Matt and Kristina live in an untraditional home.
It’s called an Earthship home.
If this is your first time encountering this term, then let’s dig in deeper.
When you say Earthship home, it’s a type of passive solar home, which is mostly made from old tires and other recycled materials.
An Earthship house aims to use renewable energy sources to heat, cool, and provide power to their home.
They also ensure they don’t add to the pollution by being mindful of how they use their resources.
Kristina used to live in Seattle.
She was an instructional engineer and had experienced firsthand how the typical home created too much waste.
She wanted to change, and she started learning by taking different courses, seminars, and reading books.
When she was ready, she sold her house in Washington.
And, using the money she got from the sale, she started building her dream home – her Earthship.
She used recycled tires filled with densely packed dirt for the back wall of her house and added cob, or earth plaster.
Lime plaster was used to cover the outside of her home.
According to Kristine, when she was building her home, all the right people showed up, and that included Matt, her partner.
The first room is the “airlock” room.
This is their entry where they hang their jackets and boots, but it also serves a thermal purpose.
It separates the interior from the exterior, maintaining more consistent temperatures.
Inside the great room is where they spend most of their time.
You won’t believe this, but they keep their garden inside their house. Like, a whole garden.
Their garden runs through the floor.
It is built into the floor on the south-facing wall along the windows with a deep gravel bed that collects the water after watering to drain it into the “gray water” system Kristina has designed.
This allows her tropical plants to thrive all year long.
In their kitchen, you’ll see the regular propane stove, sink, and fridge. Everything looks like your normal kitchen.
Then they have their “throne” room.
Their throne room holds a composting toilet. The couple also has a clawfoot tub.
Kristine and Matt also toured the host in their office area which used to be the kid’s room, but since they moved out, they converted it into their own office.
There’s also a ladder going to their loft bed.
In their serene, season-oriented home, you’ll only find a washer.
This aims to conserve water and electricity. Aside from that, Kristine loves hanging their clothes outside.
You’ll find their solar-powered water heater with propane backup in their systems room.
There is also a 24-volt system of a 1.2-kilowatt panel solar room.
The home regulates its own temperature.
Matt and Kristine said they methodically planned the house. They designed its position, windows, and overhand to manage how the sunlight comes into the home.
When they were constructing the home, they dug out part of a hillside and butted the back wall of the house into it.
This insures that their home will never freeze, or even drop below 55℉, as the thermal mass of the hillside will keep the home cozy.
It also protects it from wind and earthquakes.
They catch their water.
Due to the difficulty of drilling a well in their area, they opted to go for a water catchment system.
You’d also love their beautiful garden and peaceful environment.
Together, Kristine and Matt enjoy daily chores, peaceful surroundings, and living without damaging the earth by using what we already have around us.
See how beautifully Kristina’s Earthship has held up over the years in the video below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
