National magazine features Baldwin house

? A national magazine has recognized the creativity of David and Susan Millstein’s “earthship” home.

The May/June issue of Natural Home magazine features the home, recognized as an interesting and creative example of green building technology and environmental sustainability.

In the mid-1990s, the Millsteins performed much of the labor themselves to complete the 3,000-square-foot passive-solar house. The cost was $60 to 65 per square foot.

The main wall was built with 586 discarded tires and concrete. The remaining walls were constructed using sticks and ferro-cement to create the home’s sweeping curves and waterproof roof.

The wide-open interiors are accented by salvaged and recycled materials. Recycled cypress wood, saved from a mushroom barn, frames the windows. Flooring throughout the home ranges from wood salvaged from handball courts at Kansas University’s Robinson Gymnasium to mosaics made of marble acquired from a condemned hospital.

Large windows provide views of the hilltop acreage and allow natural light to flood the inside of the house. Smaller porthole windows, purchased at a Navy surplus store, lend a nautical feel on the second floor.

The first floor provides a kitchen with adjoining greenhouse, living room, three bedrooms, and “The Egg” room named for its shape. Expansive enough to accommodate the Millsteins’ rousing pingpong games, the room often doubles as a dining room but can be adapted for practically any activity. The master suite and cozy reading nook make up the second floor.

The home will be featured this week on “Home & Away,” which is hosted by Cathy Hamilton.

A new show airs at 6:30 p.m. each Monday on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6 and repeats at 9:30 p.m. Monday; 9 a.m., 5:30 p.m., 9 p.m. Tuesday; 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 10:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Friday; and 10 a.m. Saturday.