So you want an Earthship...
Earthship Ironbank (designed by Martin Freney of Earthship Eco Homes) has demonstrated that tyre walls (without footings!) are compliant with the National Construction Code (NCC).
The Earthship greywater system is not permissible in South Australia but this doesn't stop you from including the usual indoor planter and extra plumbing so that in future, when the laws change, you can easily convert to greywater irrigation. And of course you can still use wastewater for outdoor irrigation - that's OK even in SA.
There is no law against solar power and batteries.
And there is no law against collecting rain water (not in Australia anyway).
Therefore, we can build Earthships in Australia!
Your first step should be emailing me with some thoughts on the following issues;
1) find land: ideally north facing slope or flat block of land (minimal slope), without electricity, water or sewer (this will make the land cheaper). Due to them taking up a lot of space with the earthberm they may not be permitted in suburbia but if you have a large block of land, and the planning laws of your council will permit an "earth sheltered" home, then there should be no reason for Council to decline your Earthship proposal. Just ask your friendly Council Planning Officer about earth sheltered homes. A minimum recommended block size is approx 20m north/south by 45m east/west. Smaller is possible but some compromises will be necessary.
2) raise funds: you need to budget about $1500-$2500 per square metre to construct your Earthship - it depends on your resourcefulness with salvaging materials and how much labour you put in yourself. Hence a 150m2 three bedroom home will be $225-$375K. If you have a limited budget, the best way to save money is to make your home small and efficient... you can always make it bigger later, if you really need to; Earthships can be designed to be easily extendable. Unless you are very resourceful you will not save much money on the construction cost of your Earthship.
3) you need permission: this is where Earthship Eco Homes comes in, creating the plans you will need for approval. Or, if you buy plans from Earthship Biotecture then Earthship Eco Homes can assist with advice regarding how to gain permission for approval via a network of professionals: engineers, energy assessors, and building certifiers. Design, engineering and approval will cost a total of about $10K for a smaller Earthship (e.g. 1 bedroom) up to $30K for a large earthship (4-5 bedrooms). This is normal for any custom designed home; a rule of thumb that architects use is that 10% of the build cost is the architect's fee. (Note: for more information on construction costs see the More Information section below).
The Earthship greywater system is not permissible in South Australia but this doesn't stop you from including the usual indoor planter and extra plumbing so that in future, when the laws change, you can easily convert to greywater irrigation. And of course you can still use wastewater for outdoor irrigation - that's OK even in SA.
There is no law against solar power and batteries.
And there is no law against collecting rain water (not in Australia anyway).
Therefore, we can build Earthships in Australia!
Your first step should be emailing me with some thoughts on the following issues;
1) find land: ideally north facing slope or flat block of land (minimal slope), without electricity, water or sewer (this will make the land cheaper). Due to them taking up a lot of space with the earthberm they may not be permitted in suburbia but if you have a large block of land, and the planning laws of your council will permit an "earth sheltered" home, then there should be no reason for Council to decline your Earthship proposal. Just ask your friendly Council Planning Officer about earth sheltered homes. A minimum recommended block size is approx 20m north/south by 45m east/west. Smaller is possible but some compromises will be necessary.
2) raise funds: you need to budget about $1500-$2500 per square metre to construct your Earthship - it depends on your resourcefulness with salvaging materials and how much labour you put in yourself. Hence a 150m2 three bedroom home will be $225-$375K. If you have a limited budget, the best way to save money is to make your home small and efficient... you can always make it bigger later, if you really need to; Earthships can be designed to be easily extendable. Unless you are very resourceful you will not save much money on the construction cost of your Earthship.
3) you need permission: this is where Earthship Eco Homes comes in, creating the plans you will need for approval. Or, if you buy plans from Earthship Biotecture then Earthship Eco Homes can assist with advice regarding how to gain permission for approval via a network of professionals: engineers, energy assessors, and building certifiers. Design, engineering and approval will cost a total of about $10K for a smaller Earthship (e.g. 1 bedroom) up to $30K for a large earthship (4-5 bedrooms). This is normal for any custom designed home; a rule of thumb that architects use is that 10% of the build cost is the architect's fee. (Note: for more information on construction costs see the More Information section below).
