10 Great Alternative Housing Ideas PLUS Loads of Inspiring Examples, Pros & Cons and More!

In this video we’ve rounded up 10 alternative housing ideas, including Earthships, float homes, natural buildings, tiny houses, and more. Plus we share some pros and cons about each one.
We’ve been exploring and filming alternative homes for close to 10 years now and we’ve seen hundreds of incredible and unique spaces, so we have a lot to share!
We just want to quickly mention that “alternative housing” for us is anything that’s a little bit different. For example it might be a different building technique, material, or size.
It’s also important to know that alternative housing is often off the beaten path and the housing options might not be possible everywhere, or work for every budget or climate, so it’s important to do lots of research before jumping into anything head first.
There are so many different places and different ways to live in this world, that it can be a bit overwhelming to choose just one. Some good advice we got during our exploring is that it’s helpful to get clear on what the main goal is, whether it’s affordability, personal health, environmental sustainability, quality of life, etc. and then use that knowledge as a guide.
All of the homes and spaces in this video have a full-length video on the Exploring Alternatives KZbin channel. We've included categorized playlists below to make it easier to track down any alternative homes that catch your eye in the video!
Thanks for watching :)
PLAYLISTS
1 - Tiny Houses on Wheels
• Tiny Houses
2 - Yurts
• Yurt Life
3 - Boats
• Boat Life
4 - Shipping Container Homes
• Shipping Container Hom...
5 - Float Homes
• Float Homes
6 - Earthships
• Earthships
7 - Natural Buildings
• Green & Alternative Bu...
8 - Passive Houses
• Passive Houses
9 - Converted Vehicles and Trailers
• Van Life
• RV Life
10 - Small Spaces
• Small Apartment Tours
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STAY IN TOUCH!
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Website: www.exploringalternatives.ca
Facebook: / exploringalternativesblog
Instagram: / exploringalternatives
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COMMENTS
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We want our channel and comments section to be an inclusive space where everyone feels welcome to watch and contribute. For this reason, inappropriate or hateful comments will be reported and/or deleted.
Please discuss and debate respectfully, and report inappropriate or hateful comments directly to KZbin.
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CREDITS
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Music Credit: Exploring Alternatives
Editing Credit: Exploring Alternatives
Filming Credit: Exploring Alternatives*
*Except 2 narrowboat clips which were filmed by Inspired by Nature on KZbin
#alternativehousing #alternativehousingideas #alternativeliving

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thank you for watching! Here are alllll the PLAYLISTS we mentioned in the video in case you want to track down a specific home from the video :) 1 - Tiny Houses on Wheels kzbin.info/aero/PLslKBpzJILesvfcdBQ8tIEKUtfbB3pEJ- 2 - Yurts kzbin.info/aero/PLslKBpzJILetboDH-ivMD-t6zNFkapGkf 3 - Boats kzbin.info/aero/PLslKBpzJILetUHeNcqZKglBNIVaQ0DxFt 4 - Shipping Container Homes kzbin.info/aero/PLslKBpzJILetNxYydLx7v2y1xdSCU-hkK 5 - Float Homes kzbin.info/aero/PLslKBpzJILevhKRQ6Ji9KD17NuiPqCd6- 6 - Earthships kzbin.info/aero/PLslKBpzJILeszhgpmnHfNQwoRgAcXYBXr 7 - Natural Buildings kzbin.info/aero/PLslKBpzJILetk0gaWu1W-71ltTRMBjpNi 8 - Passive Houses kzbin.info/aero/PLslKBpzJILet6Jy5pF39nfPCVQV4gvS0A 9 - Converted Vehicles and Trailers kzbin.info/aero/PLslKBpzJILet9KTmTTC4tMEVxLSqxizVU kzbin.info/aero/PLslKBpzJILetb4rIo48-6kgYtD0xDtc5E 10 - Small Spaces kzbin.info/aero/PLslKBpzJILevVJMNtIPfMq66QdLpFbuTV

[@Ian-Bell]

Where can I get more info on the Yurt at 3:28 on your video, please?

[@carlyoung1435]

My favorite has always been the girl that built a two story cob house. It just feels so welcoming and cozy.

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Yes! That's one of our all time favourites too! She was such an amazing person and the home she built was a work of art. Thanks for checking out the video :)

[@skylarkkralyks4496]

I remember the family building their house one room at a time with earthbags. Each kid was responsible for directing how their bedroom was built. While I don't want to live in an earthbag structure, I would love to stay in one on vacation and hope that becomes more of a thing soon.

[@lorirugato6463]

I would love an Earthship or Tiny house on wheels ❤ but have to admit they all are Amazing!

[@segundacuenta726]

Great summary! Very concise and clear. Well done.

