Be Unique and Build Your One of a Kind Tire House
Many people have always had the dream of owning their dream house and having a peaceful place where no landlord is going to knock on your door each month asking for rent. Though many people have always preferred mansions, not many of them have been in a position to build or buy such houses mainly due to the expenses incurred by such buildings. However, did you know that you can still get your dream home by using simple materials such as tires? Yes, you heard right. Those old tires that you throw away right after your car has completely worn them out can be your next shelter
Statistics and History
Each year, about 300 million tires are disposed of nationwide in the USA alone. These tires act as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, and as a source of waste products which eventually lead to environmental population. If these tires are put to use, they can construct multiple houses which are fit for inhabitation.
Earthships, as they are famously known as, are houses built by ramming old tires and the earth together. Earthships were first designed by Michael Reynolds together with his wife in the mid-1970’s. The phrase Earthship was actually coined by Reynold’s wife who described the house as self-sustaining in that it needed no electricity or water to sustain life and comfortable living. Reynold and his wife built the house using waste materials such as aluminum cans and automobile tires together with natural and finished abode. The interior of the Earthship is constructed using glass bottles and empty cans of honeycombs. On the other hand, the exterior walls are constructed using earth-filled tires that provide thermal mass cooling and even heating around the house.
Advantages of Tyre Houses
Building houses using tires has a lot of advantages. The following are some of them.
Cheap to Build
Unlike building a house using bricks and mortars, houses built using tires are cheap. In most cases, tires are given out for free mainly because people have to pay to dispose them. Basically, what you need to purchase are products such as batteries, solar panels, and workforce.
Easy to Build
Tire houses require little professional workforce as compared to constructing a stone house. In most cases, only the foundation of the house is needed to design the general house. Once this has been achieved, the next procedure which mainly involves the connection of the tires together to achieve the desired house is usually a straightforward and fast process. In most cases, for you to build an Earthship, you only require basic carpentry, electric, and plumbing skills.
Re-Using
The tires used to construct houses are reused rather than being recycled. Re-using the tires creates a friendlier environment as compared to recycling the tires. The ecological damage caused by the production of traditional houses is not only damaging to the energy used, but also through the materials used to construct the house. By re-using these tires, tons of building materials such as bricks, mortar, and concrete could be saved.
Adequate Natural Light
Tire houses have proper illumination light as compared to traditional houses which are made up of stones, bricks, or mortars. Furthermore, if you need extra light, a geothermal light would be sufficient for these houses as compared to brick houses where electricity is the only major source of light.
Strong Enough to Avoid a Disaster
When mother nature strikes in the form of earthquakes, nobody is usually safe from the havoc caused. Unlike in traditional houses where earthquakes can quickly destroy the houses, tire houses are in a much better position to withstand these earthquakes. For instance, if you can wrap your phone using a rubber casing, the chances of the phone breaking down due to the impact created by the falls are minimal as compared to the phone falling with no outer casing. The same principle applies to tire houses. Tires are rubber in nature, a fact that allows them to withstand high impacts
Self-sustainability
Tire houses are specifically designed to take full advantage of different natural resources. Their rectangular shape makes it easy for them to make maximum use of solar radiation. While rainwater is stored in cisterns, gray water is recycled hence making these houses ideal for self-support.
Energy Efficient
A majority of tire houses depend on geothermal heat or solar-powered energy to light up the houses. Geothermal and solar-powered energy is of the essence when it comes to saving energy. During the cold seasons when temperatures can drop to freezing points, tire houses are in a position to maintain temperature levels of about 22 degrees Celsius. This basically gives you a favorable temperature that does not require you to use any heat powering systems unlike what is experienced in brick or iron sheets houses.
Examples of Tyre Houses
The Indonesia Aid Foundation designed an earthquake-resistant house which was made up of tires. The stability of the building, when exposed to earthquakes, has been put to the test by the Colorado State University which found the building to be robust enough to withstand stronger earthquakes.
Another example of a tire house can be found in New York where Re-Tread Products have designed a Tire Log with the same ground-level barrier as the one seen in the Indonesia Aid Foundation house.
In Oklahoma, Kathy Dickson and her husband Dale constructed 2,300 square feet environmental-friendly Earthship in the year 1997. The Earthship has an estimated 3,000 tires which have been used to build the house.
In Kansas, David and Susan Millstein constructed an Earthship in the outskirts of Lawrence. The Earthship was constructed using recycled building materials and old tires. The living room of the house is made up of planks obtained from a mushroom barn while the marble floor comes from a hospital based in Kansas City. The interior walls are tinted by using plaster rather than paint. Navy surplus is used to add a touch to the whimsy portholes. The house covers an estimated 2,700 square feet and an estimated 3,000 square feet of sunroom.
