Living Off Grid in an Earthship-Style Passive Solar Home for 10 Years + Full Tour

Kristina is a structural engineer who designed and helped build this off-grid passive solar home with solar panels, solar hot water heaters, rainwater collection, a composting toilet, and a greywater garden. It's a pretty impressive and functional Earthship inspired home and she lives here with her partner Matt in Colorado.
You can follow and find out more about Kristina and Matt's off-grid lifestyle here:
/ @clarityoffgrid
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Website: www.exploringalternatives.ca
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COMMENTS
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We want our channel and our comments section to be an inclusive space where everyone feels welcome to watch and contribute. For this reason, comments that are inappropriate or hateful will be reported and/or deleted.
Please discuss and debate with respect, and report inappropriate or hateful comments directly to KZbin.
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CREDITS
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Music & Song Credits:
All music in this video was composed, performed, and recorded by Exploring Alternatives.
Editing Credits:
Exploring Alternatives
Filming Credits:
Kristina and Matt of Clarity Off-Grid
#offgrid #passivesolar #livingoffgrid

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thanks for watching! You can follow and find out more about Kristina and Matt here: www.youtube.com/@ClarityOffGrid www.sustainablehomeresource.com/ www.sustainablehomeresource.com/book

[@lugzitho]

Thank you guys and happy new year 🎉 😊 God bless

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thanks so much and happy new year to you too :)

[@anony3615]

It would have been helpful and nice if they actually told us how much it would roughly cost to build a house like this though,;instead of teasing us with it like Subway Jared in a kindegarden.

[@ginamillisormiller5078]

Àqàà1a4àà

[@patrickvanhoesen9425]

@@ExploringAlternatives yall have to be close to me in southern Colorado. I can just tell. Lol. Im in the southern SLV

[@ClarityOffGrid]

Thank you so much for collaborating on this video with us. It has been an honor and a privilege! Your editing and storytelling are so inspiring. We wish you all the best in 2023. Your work is helping change the world. ❤🌎

[@powerfuldags]

Beautiful home! Wish this would be the new standard ✌️😇✌️

[@shizuwolf]

@@powerfuldags don’t we all? Then we’d be closer to building a solarpunk future

[@jake1674]

I noticed the roof vents are sealed by what appears to be tar. Is there any health hazard with using rain water that might come into contact with this?

[@DavGreg]

I have been looking at Earthship homes for a very long time and this is a very interesting adaptation of Michael Reynolds’s concepts. Was wondering the process involved. Did you hire an Architect and work with them for this design or did you work this up yourself and get it stamped by an engineer? Very cool home in a wonderful place. I lived in Colorado and it has always been a place close to my heart.

[@ClarityOffGrid]

@@DavGreg Those are great questions! I toured several Earthships in Taos and made notes of what I liked and what I didn't like. What I thought worked well and what I thought needed to be tweaked for a home in Colorado. I am a structural engineer and had a PE stamp in CO at the time. I also read and studied a lot and understood alternative building and passive solar design, so I designed the house, drew up the plans, and stamped the drawings myself. I encourage people to learn as much as they can and at least sketch out the house they want so that when they hire a design professional they won't get talked out of the systems and features they want. This isn't mainstream design and most builders/designers don't understand this stuff.

[@alexandragatto]

This is fabulous and I LOVE her foresight to think about the house as a home throughout all the changes in her life, from single mom to partnership to golden years. Beautiful.

[@tacooflove6175]

I absolutely love these two 😍 They are not pretentious and showed the thermal dynamics of there home and why it’s so efficient very well, I appreciate that. I wish you all a happy new year 🎉

[@ClarityOffGrid]

Thank you for your kind words! I'm thrilled that you understand thermal mass ~ awesome. Have a lovely new year.

[@mattkramer6512]

Thank you so much! We try!

[@anthonysinclair5721]

This might just be the best earthship-esque house I have seen! So nice!👍😎☕

[@shaunhall960]

I live in Colorado too and I plan to do the same only with a smaller home. I think this would also be ideal for a group of people who pool their resources and build a small community together. If you get your mindset of doing things conventionally and look at other alternatives your life will see a vast improvement. This is very inspiring for me. Thank you for sharing this!