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching :)

[@elenitourlotoudesousabrito8971]

Great compilation.

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks so much :)

[@carolewarner101]

Have thoroughly enjoyed your channel for years now! Hope you are both happy and doing really well.

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thanks for being with us all these years Carole! All the best to you :)

[@argentonomad]

My dream would be to build an Earthship, I think they are the most efficient type of housing on this list.

[@terryboyle]

love your work, please keep these videos coming. Truly inspiring!

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thank you! Will do! 😊

[@Ghost2743]

Natural Building! It's cob/strawbale all the way for me when I move to the USCentralHardwoods ("Ozarks"). It's too affordable, efficient, malleable, and beautiful to deny imho. Stone footing on a rubble trench with some round timbers, counters and those deep cob/strawbale window sills all live-edge, I mean come oooon. 😅

[@tabitha-sk5kc]

I agree! I wish it was easier to find builders who were familiar with these techniques.

[@More_Row]

Inspiration is cool.

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thanks, happy you enjoyed this video :)

[@skipperson4077]

I'd love to see some struggling liberal arts college convert to a 4-5 year construction skills/project management program that left students not only with a degree but also a mobile home and a bunch of employable construction and craft skills.

[@ramonarichardson7904]

Adobe homes!!! Born and raised here in the Southwest. Taking Native American skills and ingenuity, Adobe (similar to Cob housing ideas), is so much more sustainable than any other building materials. Keeps you cool in the intense Southwest heat - we have very little pollution, so crystal clear blue skies and the sun, makes for cooling to be essential. Adobe keeps you warm when the vice-versa is true to really cold at night (desert nighttime dropping temperatures) or seasonal winter temperatures. Adobe truly is an ingenious natural building material and makes for gorgeous living spaces inside & out! ❤

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Ohh thanks for sharing! We haven’t had a chance to visit an adobe home. Adding it to our list of ideas 😍 thank you!

[@andiea5743]

Fantastic video and thank you for the links! The yurts really speak to me. Earthships would be my second choice. I would love to have seen a segment on domes.

[@ExploringAlternatives]

You're very welcome, thanks for your comment and for your idea! We're gonna try to see if we can find some interesting domes to feature in the future :)

[@WanderingKenn]

It was great to revisit some of the fascinating dwellings you've featured over the years. Thank you.

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thanks so much! We also enjoyed going through all the footage and seeing the amazing places we visited over the past 9 years!

[@cathylynnpietranton]

Thank you Matt and Danielle as always.❤❤

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thanks for watching! Have a great day :)

[@WillowsGreenPermaculture]

What a fantastic idea for a video after 10 years of doing all of these videos! 😊

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thanks you two 🥰

[@WillowsGreenPermaculture]

You're welcome!@@ExploringAlternatives

[@Romualdomgn84]

Thank you for this informative video

[@renegadepermaculture]

Geodomes, when done right, can be an excellent and economical option too! (under small space category I suppose :)

[@skipperson4077]

Great video, housing is most people's number one cost and a big problem worldwide. I'd add Quonset Huts, geodesic domes, building out various indigenous design/s and tents, repurposing from the local dump, trailers and pre-fabricated. The answers are out there...

[@allegrosotto2126]

Yes, it’s the and councils that are difficult.

[@-htl-]

I missed one that you did cover in your episodes. To live in a community/park, or holiday park. I had such an experience and it is especially in the summer it is if you are on vacation every day as soon as you enter the park coming back from work all tensions fall of your shoulders. Especially if there is also an element of holiday guests. There is nature, there is social life, it is brilliant. A shame that a job pushed me out to go elsewhere. Still an awsome living experience.

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thanks for sharing your community/holiday park experience with us! I'm sorry to hear that your job pushed you out but hopefully you can get back to it some day :)

[@johncnorris]

A floating yurt sounds amazing, I must say!

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Oh yeah! That would be pretty neat for sure! We've seen photos of a yurt that was attached to a big floating platform but we never visited in person....maybe sometime in the future. Thanks for checking this video :)

[@ryefry]

I think I'd love a float home the most

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Float homes do seem pretty amazing for sure! Thanks for watching :)

[@rodagrail3231]

Verry interesting...thx

[@nicolelafontaine1720]

This is a great overview, thanks !

[@ExploringAlternatives]

We'd love to know: What kind of alternative housing are you into?

[@waveydavie]

I believe some folk still live in caves!

[@togrowagarden]

Cobb house, Earthship or both with a permaculture garden is the dream, would love to see more videos on that please!

