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‘No. I just, no’: Realtor is skeptical about houses made of dirt and old tires

Earth Ships and Zillow were bound to meet someday.

Screengrabs via @Zillowtastrophes

TikTok account Zillowtastropes has gained more than 700 thousand followers by sharing the most impressive — and most questionable — homes listed on Zillow. Her latest installment in Zillow Pitfalls is giving all of her other videos a run for their money.

Zillowtastropes shared a home for sale in Johnson, Vermont that is considered an Earth Ship House. Homes like this one are built underground with upcycled materials like tires and glass. The Vermont home is definitely committed to the tires but falls short when compared to other Earth Ship houses.

@zillowtastrophes

I was ok with it until we got to the bathroom… $199,000 2 bd 1 ba 1,287 sqft Price cut: $26K (7/18) 115 Dukes Road, Johnson, VT 05656 #zillowtastrophe #earthship #sustainableliving #vermontlife #offgridliving #environmentallyfriendly #greenscreen

♬ A Cup of Coffee – Muspace

Zillotastropes took her audience inside the home to show the tire-packed walls and concrete floors. The ceilings are bare wood and the windows and insolation apparently keep the house at a steaming 45-60 degrees all year around.

The listing apparently boasts that the house runs on solar energy and water is collected and stored into cisterns (though it appears to just be running off of the roof). The real downfall of the eco-friendly home is the bathroom which is entirely made of tires, including a shower head that is wedged into the tire wall.

Zillowtastrophes pointed out that the home is in the middle of nowhere and off the grid, meaning any amount of creatures could be living around the home or even in the walls. Commenters seemed to agree with the creator’s feelings about the home. Most people agreed that it was a great idea in theory but seemed a little inconvenient in practice.

However, if you’re looking for an eco-friendly alternative to home ownership and don’t mind tire walls, this may be just the place for you.

Jensen Bird
About the author

Jensen Bird

Jensen is a Freelance Writer at We Got This Covered. She specializes in TikTok and social media content. She is currently pursuing her M.S. in Journalism at Columbia University and has a degree in Foreign Language & Communications Media. Jensen spends way too much time scrolling on TikTok and is grateful for a position that lets her write about it.