The Pfalzers purchased a 10-acre lot in Myaka City to build an Earthship inspired by green builder Michael Reynolds. They first heard about the Earthship at a Johnny Carson show back in the 80’s, says Michael Pfalzer.

“We liked the self sufficiency and other features of the home, including getting water from the rain, not relying so much on electric to maintain the temperature,” he said. “We wanted to reduce our footprint on the Earth.”

They started to gather used tires in September 2006, says Denise Pflazer.

“The tire wall is part of the main design of the Earthship,” said Denise. “The Earthship is a rammed earth house and the used tires hold the compacted dirt in.”

Contractor Bryan Roberts said Florida is one of the top two states for difficulty and stringent building codes.

The Pfalzers’ wishes become a reality: their home is being built entirely from recycled materials. Their home would also be their business: the garden would provide food and they would pay nothing for utility bills.

Roberts promises a hurricane proof, self-sustainable, off-grid house without utilities connected to it. The price of the home is $300,000, which runs line in line with the price of a traditional frame home. He adds that the 3,000-square-foot house will not look like tire and glass when finished. At the end, they berm the walls with earth and it will look more like and underground structure protected by the wind, while four domes on the roof reduce the uplift of the roof.

via The first Earthship in Florida.

Check out their website: http://www.earthshipfloridaproject.com/