World-famous earthship is for sale in the New Mexico desert. But what exactly is it?
Usually, when someone mentions the word “ship,” your mind either zooms to “space” or whatever your favorite couple is going to do in a new Hulu series you’re binge watching. But when combined with the word “earth,” it takes on a new meaning.
An earthship is a house that’s sometimes cloaked in part of the scenery (have you ever had to give a once over of your roof with a lawnmower?) and made of recycled goods such as cans, bottles, adobe, and more earth-friendly materials, The Spruce reports.
“When combined correctly, these recycled and locally sourced materials create thermal mass, naturally regulating the internal temperature of the home without conventional heating and cooling technologies,” The Spruce reports. “Oftentimes, these structures are built partly into the ground and sometimes underground to further regulate their internal temperatures.”
Like this one on the real estate market in Tres Piedras, New Mexico, for $825,000, which is no ordinary earthship — but one that’s world famous.
“As featured on Netflix, international television and social media, among the pages of Forbes and AirBnB magazine and many others, Vallecitos is the luxury crown and pinnacle of Mike Reynolds 50+ years of Earthship evolution,” the listing on Realtor.com says.
The creator of the earthship concept, Reynolds came up with the idea after watching “news stories about the problem of trash and the lack of affordable housing,” Earthship.com notes.
This particular environment-friendly two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 2,700-square-foot residence has an abundance of features needed to be comfortable and, well, to survive:
Two-car garage
Food producing garden
Koi pond
Japanese floating cedar deck
Panoramic barrel sauna
Open concept floor plan
High ceilings
20-foot bottle wall
The home is part of an “earthship community” that is off-grid.
Tres Piedras is about 80 miles north of Santa Fe.
This story was originally published January 9, 2024 at 9:52 AM with the headline "World-famous earthship is for sale in the New Mexico desert. But what exactly is it?."