Wood, oil, hot water, natural gas, electricity. In a time of sky-high energy rates, none of the most common methods of heating our homes are exactly cheap.
But what if, simply by design, your home was its own heating source?

The concept isn't as far-out as it might seem at first glance. Self-sustaining homes are slowly popping up all over North America, and so-called "earthships" have officially landed in New Brunswick.

"It's an off-grid house built out of recycled and natural materials. All the heat is completely passive solar, which means the whole house is being heated only by its design," said earthship builder Wayne Fowler, from the site of a new project home being constructed on the Kingston Peninsula.

Land is currently being levelled on a section of the 40-acre parcel in preparation for construction of the two-storey structure, which will be constructed out of 1,500 salvaged tires filled with earth. By the time it's completed, the home will be the first engineer-approved and sanctioned structure of its kind in New Brunswick.

Earthships are built using thermal mass construction, a method of building that helps a structure naturally regulate its temperature. In the case of the N.B. site - which developers have dubbed the "Terraberma Project" - tires will be stacked in U-shapes, secured into a hillside, with south-facing windows and solar panels for maximum sun exposure.

"It's basically the same way you'd build a house with bricks," Fowler said, adding earthship construction is far more labour-intensive than traditional bricks-and-mortar building.

Earthships are marketed and designed by Earthship Biotecture, a New Mexico-based company for which Fowler worked as an intern in 2010. The company began designing and building sustainable homes in the '70s, though so far, Terraberma is the first to be approved by a New Brunswick engineer. Obtaining permissions and permits was a lengthy and challenging process for owners Jay and Jen Hannigan, Fowler says, and took roughly two years before the project was green-lit.

Earthships can be constructed with as little as $10,000, as most materials are donated, salvaged and reclaimed. In the case of the Terraberma Project, each tire was salvaged from auto shops and the Minto tire recycling plant. While cost estimates for this particular project haven't been tallied, Fowler says it's a more costly construction.

The house will be finished inside with cement stucco plaster, will utilize a 100-foot wind turbine and will be topped in part by a "living roof," covered with grass, moss and flowers. Cisterns in the roofing system will collect rainwater, which will be filtered and used in the home for drinking and bathing. The house is set to become the first in the province using an approved indoor grey water system, which will be used to water plants.

Project organizers are actively seeking volunteers and are ready to give site tours to anyone interested in learning more about earthship construction.

"It's a pretty important way of construction. I've been dabbling in different building projects for a while, and this is by far the most efficient design I've seen."

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Havelock Interested in learning more about building an earthship? Head down on Aug. 3-5 for a free tire pounding and alternative building workshop and learn how to build bottle bricks and an earthship-style tire wall. Camping space, parking and beverages will be provided.

I don't think I could sleep soundly living in a home constructed of tires.

I agree that it is a way to recycle them...but it is also a way to quickly accelerate a fire.

The house will be finished inside with cement stucco plaster

Earthships can be constructed with as little as $10,000