[@benderbender1233]

been living in my airstream f0r 0ver a decade n0w. eye wudnt hav it any 0ther way! ✌🙂✌

[@katoukanga9488]

Tree house is one of my dreams. Tiny house, cobb house, yurt, bus, camper, earthship all sound fantastic 🙏💞

[@allegrosotto2126]

Been living in a camper for years but would love a yurt and a cave😊

[@Moonrisephoenixx]

Cob and rammed earth homes are fascinating.

[@oakld]

Definitely missing my favorite type: Earth covered/sheltered/bermed 😊

[@ChristineMcPhee-qe4rw]

My THOW is 8x12. I live in it part-time, and could easily live in it full-time if I had a storage shed.

[@Faithful_Tribe]

Your van with the whale: super beautiful. Little foot water pump.

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thanks so much! Yeah it was super fun painting that whale on the wall :)

[@dkl6362]

Love cob and hempcrete homes.😊

[@SusanClark-d3d]

I've looked at several of these types of videos, with the "tiny homes" on wheels, I don't know about other states, but as far as I know, these are called "Park Models" in Cali and are considered an RV, so they are licensed/tagged through DMV, they can be parked nearly anywhere and also used as a guest home, to be lived in year around. Check to be sure, just in case something has changed.

[@MarkRose1337]

Canadian Tire is using 60 foot containers now. Importing one may be tricky since there are limited places they are road legal. Canadian Tire is primarily using them between their restruffing location in Abbotsford, and Calgary and Brampton where they have warehouses. Apparently some are making their way to Halifax now, too.

[@jeroberts7228]

That was a great, and very thoughtfully presented, video. So many great choices for alternative living. I can't say that I have a favorite. Congratulations on 10 (or is it almost 10?) years!

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thank you for watching! It’ll soon be 10 years since we started the Exploring Alternatives blog in November (2014) 🥰

[@lunatickgeo]

Please explore South East Asia where heat and humidity is high and typhoons happen regularly so we build our houses differently. Here in the Philippines, houses tend to be built with hollow blocks (concrete blocks) to withstand typhoons (made me wonder as a kid why putting a glass on the wall made me hear NOTHING). There is no limit to how small you can build a house so there's no real "tiny house" movement, although it's preferred to build a big house if you can (cos we have large extended families). Check out the bahay kubo with basically an outdoor kitchen and how some of our architects here have modernized them. I'm sure Thailand, Indonesia, and others have even more different houses to check out.

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Great idea! Most of what we have explored has been in Canada simply because that’s where we are! Will add your idea to our list! Thanks for watching :) :)

[@pier-annelachance4960]

We are starting this year on an earthship style home. We when back and forth a lot and we are working on a hybrid with natural material.

[@ExploringAlternatives]

That's pretty awesome, best of luck with your future home :)

[@einsam514]

This is awesome! Please make a content on house in a used airplane fuselage too.

[@ExploringAlternatives]

That would be awesome!! Thanks for the idea :)

[@deniseredman4565]

Earthship!

[@suezaple4950]

what an interesting informative video

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Happy you enjoyed the video, thanks for your comment :)

[@astrid8751]

Strawbale rules👈💪!

[@nickwulf]

Aircrete would save a bit on build Windows, doors, appliances and fixtures will be the main costs, then the electrical/plumbing/hvac as well

[@frankalbergo8120]

Thanks for the info.

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thank you for watching! 😊

[@egor164]

Классно подобранные варианты.

[@krisfahrt5665]

Thanks for this great video ❤ I have fallen in love with Earthships but I am pretty sure it's not allowed here in Germany...

[@yogasagar..sagarpuri..6616]

Nice

[@loisphillips3786]

Eco houses.

[@HenryMcColl]

how would i get more pictures of the yurt at 3:23

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thanks for watching! You can see a full tour of that yurt here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGG4fJWqlryXhbMfeature=shared

[@HenryMcColl]

@@ExploringAlternatives Thanks so much!

[@livinglifetothefullest22]

Many passive houses are unhealthy! Proved on many tests! The most healthy houses to live in are strawbale houses! Cool in the summer and warm in the winter and the most healthy atmosphere!! ❤❤

[@salesmans1]

I'm not necessarily looking for "alternative housing" but whatever is the lowest long term cost of owning a house, so that I can retire early. Anyone know what that is? What complicates it is if a person will move or not in the future because of resale value. What websites or resources are good for various options for this?

[@iamasunshinefactory]

👏

[@BB-yi6qn]

I'm from Thailand. Do you like Thailand ? Welcome to Bangkok Thailand

[@Heothbremel]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@charlesblerzbo1616]

Are any of these options not a massive hassle which cost a fortune anyway?

[@tabitha-sk5kc]

Yurts are probably easiest/cheapest but they won't work everywhere.

[@benderbender1233]

✌🙂✌

[@BlackCatsandPumpkins]

I hate earthships. I hate the name/word, how they are made and the finished look.