[@mattkramer6512]

Go for it! That's my motto. Great insights. We also are super supportive of living smaller and simpler. We literally have everything we need in our van and have to adjust to being in such a large space when we return from traveling.

[@saticharlie]

what a amazing woman, already in working in the field, and than, took all the courses, seminars, books. I love this.

[@traceyhill7784]

What a stunning home, Kristina must be proud of what she has achieved here. So lovely that you can reside in such as beautiful part of the world too. How wonderful.

[@mattkramer6512]

Thank you Tracey. She is very happy with the home she created but her real passion is to help anyone interested in leading a more sustainable lifestyle through education of simple basic principles. All the best to you and yours!

[@laurab9867]

Genius! What else can you say about a female engineer who accomplished what Kristina did. Of course, she found the right partner, and what an incredible life they created around this wonderfully designed home. Awesome video!

[@mattkramer6512]

Thank you Laura! What's interesting is her engineering structural understanding was only a small part of the design process. Understanding a few basic principles can help anyone live more sustainably in every housing decision they make. Doesn't matter if you are renting or deciding which office to rent, or choosing where to plant a tree. Our passion is to empower everyone to make educated decisions in their daily lives. We all matter.

[@snowysnowyriver]

Just curious......why the necessity to remark on her gender? Would you say "....what else can you say about a male engineer who accomplished etc"? And why insinuate that she could not have done it without her partner? She got the project completed before he even arrived. He's been there six years, she's been there ten years. Misogyny is bad enough when it comes from a man, but when it comes from another woman.......

[@kaygerry]

She didn't make up earthships they've been around for years

[@sirbalanced5486]

Light years ahead of most! Absolutely brilliant.

[@karenstanislaw8912]

This is wonderful . The enthusiasm and connectedness these two have for their home and property, and the success with which it's all come together - serving and nurturing this family - is a pleasure to behold. An unsual vitality lights both their faces. My admiration for a vision well, maturely executed, and the subsequent, deserved joy that has marked their decades. Continued joy to them - many, many years forward.

[@ClarityOffGrid]

We are so glad you enjoyed the video and appreciate the journey. We are truly grateful to Exploring Alternatives for their videos and bringing so many design options to light. We wish you much joy too!

[@patriciagarcia5132]

Very inspiring for the the ones that are looking into living off the grid. Love it. Thank you

[@hotshot619]

I wish she would have shared the cost of what they spent making this. Its a beautiful design and the thousands of hours of hard work are on top of it but I think sharing costs of things makes everyone more educated. Plus it helps others understand to better incorporate parts of their system into their own builds. What a amazing designed house either way, something to be very proud of.

[@mattkramer6512]

Hi. Matt here from Clarity Off Grid. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Her costs to build were a bit under $140/sqft. At that time it was about middle of the road to low end for conventional kindling construction with mid-level finishes. High end finishes in a high end home was running upwards of $250/sqft. That should give you some perspective. Building a home does require some finances. What we've found is many building professionals believe in building "sustainably" by adding complex systems and offsetting the increased loads by adding solar panels, all of which jack up the cost. We think that to be short sighted for people living in environments where passive systems and good ventilation combined with effective use of thermal mass can simply and more affordably solve many if not most comfort issues without pumps, fans and switches. Hope that helps!

[@jonothandoeser]

I was going to say that costs have changed so much from then to now that it might be challenging to translate the costs from then to today's market.

[@pf4773]

What an amazing woman-so smart. She carefully designed this living space and it clearly works for her and her partner/her family from a utilitarian standpoint (power, accessibility, etc.

[@sarahjosephine5208]

“we just live an abundant life” - love it!

[@SusanSlattery]

This house is GORGEOUS!

[@smithwill9952]

Awesome. This is a real "HOME". Get the "warm" feeling. Wonderful structural engineer.

[@OurRetiredLife]

That big room with all the sunlight and the tropical plants looks heavenly! We love your home Kristina & Matt! And to Mat & Danielle, thank you for featuring them!

[@mattkramer6512]

Yula, it's all you dear friend!

