A 560 square feet earthship home in The Santa Cruz Mountains in California.

Hey guys! We’re Taylor and Steph Bode. In early 2013, we set out on an adventure to find land in California where we could build an Earthship-inspired cabin for ourselves. We had been studying Earthships in Taos, NM and made it our mission to build a self-sufficient house, live off-the-grid in the woods, and experience the simple life. We got our opportunity in the Santa Cruz Mountains and have now created this photobook, Nomadic Roots, to share our story. We built our house for under $10k.

On Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nomadicroots/nomadic-roots-photo-book

In the book we explain how the house was built, and how we kept the cost so low. What sets our story apart – you know, other than the fact that we built a house out of car tires and beer bottles – is that we didn’t have money to blow on expensive materials and finishes. What we did have was resourcefulness, determination and a creative approach that could be replicated by anyone, anywhere.

Thousands of hours of work went into this house. We embraced every challenge together, as a team……and we still like each other!!! We got married last summer ?

We like to think of this as our modern day Walden Pond experience a la Henry David Thoreau.

Pounding tires. Find out why we built with tires, and how thinking outside of the box can revolutionize architecture.

Building our own home and living off-the-grid was an experience more rewarding than anything we could have imagined. The book explains why we did it, how it came to be, and will hopefully inspire you to have a go at chasing your own dream.

The book is finished and can be printed as soon as we raise $25,000 for a bulk order. This only happens with your support! Please pledge if you can and share this with your friends! The book is 146 pages of hi-res color photos & engaging stories, softcover, 8.5″ x 8.5″ printed on premium matte 100% recycled paper (printed in the USA by the amazing crew at Artifact Uprising). The photographs are our own. We also wrote, designed, and edited the book ourselves.

My wife and I are huge fans and would love to share the house that we built with your readers! It’s in the Santa Cruz Mountains of central California, 560 sq. ft, built out of repurposed materials using Earthship design principles. It cost less than $10,000.

Nomadic Roots Hardcover – February 12, 2017

A photographic journey of Earthships, road trips, and a handmade cabin for less than $10k. Nomadic Roots captures a young couple’s journey across America as they build Earthships, live off-the-grid, and build their own home for just $10,000. This is a story about sustainable architecture, alternative building, epic road trips, and a search for the simple life.

In 2012, Taylor & Steph quit their jobs and moved to New Mexico to pursue a dream of building sustainable houses. They studied under architect Mike Reynolds and joined the Earthship Biotecture crew, building unique net-zero homes all across the country. After exploring America from coast to coast, they settled in the mountains of Santa Cruz, California where they built their own handmade home using natural and repurposed materials.

Their photos and stories reflect their love of the outdoors and their desire to lead an adventurous, low-impact lifestyle. Part memoir, part how-to, Nomadic Roots is a one-of-a-kind story meant to inspire readers to chase their dreams and simplify their lives.