the visitors center. We didn’t. We just wandered around what wasn’t private property taking it all in. We had heard of the Earthships before, so we really didn’t need a video to explain them and the off the grid concept to us.
This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I think maybe someday, I myself, might have an Earthship in the desert! If you are going to Taos, do not miss seeing the Earthships. You will leave baffled and amazed, and hopefully a bit more green.

We’ve visited the Earthship headquarters during summer trips in 2000, 2007, and 2008. I always leave a bit more motivated to reduce my impact on the environment. We looked into staying in one of the rental homes but they were a bit more space and higher priced than would make sense for us unless traveling with another couple.

Driving into the Earthship World Headquarters was like driving onto a movie set of Mad Max.
Earthships are built with recycled materials, collect rainwater that is filtered and used 4 times in the earthship, and don’t cost any money to cool or heat.
For $ 5 a person, you can watch a 10-​minute video on earthships and take a self-​guided tour at the Headquarters. It was interesting but I don’t know if this place (or earthships in general) is for everyone. You can also stay overnight in rentable earthships here.
From website: «The Visitor center is a fully functioning Earthship that combines passive solar architecture with thermal mass construction, uses renewable energy, integrated water systems and is made out of natural and recycled materials. Our resource library provides an abundance of information in the form of books, videos and displays. All of our books and videos are also available for purchase.»
PS– If you want to build an earthship in your city, they can send a crew to build it who will show others the process. There are earthships all over the world.
*See pictures

My mother has dreamed of visiting an Earthship for years… She has also planned on building one, one day. I’m getting older and before either my sister or I decide to get married and have children, my family and I decided to road trip to New Mexico.
While visiting Taos, we found a brochure for Earthship and my mom was totally suprised that she hadn’t planned to see it. We drove out to the North side of Taos and were totally in awe to see this amazing wonder.
How our lives could be changed if we just used some of the stuff we toss out on a daily basis. Tires, coke and beer cans, strawbales, cement… all kinds of resources we could use to make a home that runs off all of our natural resources. If you havent seen a house like this, and your visiting… or you live in Taos, it’s a MUST do.
Maybe one day I will live in one of these as well.