[@scarlettfrancesca]

This video was phenomenal! The amount of thoughtfulness, planning, mindfulness and awareness that when into this creation is truly magnificent! The design is gorgeous, the layout is lovely and I really appreciate that this couple also wants to share their wisdom with the world through the art of writing and KZbin as well! Thank you so much for sharing your world with us 🎉

[@susannjarvis5587]

Amazing house. She was so thoughtful about the design and the details. I don't think I have ever seen as beautiful and smart an Earthship-style home before. There are certainly some interesting ones out there, but, again, the attention to detail on this home was so impressive. Building the windows to a height so you can wash them without having to get on a stool or ladder. Being able to easily access the roof for snow removal (no ladder required she said) and designing the roof to be a giant water collector for when it rains. Brilliant.

[@renegadepermaculture]

Wonderful episode! As someone in the midst of building a unique property, this was inspiring to watch :)

[@ExploringAlternatives]

Thanks for watching and best of luck with your build!

[@allie1953]

My husband and I are doing so also! A few years ago we built an 98 sq ft off-grid tiny-house-on-wheels (solar electric, propane cooking, wood-stove heating, water catchment and compost toilet). A few months ago we bought a 5-acre parcel and are now working on a 14'x32' cottage that will also be totally off-grid. Hope to be moved into it by July1st (my 70th birthday)!

[@ClarityOffGrid]

@@allie1953 Awesome and congratulations! It's no small task. Enjoy!

[@harmony331000]

Wow, what a beautiful home and amazing property!! I hope that man realizes just how very lucky he is that she has chosen him to share her home, special place, and hard work with him as it sounds like she had and did all of this before him ever coming there!

[@mattkramer6512]

Oh believe me I do! Haha. The best part is she also feels equally lucky to have me in her life!

[@harmony331000]

@@mattkramer6512 well that is really great to know, thank you 😊

[@OurRetiredLife]

@@mattkramer6512 You two are the sweetest souls ♥

[@dslynx]

Beautiful house! We stayed two nights in an Earthship in Taos, NM with the hope of building something like this. Even started a KZbin channel to follow our progress and purchased 40 acres in Colorado. Unfortunately, life got away from me and the distance from civilization was just to much. Congrats to them on living the dream!

[@realpeopleoftheinternet]

This house looks amazing.... great video

[@diegosanchez9109]

👎

[@adammiller9179]

9:25 is brilliant! I absolutely love work WITH nature and not against as humans did for thousands of years before electricity. I know a lot of the techniques but this one was new.

[@ladyfae4797]

I love this home! I would honestly move into one just like this build tomorrow!

[@stephanieclark1487]

Same

[@angeliquesourtzis2392]

WOW! Extraordinary! I have been blown away with your persistence and ingenuity.

[@Reciprocity_Soils]

Love your home, lots of respect for your pre-planning steps for your homestead, and admire the surroundings you have fostered to highlight each area of your home. Thanks for taking us on this marvelous tour. Peace and health and happy new year!

[@mattkramer6512]

Thank you! And you're welcome! Blessings to you and yours.

[@tammycruz8189]

This is absolutely gorgeous house

[@Lucaangelo252]

Hello Tammy how are you doing, where are you from?

[@cathylynnpietranton]

Wow this home was designed with much thought and love. Thanks Matt and Danielle ❤ Happy New

[@SustainableBusinessInsights]

I love how the concept is tailored to the location. Many thoughts went into water saving and preservation. Also, the simplicity of the layout is great as well as the energy-efficiency of course.

[@jocelynelangis777]

Great and perfect way of living with environmental preoccupations! This women is very smart of course not everyone has her knowledge but I imagine the book she wrote is full of informations. What I like the about this couple is their enthusiasm and the fact they share very precious informations. Everything seems possible event in cold countries in Canada. Thanks so much for that video!

[@mattkramer6512]

Thanks for your reflections, Jocelyne. Her biggest message is that this stuff is not rocket science. She believes anybody interested can learn the basic information readily and that it just makes sense. Then all the decisions you make going forward will be more informed. Whether you're renting, building, or buying a home, if you know the basics you can choose situations that take you in a more sustainable direction. Her passion is empowering people with knowledge. She wrote her book and developed her website to that end.

[@bosse641]

What a wonderful home 😍 Would love that.

[@vickiesweitzer8625]

Great video! I’ve been following Kristina and Matt for about a year but never went back to watch earlier videos. I loved seeing the pix of the build as well as getting more details about how everything works.

