[Cob] Tires For a Foundation?

[Amanda Peck]

I've done steps with what could be called "topless tires" filled with 
gravel.  And I have a large number of topless (one sidewall cut off) tires 
to do a retaining wall with.  One of these years.

check out this site--picture at the top is of a tire wall that has been 
there for around 70 years apparently with no paint or anything.

http://www.touchtheearthranch.com/tirestart.htm

Here's a goat shed made with topless tires, partly buried in the earth, it 
may function the way you expect your foundation to--or you can do the whole 
thing--see this site for more information--on pounding tires.  One of the 
things the site owner does is build tire houses.

http://www.touchtheearthranch.com/goatshed.htm

Idea for my steps--and Michael Shealey's goat shed--came from here:

http://www.tirecrafting.com/funbook2/funbook2.htm

My problem with the idea of tires as a foundation for much of 
anything--except more tires--is that there are going to be places where the 
circles just touch--how did you plan on 15-20" cob walls spanning this?  
There are ways around it--not sure I love either of the two I know.

Somebody in a book I've long since lost--I think it was by Mike Reyonlds of 
Earthship (TM) fame--once recommended cutting tires in half and screwing 
them to the lined up tires to fill out the foundation.

Sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

One could also cut BOTH sidewalls off your tires and then they can be shaped 
any way you want--like into squares.  Michael Shealy's goat house is made 
with topless tires, only one sidewall cut off.  I wonder how stable it would 
be if both sidewalls were off.  Might be a case where concrete-fortified 
"soil cement" would make sense.

Other non- or low-concrete possibilities for a foundation include 
earthbags--these guys did do a house in the Virgin Islands (?) have a 
discussion of coral rock.  Very nice book, by the way.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0865715076/102-5033885-9976111?v=glance

Gabions--although more stuff would have to be imported to 
make--assemble--them, not sure if your gravel/rock is large enough to stay 
in, although they do come with different kinds of wire mesh.

I think they can be a little easier to use than this--famous vaulted straw 
bale house, reputedly overengineered beyond belief.   I'd suspect there's a 
strong possibility that you don't need to weld them into place, that the 
fasteners that come with them will do a pretty good job.  This is a really 
fun site to wander around in, by the way.

http://www.potkettleblack.com/natbild/jakubal.html
......................................

Beno wrote:
The whole reason for doing this would be to stabilize the foundation. I 
envision them as big flat boulders. Now, if I somehow attached those tires 
together in a ring and to tires within the circle, all stuffed and tamped 
with caliche gravel, as in my diagram, then I believe it would be very 
stable. But that's the opinion of someone who's never done it ;) Which is 
why I solicit yours :))
As far as my climate, I live in the Dominican Republic, so I'm not too 
worried about freezing <g>. It's not tropical but close to tropical where I 
live.