How to build an Earthship...
You can use a combination of these methods:
At the moment it might be difficult to find a licensed builder who has the Earthship know how... but there are a few I know of who can help. In particular Sam Tregenza of Earth n Tyre can build tyre walls at a competitive rate using pneumatic rammers.
Otherwise you can Owner Build. Usually all it takes is a short course (or simply some fees) to become an owner-builder. Part of the beauty of the Earthship is the simplicity of the construction methods: tyre pounding, bottle and can walls, rendering. However there are plenty of conventional construction methods so you'll be needing the usual trades: plumber, electrician, carpenter, joiner, tiler etc.
Or you can get Earthship Biotecture to run an "Academy" (educational event) in which the labour to build your Earthship comes for free - but there are some expenses in terms of running the Academy. An Academy tends to save time not money. You'll get your Earthship built quickly and get lots of media attention. If you want to do this it is important to purchase plans from Earthship Biotecture.
Or run your own "workshop" - invite friends, family and everyone(!) to come help build your ship - that's how Earthship Ironbank was built! Earthship Australia, Agari Farm or Earthship Ironbank can help.
At the moment it might be difficult to find a licensed builder who has the Earthship know how... but there are a few I know of who can help. In particular Sam Tregenza of Earth n Tyre can build tyre walls at a competitive rate using pneumatic rammers.
Otherwise you can Owner Build. Usually all it takes is a short course (or simply some fees) to become an owner-builder. Part of the beauty of the Earthship is the simplicity of the construction methods: tyre pounding, bottle and can walls, rendering. However there are plenty of conventional construction methods so you'll be needing the usual trades: plumber, electrician, carpenter, joiner, tiler etc.
Or you can get Earthship Biotecture to run an "Academy" (educational event) in which the labour to build your Earthship comes for free - but there are some expenses in terms of running the Academy. An Academy tends to save time not money. You'll get your Earthship built quickly and get lots of media attention. If you want to do this it is important to purchase plans from Earthship Biotecture.
Or run your own "workshop" - invite friends, family and everyone(!) to come help build your ship - that's how Earthship Ironbank was built! Earthship Australia, Agari Farm or Earthship Ironbank can help.
If you want plans...
Consider if you want to get plans from Earthship Biotecture, me or another designer/architect. Either way, please get in touch with me as I am happy to chat with you about your project.
My process is in five stages:
If you decide to get plans from Earthship Biotecture and you want me to act as a consultant I will discuss my consultancy fees with Earthship Biotecture and with you and email you a quote.
I work with a small team of professional designers/engineers/assessors who I recommend for other design services such as:
structural engineering, wastewater engineering, energy assessment. Please see my Q&A page for more info about their fees.
My process is in five stages:
- 1. Initial consultation Site Visit - $150 for one hour discussion, explanation etc to establish a very basic design brief.
- 2. Site Visit - $500 plus all travel expenses.
- 3. Concept Design - $3000* to develop a variety of concepts for floor plans and elevations. Includes basic site plan.
- 4. Planning Approval Drawings - $4000* to create a set of drawings for submission to Council/Shire for Planning Approval/Planning Consent.
- 5. Building Approval Drawings - $5000* to create a set of drawings for submission to Council/Shire for Building Approval/Building Consent.
- TOTAL $12,650*
If you decide to get plans from Earthship Biotecture and you want me to act as a consultant I will discuss my consultancy fees with Earthship Biotecture and with you and email you a quote.
I work with a small team of professional designers/engineers/assessors who I recommend for other design services such as:
structural engineering, wastewater engineering, energy assessment. Please see my Q&A page for more info about their fees.
More Information...
Please visit my Q&A page on the Earthship Ironbank website - this provides more information about many of the topics discussed on this page.