Plans & Designs
Earthship Eco Homes has a range of designs that can be evolved to suit your needs, or a completely new design can be created for you.
All the designs use the six Earthship Design Principles developed by Michael Reynolds (earthship inventor/architect from the USA). The designs have been developed to ensure they address Australian building codes, standards, climate, termites, bushfires, energy efficiency, etc.
Earthship Design Principles
Earthship Eco Homes has designs suited to:
Earthship Eco Homes has developed a range of wall construction options.
Wall construction materials can be changed to your taste. Some people are concerned about the use of tyres in Earthship walls and would prefer something different. We are sure that tyres are a safe, ecological and economical construction material, but acknowledge that other options have their own advantages in certain situations, hence we have developed a range of options for the main (retaining) wall that is fundamental to Earthship design.
External (retaining) wall options:
Internal wall construction options:
All the designs use the six Earthship Design Principles developed by Michael Reynolds (earthship inventor/architect from the USA). The designs have been developed to ensure they address Australian building codes, standards, climate, termites, bushfires, energy efficiency, etc.
Earthship Design Principles
- Natural and recycled construction materials are used as much as practical
- Natural heating and cooling - minimal (or zero) heating and cooling required - these homes have comfortable indoor temperature naturally
- Renewable energy - because these homes need only minimal heating/cooling the off-grid energy system is small in comparison to a regular home.
- Renewable water - collecting, storing, filtering and pressurising rain water
- On-site wastewater recycling and treatment - the indoor greywater wicking bed gardens are where wastewater is transformed into... bananas (and other delicious fruit). A septic tank and leach field deals upcycles blackwater from the toilet and kitchen sink for irrigation of gardens.
- Food production occurs in the sunroom... everytime you take a shower, your wastewater flows into the indoor garden to irrigate food and flowers.
Earthship Eco Homes has designs suited to:
- small suburban blocks of land
- larger, rural blocks of land
- bushfire prone land
- sites with views to the south, east or west (note: in Australia, Earthships must face roughly north)
Earthship Eco Homes has developed a range of wall construction options.
Wall construction materials can be changed to your taste. Some people are concerned about the use of tyres in Earthship walls and would prefer something different. We are sure that tyres are a safe, ecological and economical construction material, but acknowledge that other options have their own advantages in certain situations, hence we have developed a range of options for the main (retaining) wall that is fundamental to Earthship design.
External (retaining) wall options:
- Tyres (filled with compacted earth and rendered so you can't see the tyres)
- Rammed Earth
- Super adobe (sandbags)
- Concrete block (with render to hide the blocks)
- Pre-fabricated concrete panels (lifted into place with a crane)
Internal wall construction options:
- "Can walls" (aluminium cans in cement or earth mortar)
- "Bottle walls" (glass bottle bricks in cement or earth mortar)
- Strawbale
- Straw panel e.g. Durra Panel
- Mud brick
- Rammed earth
- Compressed earth blocks
- Cob
- Light earth
- Hempcrete
- Super adobe (sandbags)
- Timber framed with plasterboard (Gyprock)
- Brick
Standard Designs
The Standard Designs have evolved from the first projects in Australia. Indicative areas, timings and costs are provided below.
Please understand that every site and every project has different factors affecting the time, cost etc however these figures will give you an idea of what to expect. Construction cost quoted is for an owner-builder and construction workshops. If you don't want to be an owner builder, add 25-30% for the licensed builder's margin.
Please understand that every site and every project has different factors affecting the time, cost etc however these figures will give you an idea of what to expect. Construction cost quoted is for an owner-builder and construction workshops. If you don't want to be an owner builder, add 25-30% for the licensed builder's margin.
EarthBnB
EarthBnB is a tiny home for 1 or 2 people, or as tourist accommodation. It is optimised for bushfire resilience, and fast construction.
- Floor area: 40-50m2 (variations of the standard floor plan are available)
- Area required for building: 25m (east west dimension) x 20m (north south dimension)
- Approval time: 9 months
- Construction time: 3 months
- Owner built Construction cost approx: $250K
Zero
Earthship Zero is designed for ultimate performance. Based on some of Michael Reynolds' most efficient designs, this Australian version has been prototyped at Earthship East Augusta with amazing results - super stable indoor temperatures with zero heating and cooling energy required! Outdoor entertaining areas are included in the design or can be left out to save money/space etc. Also refer to the Mollongghip VIC project to see a 2 bedroom Zero under construction by owner-builders.
- Floor area: 125m2 (1 bed, 1 bath) 150m2 (2 bed, 2 bath) (variations of the standard floor plan are available)
- Area required for building: 35m (1 bed), 40m (2 bed) (east west dimension) x 20m (north south dimension)
- Approval time: 9-12 months
- Construction time: 3+ months
- Owner built Construction cost approx: $300 (1 bed) -400K (2 bed)
Bushfire Family
The Bushfire Family design was developed to be highly resilient and highly defendable against bushfires. It is earth-sheltered and earth-covered which means earth is mounded against the walls and there is a thick layer of earth over the roof. It is essentially an underground house. It also has bushfire shutters on all the windows and doors and a sprinkler system that creates a mist of water around the building to keep it cool and protected during a bushfire.
- Floor area: 200-250m2 (variations of the standard floor plan are available)
- Area required for building: 40m-45m (east west dimension) x 20m (north south dimension)
- Approval time: 9-12 months
- Construction time: 12+ months
- Construction cost approx: $900K
Suburban
The Suburban Earthship is designed to fit on a 30m x 30m (900m2) block of land. It has strawbale walls at the east and west ends of the building plus the typical Earthship tyre wall to the south, greenhouse to the north.
- Floor area: 130m2
- Area required for building: 25m (east west dimension) x 20m (north south dimension)
- Approval time: 9-12 months
- Construction time: 6+ months
- Owner built Construction cost approx: $350K
Suburban MB
The Suburban MB (mini berm)
This Earthship is designed to fit on a north facing suburban block of land. A smaller than usual earth berm (earth mound) enables small south facing windows to admit extra light and cross ventilation - recommended for sub-tropical climates.
This Earthship is designed to fit on a north facing suburban block of land. A smaller than usual earth berm (earth mound) enables small south facing windows to admit extra light and cross ventilation - recommended for sub-tropical climates.
- Floor area: 117m2
- Area required for building: 25m (east west dimension) x 15m (north south dimension)
- Approval time: 9-12 months
- Construction time: 12+ months
- Owner built Construction cost approx: $450K
Vista
Earthship Vista is designed to provide views to the south, east and west via a strawbale "wing" which enables windows to be positioned to get the views. Strawbale walls provide excellent insulation, are ecological and economical, and (surprisingly) bushfire resilient.
- Floor area: 187m2
- Area required for building: 42m (east west dimension) x 25m (north south dimension)
- Approval time: 9-12 months
- Construction time: 12+ months
- Owner built Construction cost approx: $650K
TropoMod
TropoMod is designed for the hot and humid tropics of far North Queensland. It is a modular design that is very easy to replicate and link together to form a larger home or eco-tourism, bnb type situation. For more info click HERE
StrawShip
The StrawShip is an Earthship but without the typical earth bermed tyre retaining walls. Strawbale walls provide excellent insulation, are ecological and economical, and are bushfire resilient as demonstrated by CSIRO testing.