November 18, 2022

Mon Power’s Rob Barbor thinks outside the box – and doesn’t mind reinventing the wheel in the process.

In fact, when building a new home, the Transmission Forestry specialist and active member of the Mon Power’s Green Team made a concerted effort to include tires and sustainable materials in his design.

“While on a trip to Taos, New Mexico, I toured one of the Earthship demonstration homes made from tires, bottles and cans that utilized photovoltaic systems for energy,” explained Rob. “The idea of reusing materials for the construction of my home really appealed to me. I was totally amazed by the resiliency, frugalness, efficiency and resourcefulness of these homes.”

Tires became a central design theme for Rob. Automotive tires are generally considered single-use items that are thrown away after serving their intended purpose. However, Rob was determined they could be used to make something functional – like his new house.

“Reaching out to local shops, I found a ready supply of used tires,” explained Rob. “These shops are charged a disposal fee to get rid of old tires, so my request to cart them away created a win-win situation.”

In addition to tires, Rob incorporated other sustainable or recycled items, such as glass bottles, slate and local on-site wood, soil and photovoltaic energy.

(L.) “Casa Barbor” – the finished house in its glory. Note the wall constructed of used tires. (R.) Rob used tires and glass bottles to create this wall to be functional and visually appealing.

“I chose a sunny southern slope on my family’s property and excavated a terrace to begin a building process called earth ramming,” said Rob. “Rammed earth has been used for construction of human dwellings for thousands of years. Many different forms can be used for the process, but in this case, I used tires.”

The tires provide a rubber-encased, steel-belted form that when “rammed” with earth is essentially bomb proof and has a high thermal mass. Approximately 600 tires later, Rob had built the massive load bearing walls of the structure.

The tire walls were finished with “cob,” an earthen plaster made from onsite clay, straw and sand. He then finished the walls with a plaster containing lime whitewash mixed with clay and installed a wall of southern-facing windows to absorb the sun’s energy throughout the day – which is captured and stored in the home’s massive earthen walls. This energy is slowly released to the living quarters at night.

Since the home was built into a hillside, the design also cools the dwelling in the summer. The passive heating and cooling design coupled with high thermal mass walls eliminates the need for an active heating and cooling system. Rob has no mortgage, no water bills, no gas bills and a minimum electric bill (most months he gets a credit on his bill).

“I installed a 4.2-kilowatt photovoltaic array, which is now tied to the grid, to generate onsite electricity,” Rob explained. “I also built a rainwater catchment and installed two 1,200-gallon concrete cisterns for water storage. It’s so nice having gravity fed spring water on tap.”

An exterior of the property, complete with rainwater catchment and rooftop photovoltaics.

For the interior framing, trim and utilitarian features of the home, he used wood harvested from his property. And to enhance esthetics in an earth-friendly way, Rob constructed a wall of glass bottles on the west side of the dwelling. In the evenings, sunlight from the windows pours through the different colored bottles creating a beautiful mosaic look – and the final touch on an idea come fully to life.

“I believe our homes are an extension of ourselves,” noted Rob. “Through conscious design, passive system implementation and onsite resource utilization, I created a home that interfaces beautifully with the land that I will enjoy for years to come.”