What makes New Mexico different? Many people come to New Mexico to see the natural history preserved by the dry desert—from the high mountains formed by the very volcanoes that are in them (Valle Caldera) to the low plains, where you can still find trails forged by the wagons that explored the west. Maybe it’s the adobe-style buildings and homes used by generations of families that have proven to be a timestamp in history.

In northern New Mexico, we have another reason for people to come and visit: the Earthship community just outside of Taos, New Mexico. In the last article we touched on the history of New Mexico-style homes and how they have come about. In this month’s article I am going to talk about Earthship-style homes.

Architect Michael Reynolds has been creating off-grid homes for over 50 years. These Earthships are built by using worn-out tires, bottles, and aluminum cans to build structures unlike what most people had ever seen before. This style of home has been taking off in the last decade. It started as just a few homes being built and then something happened—more and more people became intrigued with this style of home.

Earthships use the land features and adobe style in a new form. They start by building the back walls of the home, stacking tires in a brick pattern, then the tires are filled with compacted dirt. The walls are mainly built from cans and bottles being held in place by adobe; windows are added on the south side of the homes. The windows help capture the sun’s natural heat in winter, and the back wall built with tires and soil helps keep the heat inside. This off-grid living uses solar and wind power exclusively. Throughout the home there are ventilation systems to help regulate temperature, allowing airflow in or out of the home. Building an Earthship-style home is a great way to embrace recycling and can help keep things out of the landfill. It costs $225 per square foot to have an Earthship built. It also may take you up to two years to build your own Earthship.

Keep in mind that if you are looking to sell an Earthship-style home, they tend to take longer to sell.
What else makes Earthship homes unique is that many feature exotic plants like bananas and avocado trees and grapevines (not always found in northern New Mexico!). The idea is to grow the foods you love inside to provide fully sustainable living. Some have calming fountains that embody the solitude that northern New Mexico has to offer and other Earthship water features include coy ponds throughout. One of these Earthships even landed a spot on Netflix. Many are on Airbnb and have been rented out for their unique qualities.

Be sure to take a drive around and view the many styles of homes that northern New Mexico has to offer. From the German-style homes in the Taos Ski Valley, the adobe/pueblo style homes scattered throughout Taos County, and the Earthships—just 15 miles west of Taos.

Be sure to look for me to help give friendly suggestions and prices on the current market. I am happy to help you find your unique home.