#self building

Earthships were created by Michael Reynolds, an American architect based in New Mexico who is critical of architectures insistence on sticking with traditional and conventional structures and materials. He's a fierce proponent of radical sustainability, and self-sufficiency. He built his first house using recycled materials in 1972, and in 1973 he patented a brick made from recycled beer cans wired together. He has a number of off-grid Earthship communities that he helped build over the decades, and his homes haven't been without flaw, fault or lawsuit over time. He even lost his architect and construction licence for a time due to his unconventional practice that left some homes incredibly faulty. But he's never claimed to have perfected his designs, and he evolves the materials he uses and technology incorporated with each new build, learning from mistakes.

Earthships are designed to be a completely self-sustaining ecosystem, one that meets the six human needs: Shelter, Clean Water, Food, Energy, Waste Recycling & Sewerage Treatment. Realistically, a properly functioning and run Earthship is one that mean you don't have to get anything from external sources to be happy and healthy, unless you need a replacement part. Isn't that incredible? Everything you need, in your own home, without having to pay for water or heat or electricity or even having your sewerage dealt with. Which makes my socialist heart very happy.

Your potable water (Drinking, bathing, handwashing) is collected from rain and treated in the water storage system. Grey water (Dirty water but not from the toilet) is cleaned and used for things like watering plants. Black water (That's your waste water) goes though a natural system that removes faeces (Unless you're using a composting toilet that separates your solids from your liquids) and then cleans the liquids as much as possible before safely releasing it into the environment or uses it to water plants that aren't for eating, a reed bed system is particularly popular. The sun provides your heat and electricity, along with wind if you also fit a turbine. The earth and tyres do the bulk of insulating the property, with earth helping keep it warm in the winter and cool in the summer. There's loads of things to keep things ticking perfectly, like heat exchange systems and solar accumulators. It can be as simple, or as extravagant as you like and your budget allows.

It's genuinely incredible. In the UK 50-55 million tyres are waste annually, they can't be sent to landfill, and we send most of our rubber and plastic waste overseas so it doesn't count in our carbon footprint, and it's regularly not recycled or disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. This is such a brilliant alternative use for them!

One of the homes, the Phoenix, is completely off grid and frankly stunning, even if it's not entirely to my taste. And it's for sale right now. Check it out:

It's ridiculous and wonderful and beautiful and full of weird and incredible things. And it's made of tyres and cans and bottles.

There are so many different Earthships, full of wonderful things. My favourites are the glass bottle walls. They're so beautiful.

I think you can probably understand why I love them so much, and why I want one of my own so much.

If you want better information about the entire process, these are a few links:

The Earthship Originator

Earthship Biotecture

The first and as far as I know only UK Earthship

Earthship Brighton

Earthship in Brittany featured on Grand Designs

All land and property has what is known as an existing use value – that is, a figure for what it’s worth in its current form. So a farmer might be able to sell a field for, let’s say, £10,000 an acre reflecting its use as arable land. But suppose that farmer manages to secure planning permission for new housing? Suddenly the value could rise to some £200,000 an acre plus in line with its new status as development land.

I watched Grand Designs religiously. Saw people getting plots of land and building these insane homes. Did anyone on that show build a normal house and not go wildly over budget? I dont think so. But still, there they were, year on year, showing that it could be done. That you could buy a plot of land for £10k and a firm handshake and then build your dream home. Some even had land gifted to them. I was inspired, and certain one day I'd do it too.

Turns out though, shits gotten complicated. Buying land is much harder than it used to be, and frankly its not built for self builders. You can find 16+ acre fields meant for developers, or a parking space for £10k, or maybe a garage. Sometimes someone sells part of their garden, or an awkward section of excess property. You could buy a section of woods thats protected so it cant be built on, or maybe a narrow strip of land running down a country lane no wider than a foot. But a normal plot? Not likely.

If you do find one, it normally already has planning consents and comes with the plans for a home you had no input on designing, for £200k+. At that point, after building costs, you might as well just buy a completed house. If you change the plans and reapply the entire process starts again. And thats not even the worst of it.

- Savills

Hope Value

Hope value is the value based on the expectation that land will get permission for development in the future, meaning that it is likely to be worth more. The hope value will rise as the prospect of planning permission becomes more likely, for example, if it is identified for development in the Local Plan, or if similar land is granted permission.

Overage Clause

- Designing Buildings

An overage clause is a legal clause included in property sale agreements that requires the buyer to pay the seller an additional sum if certain future events increase the value of the property. This ensures that the seller receives a fair share of any unexpected financial benefits derived from the property.

- Alexander and Co Solicitors

Both hope value & overage clauses fuck me off for the same reason. You buy the land off of someone who has no plans on developing it, and you have to pay them for value they had no hand in creating. You hire the architect and contractors, you come up with plans, you pay for the build, you take on all the risk, and you pay the previous owner extra just because you improved the land.

It annoys me that property is the only "investment" that making a loss on is considered unacceptable. Landlords, property developers, house flippers... They cannot comprehend that there is no guarantee of profit in investment and they do anything they can to extract the most profit for the least work.

All of this makes buying land and self building out of reach for most people, and that can stop people getting on the property ladder. It used to be a more affordable if not more time consuming route, provided you built a sensible house, but thats not the case anymore.

And maybe thats the point.