Tire Bale Homes
Tire Bale Home Design
At PSE Consulting Engineers, Inc., we’re always up-to-date on the latest trends in designing sustainable engineering projects. We’ve done the research on tire bale houses and it’s the newest trend in sustainable building. Are tire bales the right material for your structure?
We are ready to help you develop a tire bale house plan, with a full range of service options, including:
- Engineering Plans to Your Design
- Full Structural Analysis and Design of your Home
- Custom Architectural Plans
- Full Plan Packages for Permitting
- Team of engineers licensed in 50 states
Gingko House Architecture rendering provided by BrownKawa Farmstead
Important whole tire bale notes:
- Whole tire shall be baled by a proper vertical tire wire or steel straps Baler Machine.
- Five or more of 0.115 inch diameter or bigger wire or steel straps shall be used for the tire bales.
- The baler shall compress and wrap approximately 100 whole recycled/waste passenger, light and commercial truck tires into dense bales that weigh about 2200 lb.
- Tire Bale approximate dimensions vary in the range of 30 x 52 x 60 to 30 x 48 x 72 inches, based on the bale machine used. Also, half tire bales can be made.
Gingko House Architecture rendering provided by BrownKawa Farmstead
- Tire/tyre bales shall be strong enough to support load of 100,000 pounds without destroying the wires /steel strap or the bale.
- Tire bales shall be stacked in running bond like a brick: flat with the 30 inch dimension oriented vertically and the long length of the wires/straps oriented horizontally and parallel to the wall. Refer to details this sheet and next sheet.
- Bales should be securely baled using stainless steel or heavy gauge baling wire, free of any contaminants, such as petroleum products, weed seeds, or animal matter.
- STACKING: Scrap tire bales should be stacked, staggering the joints so that the vertical connections are offset from one another, preferably in alternating / brick style. In most applications they should not be stacked directly on top of each other or stacked at more than a 45 degree angle.
- One story buildings with maximum stack of four bales shall be allowed.
- Tire bales are a fire hazard before applying the stucco. Care must be taken to avoid accidental ignition of tire bales during construction.
- The final walls shall be covered with cement stucco/plaster per plans. The thickness of the stucco shall vary to fully fill the gaps between tires and tire bales. The minimum thickness shall be 1.5 inch at the thinnest location.
- Remove vegetation for at least 30 feet around the building.
- Use non-combustible building material on the exterior of the building such as roofing materials, roof vents, soffits, fascia boards, siding, etc… per your local building department requirement.
Sample Tire Bale Structural Plans created by PSE
New Mexico State Requirements
- Tire Bales are designed as alternative material, as they are not explicitly listed in the International Building Code, or International Residential Code. Therefore, all construction shall comply with Guidance for Use of Scrap Tires In Civil Engineering Applications by the New Mexico Environment Department, Environmental Protection Division, Solid Waste Bureau.
- Civil Engineering Applications that use tire bales or scrap tires must follow applicable federal, state, and local regulations. They must be constructed in a stable manner so that no scrap tires can break away from their parent structure and become “fugitives”. This Guidance provides practices that assist in meeting that end. A list of applicable statutes and regulations are provided, as well as New Mexico Environment Department (N MED) application forms. In general, both loose scrap tires and scrap tire bales must be anchored in order to prevent any movement of the resulting structure. Loose scrap tires should be filled with dirt, sand, rocks, or other inert material. In most applications, it is required that loose and baled scrap tires be covered with cement material as shown on these plans.