Off Grid Earth Bag Home

Earthen home in Terlingua, Texas

  1. 4 guests
  2. 1 bedroom
  3. 3 beds
  4. 1 bath
Hosted by Jamie
  1. Superhost
  2. 11 years hosting

Listing highlights

Top 5% of homes

This home is highly ranked based on ratings, reviews, and reliability.

Near Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park is about 25 minutes from the front door, with trails starting right on the property

Handcrafted home, 360-degree views

A handcrafted earth bag home on 150 acres with mountain views in every direction

A place guests keep coming back to

Guests return again and again, with many booking repeat stays to soak in the peace and solitude
Welcome to my earth bag home located 25 minutes outside of the entrance to Big Bend National Park. The house sits on 150 acres with 360 degree views of mountains, mesas, pinnacles, spires, and buttes. There are walking trails throughout the property. Good luck finding another home with as much love put into it! If the Earthbag home is booked I have a home called “Rammed Earth” over the hill that is a work of art. For some reason with online algorithms this home is not showing up as often.

The space
Off Grid Earthbag Home Definition:
-This home runs on solar power
-The solar can power an AC only in the daylight hours (Not at night)
-The home has lights that can be turned on only when in use. Please conserve energy
-You can plug in phone chargers, laptops, and headlamps
-You can NOT plug in coffee makers, hair dryers, heaters, crock pots, or anything with a heating element
-I provide propane for small oven and two burners to cook on and hot water for shower and dish washing.
-I do NOT have a well and catch water in a cistern from rainfall. I require guests to limit showers to 2 minutes and to use as little water as possible to wash dishes. You need to bring your own drinking water. You can boil my water for coffee and cooking

Guest access
You will have the entire house to yourselves.
I am a part of an association which allows my guests to access the Terlingua Ranch public pool 13 miles away for $5 per person. It is clean, in a beautiful setting, and not crowded the times I've been. Contact Terlingua Ranch Loge for more details

Other things to note
This is a self check in and check out rental. You will be required to bring your own linens, blankets/sleeping bags, towels, fire wood, and drinking water. I have a kettle and French press but you must bring your own coffee and tea. There is no flush toilet. This is a compost toilet that you spread peat moss/saw dust over your business. I will provide peat moss/saw dust and toilet paper. You will be required to empty and replace compost bucket in the designated area when you check out. Hundreds of people have done this and have said it wasn't nearly as bad as they thought. Also, I do have an air conditioner that will generally stay on well after sunset as long as there is sufficient sun. This home runs entirely on solar energy so please do not use household appliances (hair dryers, coffee makers, hot plates, irons, etc.). You can plug in my fans, your laptops, and phones with no issues. I catch all of my water from rain storms in cisterns so your showers and dishwashing will need to be gone about very methodically to conserve water. I will provide biodegradable soaps and request you to only use soaps of this nature. All of my water runs into an area that will eventually feed a garden. Please don't poison my soil with non-biodegradable soaps. This is a dry desert and water is very precious so please be mindful of your consumption. When you check out I require you to leave the house how it was left to you. I don’t charge a cleaning fee to help guests have a more affordable stay. This may include sweeping/vacuuming floors, washing dishes and putting them away, cleaning counters, table top, stove top, and refrigerator. I also require you to take all of your trash and recycling with you when you leave. I share a dumpster a mile away you can use. If any of these things do not appeal to you I insist that you book a hotel/motel. Please respect my off grid home and be open to a more sustainable alternative to traditional lodging. Thank you.

Where you’ll sleep

What this place offers

Mountain view
Kitchen
Wifi
Free parking on premises
Shared outdoor pool - available seasonally, open specific hours

Select check-in date

Add your travel dates for exact pricing

Rated 4.93 out of 5 from 694 reviews.

Guest favorite
This home is in the top 5% of eligible listings based on ratings, reviews, and reliability

Overall rating

  1. 5 stars, 94% of reviews
  2. 4 stars, 5% of reviews
  3. 3 stars, 1% of reviews
  4. 2 stars, 0% of reviews
  5. 1 stars, 0% of reviews

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars for cleanliness

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for accuracy

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for check-in

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for communication

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for location

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for value

Guest reviews mention

Where you’ll be

Terlingua, Texas, United States
This listing's location is verified and the exact location will be provided after booking.

Neighborhood highlights

You will be lucky to see one car drive by a day leaving you with the feeling of ultimate solitude. All of my neighbors are friendly but will most likely just wave if you see them. Actually, people locally wave at everyone everywhere, so just wave back!

Meet your host

Superhost
885 reviews
4.93 out of 5 average rating
11 years of hosting
Born in the 70s
My work: Traveling tradesman
I was a tradesman for some years before making the transition into Earth building. I moved into a van I’d converted into my primary home and lived in it for around 5 years while constructing the earth bag and rammed earth homes. The challenges of minimalism I faced through these years really put my perceived needs into perspective and allowed me to embrace a simpler and more sustainable lifestyle. I am excited to share this vision with you.

Jamie is a Superhost

Superhosts are experienced, highly rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests.

Co-hosts

  • Ashley
  • Georganne

Host details

Response rate: 100%
Responds within an hour
To help protect your payment, always use Airbnb to send money and communicate with hosts.

Things to know

Cancellation policy
House rules
Check-in after 3:00 PM
Checkout before 11:00 AM
4 guests maximum
Safety & property
Climbing or play structure
Carbon monoxide alarm
Smoke alarm