15 Earth Homes • Insteading (2024)

Some earth homestake advantage of something called thermal mass, which basically means that the mass of a structure has some capacity to store heat. So the mass of a home can stay at a more constant temperature than temperatures outside the home due to the presence and absence of sunlight in a 24-hour period. Obviously, night temperatures are the lowest and the hottest are usually around noon. Daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations are smoothed out by the thermal mass effect, if a structure is built to employ it. Walls in earth homes can be both thicker and denser to achieve thermal mass.

15 Cool Earth Homes

15 Earth Homes • Insteading (1)

This home(pictured below) has been built with many windows to collect sunlight as a way of heating it. It is also built partially into the ground to take advantage of the natural warmth of the soil, which is clearly going to be warmer at times than the air around it, depending on weather conditions and the season. During hot summer days it will also be cooler than the outside air.

15 Earth Homes • Insteading (2)

On summer days, the windows can be covered to block out the sun’s rays, if interior temperatures get too hot.

Earth homes are often built to be off the grid or mostly so — they can typically function independently. They are oftenbuilt of local, natural, or recycled material. The aesthetic is unique if not entirely original, and for some it is a welcome relief from the generic look of suburban home design.This is to say, because they are often also built by the owners, their appearances can be the result of some degree of self-expression.

To some, they may appear ‘odd’ or ‘weird,’ but others may see them as charming, or intriguing.This home(pictured below) was built in the 1970s using soft drink and beer cans in New Mexico.

15 Earth Homes • Insteading (3)

An Icelandic turf home(pictured below) is another type ofearth home that has been around in various forms for thousands of years, because they are simple and efficient.

15 Earth Homes • Insteading (4)

Here is an assembly of larger structures (pictured below).This structure is not a home, but it uses the earth as a protector against temperature fluctuations.

15 Earth Homes • Insteading (5)

This unique and pristine-looking structure was built by Peter Vetch in Switzerland.Here is another one using a similar approach and material (pictured at the top of the article).Vetch is an architect who was designed and built about 47 such structures in a number of countries.They are made with sprayed concrete over shell-like structures and do not employ right angles.

15 Earth Homes • Insteading (6)

This earth structure has a much more conventional appearance but still has some greenery added in.

A smaller number of these have been built, but with success. Energy savings have been claimed to be 85% over a non-earth home.

We might expect an earth house to be in the ground or partially covered by it, but this structure(pictured below)wasbuilt in 19th century Germany of rammed earth, which is a technique that uses packed soil. (Technically, this is not an earth house.)Building a rammed earth home might seem ‘new,’ but this style of building has been around for a long time. If done correctly, rammed earth homes can be very strong and long lasting. The walls of packed earth blocks tend to be very thick, so the structure is well-insulated from outside temperatures and sounds.

15 Earth Homes • Insteading (7)

However, though a standalone rammed earth house is literally made of soil, it wouldn’t be considered an earth house, because it isn’t built into the ground. This one is anearth sheltered structure.

Building a home in the ground makes sense because soil provides a layer of insulation, whichmakes the home more energy-efficient. In some cases, a thin layer of soil and grass is used tocover the top or part of it.

The main point of building earth houses is that they are more environmentally ecologically friendly. Also, because of their energy efficiency and use of recycled or available, cheap materials, they can be cheaper to construct and own.

Another aspect is that they can be built to fit into natural landscapes without disrupting them as much. Rainwater collection, passive solar heating, thermal mass energy-efficiency, in-ground insulation, and even solar power are all key components.

Conventional homes might use chemicals in their construction that aren’t the healthiest for some people, so building an earth house might prove a better option for them. When you construct one, you have control over the materials that are used.

Because they are located mostly or partly underground usually, earth homes can have high humidity levels inside, so proper ventilation is needed to prevent mold and mildew.

This style of home might also appeal to a person who was concerned about nuclear radiation fallout, because the layer of soil above and around them offers some protection.

Like forbuildingany home, costs can vary depending on a number of factors — mainly the size.There are examples of earth houses costing $5,000, if you are willing to do a lot of the labor yourself.

The low-cost and flexibility to build your own home make the prospect of creating an earth house exciting. Also, over time, you will likely save money — if not a lot — because your energy consumption will probably be quite a bit lower. Earth homes also tend to be smaller, so they don’t need as much energy.

