On 4 acres of inexpensive desert land in Arizona, Kenny Quinn—a veteran turned earth builder—helped create a radically affordable cohousing compound with people he had just met.
Using little money but a lot of ingenuity, they built their homes from the earth itself. With hyperadobe (open-weave bags packed with clay-rich soil), they formed strong, breathable walls, and partially buried the structures to take advantage of the earth’s constant temperature for natural heating and cooling.
The shared home includes simple private rooms, a communal kitchen and bath, and a small sunroom—all built together. Kenny customized his space with earthen floors, preferring to live barefoot and feel the ground beneath him. Together, they installed solar power, hot water, plumbing, water catchment, and even a DIY “renegade” septic system alongside a permitted one.
They also built a round, semi-subterranean guest house inspired by Native American kivas, designed with passive solar principles and outfitted with ultra-efficient appliances sourced just across the Mexican border—affordable and low-energy.
Now that everything is in place, their cost of living is incredibly low: about $200 per year in total bills, thanks to solar energy and captured rainwater.
Their latest project is a large greenhouse, bringing them closer to growing their own food and increasing their self-sufficiency.
While earth building is labor-intensive, Kenny describes it as pure joy—more like building forts than construction.
