I asked about a year ago, about using old tires for building things like retaining walls. After a buncha looking around, I've finally begun gathering materials. I am building this wall around back of the house, and around 2 sides of the garage. Behind the house, it will create room for 8+ cords up near the house. Around the garage, I want the parking and trailer storage, but also to hold up the garage foundation. I might create a separate structure to hold the foundation up (say mafia blocks stacked along the foundation, 2 high), but I really want the weight of the retaining wall and the fill behind it, to equal/exceed the outward force of the foundation. (then I'll deal with the sinking garage floor inside). back fill options: gravel really well tamped, 3/4 aggregate tamped if it will tamp, plain old soil/dirt (with rocks)=fill, soaked or tamped. What is the best or another material for weight? Drainage is not an issue as far as water getting in there from below grade. The tire-wall will be 10' away from the garage, maybe 6' tall. A single tire, packed well with earth will weigh in at 300#. so there's no need for footings. Tiers will be set-back an inch or more from the one below. I'll screw the tires to the tier below. SCA
Generally at least one side wall is removed to aid in getting a complete fill with no voids. both removed is better. for stabilization a couple rebar section or something similar are anchored below the bottom layer preferably below the frost line for wall type assemblies that are in essence free standing. in the case of a retaining wall and H or U shaped assembly is used to provide support in the horizontal plane. Keeps things from getting pushed out into the open area.
have you looked at how earthhomes are built from tires? might get some ideas from that. I saw on youtube a guy do a retaining wall from dry bags of concrete. I can't recall what they did to anchor them if they did at all but I think they drove rebar down? They than lightly sprayed the bags and it pretty much set up.
In the Pines I looked at Earthships, a pretty particular build. I found a few vids on tire retaining walls, and got some ideas....of what to and not to do. Warner , thanks for the offer. Might take you up on that. I hit up tire places in my town most said they have them hauled, or for liability reasone couldn't let me have them. One guy pointed to the folks who take his tires, a town away. Not only does he have. S.ton of tires, he will save money for not hauling them away himself, and I can go any time to grab as many as I like. Symbiotic relationship. If I collect 200+, I might well exhaust his supply. chris I was thinking of pounding rebar spikes around the outside edge at the base. The first 30' will be based on a stone/concrete sidewalk, so spiking will be interesting there. Once I hit dirt, a couple spikes per tire would be pretty straight forward.
For the sake of those planning a similar build: Smaller tire walls means easier to pack. Im picking only walls that are aspect ratio of 65 and lower. That beats cutting tire walls off...a stinky process....and creating waste to haul off. Kicking some dirt in with the feet is better than swinging a hammer for the first couple bucket loads. Using a pick axe to lift the tire wall, and hammer dirt under the walls, works well. 255/60 size tires takes about 7 buckets of sand, packed. Screwing the new teir down to the old is a good idea. 1.5" sheetrock screws worked. Cutting a tire for the end cap, use 2 like tire sizes. Square tamper is a worth while tool. Im not being quite as picky as an Earthship build. I quit leveling tire to tire....or even each tire. They're close, and if they lean back a tad, i'm ok with that. I created a 1.5" setback jig to be used with a torpedo level. I'm not going to be too picky about tire sizes, I'll get them close, with each course being similar sizes. If the seams don't match the course above exactly, I'll be ok with that. This morning. 2 yds of sand handy. Will try dirt with some rocks next. End cap worked out well. End of day. Took time off to get more tires...17, and larger ones for the base teir further down the line. I reckon each tire packed weighs 300#. In the little dirt V between tires, I'll plant vining stuff.....Myrtle, Uanamous, Vinca. I have about 60 Myrtle cuttings rooting inside.
But they held the tire fairly still whilst I was pounding it with the sledge. 4 screws held well. I dont suppose they provide much lateral resistance.
The set-back jig. 1.5" back from the course below. I was hot and sweaty from work, so I played out back for a couple hours. Did some problem solving, came up with some good solutions. Its a beautiful yet humid evening.
I have been picking away at this wall for a buncha weeks now. As with most physical labor, I'm getting more done doing three or four hours at a clip around the work schedule. I've used much more stone than I initially thought I would. After loading with a few yards of sand, I let it sit for a couple weeks through some rain....another wet summer here in CT. But, the water ran off, showing me where I need stone. Once up to finish height, this section will have firewood and a shed, so it won't see much rain water, other than runoff. The rest of the wall area behind the garage I'm thinking I'll pitch away, and cover with topsoil so water generally will run off. I'm up to 9yds stone, 15 yds sand fill and maybe 50 tires. I've had some fill/stone delivered, and have moved all of it by hand/wheelbarrow. A WB full of stone is about 240#. At 2400#/yd, we moved a 7 yd delivery 16,800# by hand from driveway to site. Excellent work out, and just as rewarding as wooding. Moving it by hand also lets me place it where I want each load, planning and figuring things out. I need to place about 15 more tires with the accompanying back fill to have enough completed to begin stacking this winter's cordwood. I'd like to think I'll build the roof structure before wood goes up. Progress as of Friday afternoon. Finish level is just a few inches lower than the concrete patio thingy. Pallets will make up the difference, but I'm thinking about skipping pallets and stacking directly on gravel.
Got the first 8' done, and out of the corner. I tamped as I went, but hope we get a little rain to settle it further....then more stone to level out any low spots. The straight bit of wall weighs in at 7500#, 28" wide, about 15' long, and a tad under 4' tall. Total cost only for fill is still under $900. It will be another few weeks before I get another 10' finished, and a shed built, but I could stack some of this winter's wood if I needed to. The end is nowhere near in sight, but getting a little done to finish grade is a huge psychological boost. Sirstaxalot....
Ive been covering my work, so rain doesn't move sand around and fill the stone up. Now the top is done in that spot, and stoned off, im good with it getting rained on to see if it will settle further. It did rain, it did not settle notably, but the top is a bit firmer. 7yds of sand-fill came yesterday, wheelbarrowing it back today... Mrs. Sirchopsalot and her brother helped....really got a lot done.
She does. Constant companion, more or less the love of my miserable existance. I like her in pics for scale.
It is. A lot of energy. About the same as bringing in 20 cord a summer. I am so very glad we pushed hard last few years. I haven't moved much wood this year. I'll have to push hard next year though.....maybe this fall I'll do a little. So far it's turning out better than I have planned. I'm itchy to get a shed built and wood stacked.
