• Dody Myers
  October 7, 2020, 2:54 pm

  Is that brown paper flooring throughout?

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  • Marsha Cowan
    October 7, 2020, 3:43 pm

    I think it’s stained polished concrete. Nice!

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• Marsha Cowan
  October 7, 2020, 3:46 pm

  It’s a pretty amazing house design and temperature control concept. It is also very pretty. I am, however, taken back by the picture of the queen bed with what looks like a man on the side, a woman in the middle, and a child on the other side lying under the red covers with their heads covered. Eerie. . .maybe a joke (since it is called a “space ship” design)?

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  • Natalie C. McKee
    October 9, 2020, 2:25 pm

    Oh dear I did NOT see that at first, but now I’m creeped out.

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    • Marsha Cowan
      October 9, 2020, 7:40 pm

      Oops. . . Sorry Natalie :/

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  • Running Doe
    January 19, 2021, 2:02 pm

    osiyo, I see what you see in the bed, eary, wado

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• Diana Angell
  October 7, 2020, 9:22 pm

  Its very pretty. I like the space. Just one issue. Earthships have been found to off gas from the tires they use so that is something to consider if your a person with sensitivity..

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  • Natalie C. McKee
    October 9, 2020, 2:24 pm

    Thanks for bringing that up!

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  • James D.
    October 9, 2020, 10:38 pm

    Well, yes and no, there’s a lot that off-gasses but that’s not the same as it being harmful or at high enough concentrations to be a issue. Just about anything you can smell is releasing VoCs’s, for example. Even just peeling an orange will release high levels of VoCs. Certain chemicals will just be more a problem than others and thus not all off-gassing is of equal concern. There’s also concentration and how much exposure you get that will factor…

    Almonds, for example, have trace amounts of cyanide, high levels can be lethal, but the normal levels are too low to be a threat, you can’t ever eat enough to have a significant concentration, and thus it’s safe to eat.

    A lot is just not yet fully understood on long term effects but the issue of off-gassing is clearly more complex than just it automatically always being a issue…

    Tires mainly degrade when exposed to the sun and water, which is what causes them to off-gas, but Earthships use old tires that have mostly already off-gassed, end of life, and what’s little left is extremely limited once buried and no longer exposed to the elements. While Earthships are generally going to be ventilated year round, preventing any significant build up of what little there may be…

    Mind, typically, behind the tires is a vapor barrier, a massive ballpark figure of around 178R-value of insulation, compacted earth/thermal mass, and the berm. In front of the tires is cement mortar followed by a cob wall. All of which any off-gassing would have to diffuse through before it can get to the interior air space, and newer builds have also started applying low or 0VOC sealers to further prevent any permeation…

    Most tire related health problems are related to the factory workers in the hazards of working with toxins during production… 2-3 years later, most of that will have run its course…

    It doesn’t mean there’s nothing left there, even if the tires are over ten years old, but buried they’re not exposed to the elements and any off-gassing would be extremely limited and low concentration.

    Use of reclaimed materials is desired not only because because of recycling and reducing waste but also because off-gassing is pretty much over/spent, and unless you cut or damage the material what’s left is pretty much contained and much safer to use. Especially, in environments where any further degradation is limited or even stopped…

    It should also be pointed out that recycled tires are also being used in construction and roads, even in states like California that have very strict environmental standards…

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• Donna Rae
  January 19, 2021, 4:50 pm

  I have loved the idea of building or buying an earthship and this one looks great from the outside. Spending a few days in one to see what it was like is a good idea but it’s not very cozy looking inside, is it? A sparse two stiff chairs and a lumpy queen size bed? Sorry, but this just doesn’t look like a pleasant place to vacation regardless of what a fabulous idea it is. Add some comfy furniture and charm to be more appealing and they would have a winner! Honestly, I really wanted to like this one but it falls a little short.

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  • Natalie C. McKee
    January 20, 2021, 9:22 am

    I completely understand that, Donna! I’m a “cozy” girl myself.

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• Mike R.
  January 19, 2021, 6:29 pm

  I would be REALLY interested in a follow up interview on this one that outlined the cost/process to build it. Gorgeous house!

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