[@evangelinehoke5512]

Thank you Kristina and Matt for sharing your genius with us!!!

[@rugger1583]

Finally more Earthship content!

[@janah.7187]

This house is absolutely stunning, I love it! ❤

[@tmate88-j8y]

This. I'm trying to sell my place so I can go off-grid with solar. This is awesome! Thank you!

[@jamiegallier2106]

The grounds and gardens are impeccable.

[@mmmitchell6887]

Thank you for sharing your story. May you always be joyful and blessed.

[@RokDAWG1]

This is so awesome! I’m so impressed with everything they’ve done here! They took the basics of an earthship type of home and modified it to their personal specifications. That’s so cool! I love it!

[@Greenman432]

Such an ideal place and lifestyle! I would love to live like that.

[@Alisa07l]

I appreciate videos like these. This house is amazing.

[@dlb1911967]

What a stunning home! Love it!

[@Timett_son_of_Timett]

Really amazing house and location. Just wow and such a good job!

[@alainadacosta1222]

What a cool home and idea!

[@Donneczka1]

Awesome designing!

[@WitmanClan]

Thank you for sharing ❤

[@warriorqueen863]

Beautiful house inside and outside... I love all the wood furniture and furnishings inside their cob house...

[@OrenArieli]

Well done! A beautiful and smart design with a fantastic view to boot.

[@ClarityOffGrid]

Thanks! It's a lot of work, but it was totally worth it.

[@rumichacajoy]

I will be studying your websites as I have dreamed of living in an Earthship ever since I bought Dennis Reynold's brand new book in 1993. I was pleased to see the power compacting tool! May 2023 be especially good for you and your family. Joy in Santa Fe, NM.

[@kellywinn8011]

Wow this house is a true engineering feat! I am in awe and wish Kristina would teach this process. Thank you for sharing..

[@bayrchimegbudee4890]

I am proud of the people who worked and created for sustainable development.

[@maodonimega]

This is one of the most beautiful houses I have ever seen. Congratulations Kristina! Amazing eco-credentials as well as every thing one could possibly need.

[@sammic974]

Fabulous, we love it! Would move in in a heartbeat 😍😍 If only the UK planners would look more kindly on such constructions...

[@mattkramer6512]

We know what you mean. We run into that here, too. Kristina got lucky with the permitted grey water system. Now they're not as friendly about it and require most all to put in a septic system even if they are using a composting toilet.

[@gabrielaalaniz8251]

Oh I love this 🥹 she seems like the sweetest lady and the way she brought her ideas to life is inspiring ❤

[@KarlHoffmann-bb5px]

This is jawbreaking ! So well designed, everything is so well thought out ! You can be very proud of this masterpiece. My deepest respect, enjoy every single minute in this marvelous home (I know you do 😉) And thank you very much for sharing this; I'm renovating a 300 year old farmhouse here in Austria right now, and I got some great suggestions by watching this video. Peace and joy !

[@mattkramer6512]

Thank you Karl! Our deepest joy is knowing we've helped at least one person. Best to you on your project!

[@albertosolicari3716]

WEF and Govs around the world salute you and welcome your initiative 👍

[@nokostribe7949]

Loved this!! 😍

[@samanthaholland983]

So informative! I appreciate their simple explanations of why they made certain decisions when building and how it all works.

[@velvetindigonight]

One of the best explanatory Earth Ship vids I’ve watched. Thank you for sharing. Enjoy

[@Journeyjunckies]

Absolutely amazing beautiful and very sustainable. So moved and totally in love with your home.

[@catherinebrown8934]

Fabulous. I am in the process of building off grid in southern AZ. Love all these hints and tips!

[@divinaflamingarrow9556]

Congratulations 🎊 for your vision, following Nature's Way,and sharing it with us!!!

[@cynthiafreed3612]

Absolutely amazing! What a dream! You’re genius!

[@pemman]

Wow! So, so impressive. Very well done, so clever :)

[@kimdawcatgirl]

This is hands down my favorite video on living! Beside the content, the music pushed it to the top! Both my eyes and ears loved this and now my thoughts are soaring! If they ever need a maid or a caretaker, I'm a retired Respiratory Therapist and take care of people in their homes to keep them out of a nursing home! Great job! Wonderful couple!

