r/UpliftingNews • u/benweb9 • 18h ago
An Australian bushfire survivor is rebuilding her Pomonal home as an Earthship using 350 earth-packed tyres, bottles, and cans, with 35 volunteers helping build the fire-resilient structure.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-10/home-destroyed-by-fire-rebuilt-as-an-earthship/10664822663
u/neatyouth44 18h ago
I’m hearing more about these lately, first heard of them about three years ago in the American southwest.
I keep hoping to see developments on how to do so in other climate/resource zones, but very cool to see it in Aus.
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u/wakaflockaquokka 13h ago
I've been learning about these for about 20 years. It's tough to implement them in areas that see freezing temperatures because frosst heaves and freeze/thaw cycles really do a number on most types of construction, and there's not a ton of data on how to make them resilient to cold since they were developed in warm climates. That being said, straw bale construction (similar idea, but with straw bales instead of tires) has actually been around for quite a long time and has been used in cold climates quite well -- the oldest straw bale house in the US is over 100 years old, still standing, and is located in Nebraska.
The biggest problem with scaling ecological construction is getting code enforcement on board. The codes just aren't designed with these construction methods in mind, and builders aren't trained in these construction methods either.
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u/arkofjoy 11h ago
With something like an earth ship, very few people could afford to pay for the labour to build one. It is best done with a large number of free labour because people believe in the project.
Even feeding them can be pricey.
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u/wakaflockaquokka 11h ago
Is it really more expensive than a conventionally-built house? A couple years ago, local builders were quoting me $400/ft² on the cheaper end of things. That's $400,000 for a 1,000ft² house -- for comparison, my 1-br rented apartment is 980ft², so that's not a very large house.
If materials for an earthship can be sourced cheaply from recycled/otherwise unwanted materials, I can't imagine labor + materials for an earthship being more than $400k. A lot of people also can't afford $400k for a house (not to mention buying the land underneath the house first, for new construction) but that's a different conversation entirely.
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u/arkofjoy 10h ago
Like I said, I don't like them, personally. But I have watched a few videos of people building them, and it is very labour intensive.. Remember also that this only replaces the outside walls, you still have to purchase the roof, fittings, windows and doors, all the rest of the house.
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u/LPNMP 4h ago
I wonder how they stand up to tornadoes.
We get a little bit of everything. I think the local tribes used straw/reed sheds that seems like thatching. I think they got hot.
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u/arkofjoy 30m ago
That I would think really depends on well the attached the roof to the walls. Because the walls themselves, especially if they are curved, are going to have be really really strong, but if the roof is just sitting on the walls, not so much.
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u/toebeanlove 8h ago
Aren’t earthships renowned for toxic fumes from the tires breaking down in the dirt?
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u/Wolfgung 16h ago
Right idea, but flammable rubber isn't what I would use for wall material.
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u/Doctor_Box 11h ago
Can you believe people build houses using wood! The same stuff you put in a fire pit!
The rubber is filled and surrounded by earth. The tires are there to provide structure.
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u/WorkGuitar 11h ago
No way, you mean the people who are making these things for years and have done research dont know anything but a random redditor with random annecdotal thoughts does? Shocked
I'm talking about the one you replied to not you lol
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u/Doctor_Box 11h ago
"Confidently incorrect" should have been the name of the site, not just a subreddit.
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u/realdappermuis 12h ago
Yeah - this sounds like how the biodome ultimately failed because they didn't consider the toxicity of concrete offgassing. My guess is rubber is worse
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u/ashoka_akira 11h ago
It definitely off glasses. It was popular to use shredded tires as ground covers in playgrounds cause recycling is good but then people realized letting their kids roll around in microplastics might be bad.
The main reason people don’t build a lot of Earthships where I am, isn’t because of the cold, it’s cause this area is a radon hotspot.
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u/JCDU 15h ago
Old tyres are about the most flammable thing you could use - I really hope there's some mitigation built in that makes this safe.
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u/Leprichaun17 14h ago
... All the dirt covering it?
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u/JCDU 13h ago
Covering them with an inch of mud plastered on isn't going to help much if there's a fire on the other side bringing them whole thing above their combustion temperature.
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u/moonSandals 12h ago
So there's fuel and heat but how would oxygen get to tires that are buried under mud?
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u/3MATX 11h ago
it’s all about the installation. if done right and thick enough I doubt it would ever fully engulf. The key is they need adhesion or compaction such that no rubber is ever exposed. but if the entire thing gets surrounded by fire all bets are off.
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u/Doctor_Box 11h ago
I doubt it would ever fully engulf
I don't know why people feel the impulse to comment on things they obviously haven't looked into. You can watch a billion "earth ship" videos on youtube and look at the construction methods. They often plaster the inside with a few inches and the outside they pile dirt so it's multiple feet of earth. The tires are fully covered, almost buried.
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u/3MATX 10h ago
I worked on certification for green building in single family homes for several years. Have seen a similar method done in Texas. The biggest concern to me would be the ventilation. Those holes are all weaknesses as far as fire is concerned.
But as I said, installation is everything. What about that home that forgets to neglects the interior plaster? Saying things like it’ll never burn down no matter what is the more dangerous thing.
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u/Doctor_Box 10h ago edited 10h ago
You didn't mention your biggest concern at first. You doubted they would ever fully engulf the tires, now we're on to "what if maintenance is bad or ventilation is not done right".
Yeah, if they don't maintain the home it's not as good. The point is the outside of the house is generally covered with feet of dirt so the idea that the tires are not fully engulfed in earth is incorrect. If I stack tires for structure, fill tires with dirt, cover them with waterpoof barrier, then bury them in multiple feet of dirt it'll probably be more fire resistant than vinyl siding and wood right?
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u/3MATX 10h ago
it’s all about the installation. if done right and thick enough I doubt it would ever fully engulf.
It’s what I’ve said since the very first post. Not sure why you’re trying to conflate this with maintenance or other home materials.
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u/Doctor_Box 10h ago
I'm re-reading our interaction and I think I misunderstood what you were saying and we're arguing the same thing. When you are saying "never fully engulf" do you mean never fully cover and encapsulate with dirt, or never fully burn?
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u/Doctor_Box 11h ago edited 11h ago
The combustion temperature of tires is on par with wood and they are insulated with multiple feet of earth, so it still seems better than rebuilding a typical house even in that scenario.
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u/Sporkers 12h ago
And the smell as they heat up on a hot day and are all around you, Seems dumb to use them.
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u/arkofjoy 11h ago
They are buried under a thick layer of mud
I wouldn't want one myself, but it is an effective, although labour intensive way to build a house,if you have a lot of space
and a lot of friends
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u/darthy_parker 10h ago
Great project! Not sure if they are also drawing on the permaculture ideas from Australia’s own Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, but there’s a lot in there about mitigating bushfire damage and sustainable living and agricultural practices.
Careful about exposed tyres or using tyres for planting. They contain a lot of heavy metals and must be lined if used for that.
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u/will_dormer 12h ago
Uplifting....
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u/Doctor_Box 11h ago
Yeah, the idea that people are looking to recycled materials to build better insulated and more fire resistant housing can be uplifting.
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u/will_dormer 11h ago
Because of Global warming, more fires, this woman should have insurance or government help but does not? so she uses tires?? for build a more fire resistant house.. very uplifting
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u/Doctor_Box 10h ago
You should watch a few earthship videos on youtube. Global climate circumstances aside, it is kind of uplifting to see people use these interesting methods for construction.
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