The average cost of building a new 2,500 sq. foot home in the United States is almost $300,000.The issue is not only the high cost, but the fact the mortgage might be 30 years, and who really wants to work for several decades to pay off a home?

So, you might say, building an earth house is not only about the practical, physical considerations — it may better fit a particular kind of lifestyle, which is more independent.In fact, some research has shown that putting time above money is linked to greater happiness.

If you don’t have to work to pay a large mortgage, you then will have more options for the kind of work you do and how much time you need to spend doing it.Earth-sheltered homes are covered on the sides and roof with soil and sometimes grass. Earth-bermed homes are covered on the sides with soil or rocks, but the roofs are not covered.

Here are a number of examples of earth or more eco-friendly homes.

Earth sheltered house, UK

Bermed house, NREL

Dune House, Florida

Sheltered House, Iceland

The Earth House

Earth Lodge, Native American

Sod homes in America had walls four feet thick

Georgia Earth House

Eco Cave House

Of course, there are many examples of such homes, but they don’t have to be considered ‘weird’ or by any other pejorative labels.

Image Credits: Archi0780(GNU Free Documentation License andCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license); Biodiesel33 (CC BY-SA 3.0 license); David Hiser (Public Domain); Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0); Chris 73 (CC BY-SA 3.0); Archi0780(GNU Free Documentation License andCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license); Elias Grove (CC BY 3.0 license).

15 Earth Homes • Insteading (2024)

FAQs

Is there enough room on Earth? ›

The land surface area of the Earth is about 150 million square kilometers, or 150,000 billion square meters. The population of the Earth is about 7.5 billion people. Therefore each person could be allocated about 20,000 square meters. This is about 2 hectares, or about 5 acres.

How big are mansions? ›

In the U.S., most real estate specialists consider a home to be a mansion at or above 8,000 square feet in size. Historically speaking, a mansion would be a home of about 5,000 square feet or above. While a mansion's size matters, the kinds of amenities and features remain equally important.

How much space would all 8 billion people take up? ›

Converting the 6.7 billion square metres to square miles means it would require roughly 2582.55 square miles to fit in 8 billion people. Finding the square root of 2582.55 reveals the length of the side of the square, which is just over 50.8 miles.

Is there a limit of space? ›

They also calculate it by the sound wave which come from large distance. By this they just calculating or knowing its area by hypothetical means. But not its limit. Space is limitless.

How big is a million dollar house? ›

But in the four-county Southern California region, a typical $1 million home came with a median 1,887 square feet vs. 2,528 nationally. That's no mansion and its one-quarter less living space than what the typical U.S. buyer got for the same price.

How big is a McMansion? ›

Most McMansions have a square footage ranging between 3,000 and 5,000. Owning any home at that size is not a cheap endeavor, and these homeowners often face extremely high utility bills and expensive landscaping costs. These supersized houses also have a sizable impact on the environment.

Is 5000 sq ft a mansion? ›

The typical real estate definition of a mansion is a home that offers at least 5,000 square feet of space and at least five to six bedrooms. Mansions typically sit on small acreage (homes set on vast amounts of land are considered estates).

What is the max occupancy of Earth? ›

Therefore, the most widely accepted estimate for human carrying capacity of Earth is around 8 billion people (at current consumption rates).

How much habitable space is on Earth? ›

According to Our World in Data, about 71% of the Earth's total land surface is habitable, with the rest being glaciers (10%) and barren land (19%). This habitable land includes forests, grasslands, shrublands, and built-up urban areas.

How big would the world population fit? ›

So, with only room enough for each person to spin around with their arms extended, the entire human population could mathematically fit in an area the size of the largest island in the Hawaiian island chain, the Island of Hawai'i (10,430 km2)!

How much of space is empty? ›

So all of the matter in the universe would fit into about 1 billion cubic light years, or a cube that's approximately 1,000 light years on each side. That means that only about 0.0000000000000000000042 percent of the universe contains any matter. The universe is a pretty empty place!

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Nathanial Hackett

Last Updated:

Views: 6314

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (72 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Nathanial Hackett

Birthday: 1997-10-09

Address: Apt. 935 264 Abshire Canyon, South Nerissachester, NM 01800

Phone: +9752624861224

Job: Forward Technology Assistant

Hobby: Listening to music, Shopping, Vacation, Baton twirling, Flower arranging, Blacksmithing, Do it yourself

Introduction: My name is Nathanial Hackett, I am a lovely, curious, smiling, lively, thoughtful, courageous, lively person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.