As a kid Steve Rees played in caves and learned how the earth could cool. As an adult, he buried two shipping containers and created an off-grid retirement home for himself and his wife Shirley.
This home in Northern California cost Steve and his family $30,000, solar included, and their 640-square-foot space cost them less than $50 per square foot. They accomplished this by hiring an excavator and doing most of the work themselves.
Oh, and they haven’t had any city water or electric bills since 2002. Their well is powered with solar, and a bit of propane and solar tubes give them most of their light.
As Kirsten Dirksen shares, “Winter temperatures in their home (even during 20 degrees outside) never fall below 62 degrees (an RV catalytic heater is sufficient for heating). Even when the temperature rises to 110 outside in the summer, their home has never risen above 82 degrees.”
Check out the video tour! What do you think?
If you want to learn more about shipping container homes, check out this free shipping container shelter guide by my friend Dan Carpenter at The Daily Prep.
Also check out the Earth-Sheltered homes entry in the Self-Reliance Catalog for three more case studies of earth-sheltered homes.
Original story here.
