Off-the-Grid House Outside Los Angeles Lists for Nearly $1.5 Million

The hills surrounding Los Angeles are home to plenty of upscale, contemporary homes, but only one of them is a so-called Earthship, and it hit the market this month for $1.495 million. 

The super-sustainable home in the San Fernando Valley was designed by environmental architect Michael Reynolds, who coined the term Earthship. Similar to passive houses, such homes must be built with natural and repurposed materials, use thermal or solar heating and cooling, get electricity from solar and wind energy, harvest and reuse rainwater, have their own contained sewage treatment, and enable owners to grow or produce their food on-site, Mr. Reynolds told NBC earlier this year. 

This three-bedroom model is built into the natural hillside and relies on floor-to-ceiling windows to provide passive solar heating, and air convection through 10 operable skylights to heat and cool itself naturally, according to the listing with Marc Hernandez and Matthew Witek at Compass. 

“In our world, where environmental conservation continues to resound within the present-day zeitgeist, the thought of living in a completely autonomous, self-sustaining and architecturally-pleasing ‘Earthship,’ the only one of its kind in California, is truly remarkable,” Mr. Hernandez said.

The Earthship “provides an opportunity to live responsibly off the grid,” he added.

It spans 3,600 square feet and is fitted with a neutral palette, an open kitchen, a sunlit grand room and an office. A detached two-car garage is ideal for housing vehicles, personal storage or a creative space, according to the listing. 

The home was built in 2002 in collaboration with its owners, who could not be reached for comment. Mansion Global couldn’t determine how much they paid for the underlying property.

Source: Mansion Global