Yes I'm close to Kingman, I'm in Havasu (actually just north of Havasu in Crystal Beach). Also I've found online that there is a completed papercrete house here (Havasu – outside city limits I'm sure, either Donkey Acres or the Heights), I have the owner/builder's name and plan on contacting him soon to see how he got through the building permit process etc.
The wall - I'm starting with a small section, in case it doesn't work out. I have newspapers soaking in my mixer and am trying to figure out the best mix for this. Seems like it should be heavier on the cement side. What about the mix used to spray onto the big metal containers? That seems to stick pretty well.
I originally was looking into building with tires – earthships – but quickly found that pounding dirt into all those tires was a bit much physically for me! So I still have these tires and thought this might be something I can use them for.
Also, I didn't stagger them like you would for building, I'm setting them one on top of the other and then filling with alpaca manure/old hay from the alpaca pens, soaking it, then topping off with compost. I board about 17 of alpacas and needed a place (besides the compost pile) to get rid of this stuff so the plan, if it works, is to also use the wall for plants by leaving the top holes uncovered where I can put plants – maybe veggies, maybe cactus (natural security), or whatever.
I was also thinking about the possibility of using a slipform to pour papercrete between the form and the outside of the tires.
Terry in AZ
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