Yaba Daba Doo! - by Cai Tierra
What would bring a woman in her 50s to the desert from the wet Pacific northwest? It is likely a sense of adventure and freedom. With the experience of designing and building her last three homes, and the desire to build again—along with the freedom Mexico provides . . . to try anything . . . to build anything—in addition to the lower cost of building was all the motivation Andrena Joyce needed.
San Felipe offered a quiet and peaceful environment, like-minded friends and a lower cost of living. A place where creative talents can expand and flow into all aspects of life.
Inspired by friend and business partner, Melody Ashley, who first started tire construction with a fence around her property, Andrena Joyce, a local artist, designed a house made entirely of tires. Choosing to build a "green" house came easy for Joyce, both as an artist and having already built "green" in the past. Originally from Oregon, she designed and built a log home with her family. She also built a solar home in El Dorodo Ranch.
Choosing to use old tires was easy—they were free, plus the material is both strong and smart. The tires are packed with red dirt then wrapped with wire and cement to cover, providing excellent insulation. It also cleaned up tires in the desert and along the roadside. They're organic looking . . . a Flintstone of Bedrock look.
There are no fumes from tires, and it is NOT a friendly environment for insects or mold. The walls are two-feet thick, providing amazing strength and footing and incredible insulation for the hot Mexican summers, plus the thickness in the walls significantly cuts down on outside noise. In addition, these homes will still be standing when others are long gone!
Tires are free for the pickin'! They create a unique structure and clean up the environment by using a material that does not decompose. Joyce hopes others will be inspired to use this method of building and that we will see less discarded tires along the road and in the desert, and, instead, see more beautiful, sustainable homes and structures.
When she first started building, Joyce had no idea what the total cost would be. It was kind of an experiment. She was very pleased that it was about the same as block construction with foam insulation. There were higher labor costs because it is more labor intensive, but the building materials were less.
Joyce enjoyed building the home so much that she built a second one right next door and would love to build more. Building a tire house was exciting and, in the end, she found living in a tire house brings a sense of security, an organic feel from the curves and bumps of the tires, "almost womb-like" says Joyce, "very cozy and welcoming as well as artistic and unique."
Joyce has been living in her larger tire home for almost three years, which is now for sale. When it sells she says she'll move into the smaller one next door.
Casa de llantas is $149,000. Owner financing available. The home has an open floor plan, large kitchen/dining area, utility room, big living room, and bedroom suite with a walk-in closet and bath. The bedroom and living room sliders open to the patio. Upstairs there's a second large bedroom with a bath and a rooftop patio. The house has city water and electric, a landscaped and fenced yard, brick garage, tiled floors, tiled counters, custom-built cabinets, arched windows, and heat and air conditioning. It's also furnished and ready to move in and enjoy!
Joyce is always happy to show off these unique homes. They've been on the SFAARP tour of homes. To tour one of the homes, call Joyce at (686) 210-4598 or email andrenajoyce@yahoo.com.
More Photos: Photos of the house