Here is an excellent Romanian Blog reviewing the pro’s and con’s of Hemp-Lime versus Earthship construction
I’ve got to say the view is refeshing in that it is from a relatively poor country, highlighting the still high financial barrier for entry for an earthship – even though the total cost of ownership is far more affordable in the long run. Its a cashflow thing and you need lots of it up front typically. That’s never more the case than in New Zealand where the price of base land is inflated by property developers and speculators. Brian Gubb’s earthship is probably the exception to every rule above, as he has managed to build his earthship on a tiny budget.
The only trouble with that is that Brian’s earthship is not yet finished, poorly insulated with 3rd world ablution facilities. There is even a door through the earth berm. I would like to challenge the commonsense of moving into a home before it’s finished. I also think earthships in NZ deserve a better example than the one in Ngaruwahia.