AirCrete Earth Ship Design Class
Create Your House Above-Ground or Earth-Bermed That Functions Like an Earth Ship
You are Invited to learn how to design your own earth ship like structure in every detail. Build a beautiful functional structure with all the benefits of an earth ship in home above the ground or bermed in the ground. You will gain everything you need to design your own AirCrete EarthShip with confidence. Remove the doubt and limits to a lived experience you have been eyeing for some time now.
Discover EXACTLY how and why you need to design with thermal mass and insulation both.
For decades earth ships have evolved. Their function at first was a solar oven that melted computers and baked people and brought on lawsuits. When moved into humid hot climates without the low nightly temperatures of Taos New Mexico the comfort level dropped. After years of trial and error they finally arrived back at what old wisdom always taught. Your windows angle and percent of glass matters and you must wrap thermal mass inside insulation. This is why foam board is used to wrap part of the dirt berm around the home.
Do you know why earth ships earth are bermed? Why are they wrapped in foam? What is thermal mass? How do you know I have enough thermal mass to function in my climate? How much insulation is required? What is the indoor temperature actually going to be in MY climate without air-conditioning or heating? How big does my greenhouse need to be to actually replace the grocery store? What should be planted in it? What if the the natural temperatures in you climate are not quite what I prefer?
What Makes An AirCrete Earthship Special ?
- Your House can Blend into a neighborhood without standing out. You can build housing that appears like common houses, not just adobe-look-alikes.
- OR, Your House can blend into the Earth to Maintain Harmony with Nature, and be tornado proof
- Your home can have a low cost of operation requiring no heating or cooling
- Your Home can give you a lifetime of comfort, and peace of mind
- An ecological home is respectful of the earth
- A Home that can last generations
- Low Maintenance Cost
- Well Suited for Independent Off-Grid Living with affordable solar systems
- Have every benefit an earth ship offers without getting tired of tires
- A Non-toxic chemical and mold free home with superb air quality
What Does It Cost to Build Compared to Conventional a Building - The Truth
If you've ever spent much time researching earthships you have probable come across the $250 per square foot cost estimate and have seen the labor and time cost of ramming dirt into pile of tires..
Lets start by saying the Upfront cost alone is not reason enough to build an AirCrete Earth Ship, but it is important to count the cost before you begin.
An estimated cost per square foot for an AirCrete Earth Ship (AES) is about $12.75 per square foot for the structure materials excluding appliances and finishing/furnishing, and paid labor.
An estimated cost per square foot for a conventional lumber structure with a reasonable equivalent amount of insulation to the AES is $22.28 per Square Foot.
Conventional Lumber Framed Tiny House 576 SqFt
| Component | Quantity/Area | Unit Price Range | Estimated Cost Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2x10x8 Lumber Wall & Trusses | 204 pieces | $16.62 each | $3390 |
| Exterior Siding | 800 sq ft | $2.50–$10.75/sq ft | $2,000–$8,600 |
| R-28 Insulation | 800 sq ft | $2.27–$11.25/sq ft | $1,816–$9,000 |
| Drywall Panels | 25 sheets | $16.68 each | $417 |
| Concrete | 6.5 cu yd | ~$135/cu yd | $877.50 |
| Rebar | Varies | ~$0.75/ft | ~$300 |
| R-38 Roof Insulation | 300 sq ft | ~$1.50/sq ft | $450 |
| Galvalume Roofing | 600 sq ft | $1.50–$2.50/sq ft | $900–$1,500 |
Windows 3x5
7
$200
$1400
* Misc Hardware, screws, and wood glue ect not accounted for
$12,834
AirCrete Earth Ship Tiny House 576 SqFt
Component
Foundation Cement
Portland Cement
Gravel
Sand
Rebar #3
Stucco Wire
Utility Stock Panel
3x5 Windows
Clay Soil
Vinyl Roof Tarp
Quantity/Area
7 yards
120 bags
5 yards
3.5 yards
200
780 SqFt
6
7
3 yards
2
Unit Price
$135
$17.90
$55
$35 Yd
$7
0.26 SqFt
$72
$200
45
138
Cost
$945
$2,248
$275
$122
$1400
$200
$432
$1400
$135
$276
$7344
Now the Rest of the Cost Typically NOT Counted
The 30 year operating cost of the Air Conditioner alone in a Conventional 576 Square Foot tiny house is $18,359 ($31.87 Per Square Foot) including energy and replacement of the Air Conditioner. The energy generation for Air Conditioner unit alone will pump out 30.25 tons of carbon dioxide into the air via the power plant and your money will enable "evil-corp" to continue to pillage nature an pollute our future children's environment. PLUS there is an ongoing maintenance cost associated with normal housing of about $23.00 to $42.00 per sq ft. or another $13,240 in our example tiny house. So ignoring the ecological damage of the power plant a normal structure of this size will cost you $44,433 to build and maintain over its lifetime.
A Passive AirCrete Earth Ship Structure does not pollute the earth, pumping out carbon because of energy requirements to maintain comfort. For me the security of knowing my comfort is guaranteed without support form the grid is an amazing freeing and priceless! Now add to that the fact that its mostly maintenance cost free such a home could cost just $7700 dollars over 30 years..
SAVING 82.66%
Also, because the cost of solar power and batteries can be a bit high to get set up the AirCrete EarthShip makes it much more practical to live off the power grid without a 10-50 thousand dollar solar system. Adding water catchment and gray water planters is easy to do also.
NEXT LIVE CLASS
Become One of the First People to be a Certified AirCrete EarthShip Designer!
Live Class: Ask Questions, Get Feedback.
Learn how to determine the correct and exact amount of thermal mass and insulation to achieve the best results and the best performance at the best price point in your climate.
CLASS SYLLABUS / OUTLINE
- What is the AirCrete EarthShip
- Over view of Original Earth Ships
- What is Thermal Mass & What Options Do We Have
- What is Insulation
- How to measure AirCrete's Insulation Qualities
- How Thermal Mass and Insulation work together to achieve comfort
- Active VS Passive Systems for Comfort
- Comfort for all the Climates & what it Actually Requires
- Hybrid Systems and when some Technology is Appropriate
- Types and Methods of Solar Heating
- Types and methods of Solar Cooling
- Climates: when passive is not possible or its expensive
- New AirCrete Formulas
- Cast Earth Formulas
- All Natural Earthen Material -Vs- Improved or Stabilized
- How to fix Imperfect Soil
- Above Ground -VS- Bermed -VS- Underground and avoiding mistakes
- Layers of the AirCrete EarthShips
- Site Layout and Design
- Roofs: Truss & Sheetmetal, Ferro-Cement, Cement Beam, Wood Beam
- Heat Load, Insulation, and Thermal Mass Math and how to get it done without doing the math.
- Form and Function, a path to design clarity
- Design Project - Walkthrough designing, building material list, and pricing an above ground AirCrete EarthShip Tiny House for a specific climate.
- Q&A Ask Questions, get clarification
- *OPTIONAL Certification - Turn in your completed design for review to demonstrate proficiency and get a certificate of AirCrete EarthShip design. Your certificate will be listed on our webpage also. *$25 additional fee applies