[@fredgervin9930]

I love the house and the design. For my wife and I, our goal which is simplicity, use what we can from our property, and not be dependent upon corporations and government. Thank you.

[@julieweiner1623]

I love the water solution you have. Great idea

[@sandrastanley3135]

WE lived in Durango for several years way back in the early 70's - beautiful place - really like your housing (and living) philosophy, wish everybody were that sensible - we could really use more housing like this and less cookie-cutter nationwide. Good Luck!

[@mattkramer6512]

Thank You! Durango was much more affordable then! Blessings.

[@SimpleEssentials]

What a wonderful home and way if life! Thanks so much for sharing this

[@michasosnowski5918]

Nice home. Off grid, nature, build with recycled materials. Thanks for the video. Would love to live in this kind of house :)

[@Poeticfloetic]

Best one I have seen that I would move right into and not change a thing!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍 Visionary and economical excellence as well as sustainable. I love it🔥🔥

[@lesleywatkins1172]

Love this house! 😊

[@janlint7434]

Absolutely amazing!

[@beatrizpena4565]

I just loved it. Thanks

[@leonoresalmantine]

So lovely and inspiring ! Thank you for sharing their story with us 🤗

[@sgrvtl7183]

Very NICE home WOW! Love the off-grid ‘earthship’ ~ beautiful way to live💜

[@SharpPear]

This was so neat. Very informative. I drream of someday moving out into the forest and building a home similar to this one. 💗Thank you for sharing! Have a great year all.

[@5DNRG]

I love this home, and want to incorporate most of its features into my future home.

[@markbutterfield2189]

absolutely inspiring and stunning

[@annseiler6071]

So cool. How did you get permission to catch water in Colorado? When we lived there it wasn’t allowed. Does it depend on county or did you get special permission? Thank you. Absolutely stunning home!

[@benjaminp6924]

Something like 200 gal in "rain barrels" but don't say what happens to that water, may I have a permit to live please

[@tylersmith293]

Beautiful home. When you have money this is great.

[@lbunnygordon1133]

Wish had money to build 1 room...I ll never hafe my own place and never have no matter how hard or hours worked! A joy to see this place.

[@Lucaangelo252]

Hello lbunny how are you doing, where are you from?

[@tuulekess]

I absolutely love it. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@pinkladybikermamma3603]

VERY WELL DONE AND THOUGHT OUT

[@lpmoron6258]

Love that solar clothes dryer. Will hang lights above mine!

[@sjoshuan]

Wow this is so fantastic, it’s great in every way! Well done

[@mowattlavern62]

Lovely home, thank you for sharing

[@kinggentiaustria5333]

This is not a home 🏠,, it’s an Empire,, you grow your own food, all organic,, you are independent, you breath the fresh air ,, and you have time for yourself,,, and at the end, you enjoy the most important thing,, / Your Freedom!!!! I greet you from Austria 🇦🇹!!!!

[@mattkramer6512]

Thank you. You remind us of how truly fortunate we are. We forget sometimes. All the best to you and yours in Austria!!

[@deniseokanlawon9412]

This is such a great way to live, I would love to live this way and the homestead is gorgeous.

[@Ephesians5-14]

My dream 🙏🏻

[@WitmanClan]

Yes 🙌

[@AnthonyLeighDunstan]

Hi Christina, thank you so much for this personal testimony. Will take this inspiration and turn it into something. ☺️

[@jackieperkins8514]

AWESOME!

[@warriorqueen863]

Beautiful house.... Love it! I love their house... Made from earth and its artistic designs inside and outside their house is eye-catching... Love it! Can you store water from the snow?

[@mattkramer6512]

Absolutely. We have snow jacks on the roof to keep it from sliding off, even though the pitch is only 1/12. We keep it on the roof to catch that precious water!

[@99cachorro]

The doors and woodworking are epic.

[@rrhodes75rr]

Thank you so much for making and informative video that actually breaks it down into layman's terms so someone that is not familiar with these types of terms can understand what you're talkin

[@michaeld4861]

This house looks incredible!

[@mompuff]

This is simply amazing!! Congratulations!! What an awesome way to live!! 🙌🏻🦋🙌🏻

[@workinonit9562]

Lovely home but I especially love the outdoor space. Thanks for showing us!