This community consists of over 70 Earthships, completely off the grid, modern infrastructure and conventional ‘homes’. As you make your way down Gorge View towards one of the more unique Earthship homes, you will start noticing life everywhere. Birds, butterflies, caterpillars, humming bird moths, imperial moths, grasshoppers, rabbits, lizards, and many more greet you as you pull into the drivewa
y of the structure that will change the way you look at ‘living’. The Phoenix, an Earthship designed by Biotect Michael Reynolds, is a 5,300 sq ft, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms with a 2 story greenhouse. The Phoenix is showing people from all over the world how your home can take care of you and your family while enhancing your lives. The home is designed to keep a family of 4 sustained for extended periods of time. The greenhouse contains a variety of plants in both containers and a contained evapotranspiration (E/T) bed to help with sustaining a family including: citrus trees, fig trees, banana trees, olive trees, palm trees, angels trumpet flowers, jasmine, geraniums, hibiscus, roses, bougainvillea, spider grasses, coleus, tomatoes, okra, chard, kale, lettuces, watermelon, brussel sprouts, mint, sugar snap peas, nasturtium flowers, grapes, green chili, squash, eggplant and many more. We mentioned the thriving plants, but there are animals living at the Phoenix as well. The greenhouse residents consist of 2 cockatiels, a parakeet, Herbie the land tortoise, 2 red eared slider pond turtles, and 2 indoor ponds with goldfish and tilapia and Just outside of the greenhouse is what has been referred to as the Chicken Hilton. A mini Earthship chicken coop holds 8 chickens that produce eggs. Once you have explored the greenhouse, you notice that there is an actual house mixed into everything too. From the greenhouse you can enter into the kitchen of the East Wing of The Phoenix. A beautiful showcase of custom woodwork and sustainable/responsible building. The kitchen has all the basic amenities such as a refrigerator with freezer, gas stove, large double sink, plenty of prep room for cooking, and all the utensils you need for an excellent meal. From the kitchen you find yourself entering the main living room. As you walk in, you are taking it in from all angles, whether it is the indoor grey water planters flooding the home with lush vegetation or the fireplace complete with waterfall, you know you aren’t in any regular home. Continuing through the Earthship, a living wall of plants separates the living room and sleeping area. Originally designed to be a game room with pool table and foosball the space now has 2 beds for your sleeping pleasure. Between the sleeping area and master bedroom is the master bath. It has been described as a Dr. Seuss type bathroom and everyone agrees. The gentle curves of the tub lead your eyes to the astounding colorful bottle walls with plants hanging over and into the shower space. You can even look over the wall and into the 2 story greenhouse from the shower! From the master bathroom you move into the master bedroom, complete with king size bed. Another beautiful example of quality carpentry, the bed is built up above the floor to allow for a raised sleeping area and for an enormous walk in closet below. The West Wing of The Phoenix is a smaller suite. It contains a king sized bed with custom peacock and bottle wall headboard. The bathroom is also one of a kind with its organic shapes and forms. The tub/shower is comprised of local stones and another beautiful bottle wall popping with blues and greens. What Michael Reynolds and the Earthship Biotecture Crew have been able to accomplish with the structure is amazing. Staying true to the six principles of Earthship Biotecture: thermal heating and cooling, Solar/Wind powered, contained sewage treatment, building with natural and recycled materials, water harvesting, and food production, Earthship Biotecture has created a shining example of how we all can and should be striving to live!
