Build Steps TA

This is intended to be a detailed guide to how we will build our Earthship.

Timing

Best to buy land late in the year. This gives us winter to get building permits in place, spring to get the lay of the land and find the water table, then we can dig out the footprint as soon as the ground thaws and start pounding tires before it gets too hot.

Prototyping

1. Water systems (this can be done before land)
   1. Water tank
   2. WOM
   3. Water pressure
   4. Send it out to a garden hose
2. Build a root cellar with tire walls (make it north facing to keep it really cool)
   1. Lay tires
   2. Dig it out
   3. Cement the inside
   4. Put on roofing

Pre-Tires

1. Build work shed (2x4 frame with plywood walls. Simple)
2. Start collecting used water bottles
3. Run Electrical to the shed
4. Stake out footprint
5. Dig down to below frost line
   1. Get a backhoe
   2. Dig down below frost line
   3. Pile dirt around footprint (for later use pounding tires)
   4. Level ground
6. Bury fireplace inlet

Tires

1. Get tires and organize by size (or get all the same size tires)
2. Layout and fill first row of tires. For each tire (here's a great video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cer3WKTOcy8):
   1. Position tire offset from previous row and 1" back
   2. Place cardboard in the bottom of the tire
   3. Screw the cardboard and tire in place (screw into previous row)
   4. Fill with dirt
   5. Pound dirt with sledge hammer
   6. Check level
   7. Add more dirt and repeat
   8. Its very important that each tire is level.
3. Place drainage pipes - (I had it wrong, these are cooling pipes, which may not be necessary)
4. Second row
5. Third row
6. Place thermal wrap
7. Remaining tires and thermal wrap
8. 3-4 weeks before tires, buttresses and stem wall are done, order the trusses
9. Concrete buttresses
10. Set the anchor bolts in the top tires and fill them with concrete
11. After the concrete has dried, cover the tires in 2mil plastic, staple in place
12. Place top plate of wood on tires (Vol.1 p102)

Framing

1. Stem wall
   1. Dig stem wall trench
   2. line with plastic
   3. Build rebar cage
   4. Place rebar and Pour concrete
2. Place support beams (in line with front of tires)
3. Place roof supports
4. Frame windows
   1. Beams should be in place above and below windows
   2. Place and square wood between each window (make sure it's square, can't check this enough times)
   3. Put in wood for windows with operable opening
   4. Put notching planks in place to hold window
5. Deck roof (use screws not nails)
6. Place skylights

Roof

1. --Chimney--?
2. Roof Layers (as I understand it):
   1. Metal roof
   2. OSB filler, pine perlins and heating tubes
   3. Hard insulation (poly-iso)
   4. Waterproof asphalt felt or tar paper
   5. Roof decking
   6. Trusses
      1. X bracing between trusses
      2. Insulation
      3. Vapor barrier
   7. Ceiling
   8. Decorative tin ceiling
3. Skylights
   1. Frame skylight
   2. Build glass top
   3. Weight skylight
   4. Rope
4. Gutters (leading in to pools)

Windows

1. Place windows
2. Seal windows
3. Place outside wood (to hold windows in place)
4. Aluminum flashing

Interior

1. Cover tires in concrete and fill gaps with bottles
2. Planters and cisterns
3. Cover floor in moisture barrier before pouring concrete
4. Concrete floor
   1. Frame sections (note that areas under the doors and any thing outside need to be separate pieces for insulation purposes)
   2. Concrete is not poured over planters
5. Dig Planters and cistern pools
6. Can/bottle planter walls
7. Walls (drywall)
8. Electrical (how does this get from the shed to the house)
9. Plumbing
   1. Install pumps to get water out of cisterns
   2. Install WOM
   3. Water pressurizer
   4. Run the whole thing out to a garden hose, use that for watering plants
10. Bathrooms
11. Run water to bathroom and put water heater in
    1. Bathtub
       1. Install bathtub
       2. Run water to shower nozzle
       3. Run drain to planters
    2. Sink
       1. Install sink unit
       2. Run water
       3. Run drains
12. Kitchen
    1. Hot water at source
    2. Kitchen Sink
       1. Install sink
       2. Install disposal
       3. Run water
       4. Connect drain
    3. Thermal mass fridge
    4. Oven/stove
13. Wood floor (I want the pipes and electrical right on the concrete with a false wood floor above that so if there is ever an electrical or plumbing problem or upgrade, I can get at it with out destroying anything)
14. Install fireplace
15. Thermal mass refrigerator

Post-Move In

1. Water trench (so that water will flow around the house and not soak up and through)
2. Electrical (solar, wind, stirling)
3. Solar water pre-heater