Can an earthship house be built in NY?

Question

Has anyone ever done it? Does it work well in the winter?

Answer 1

I have not found any indications it has been done in NY state yet, so expect some code approval problems.  The insulating properties will be great, but the problem is that tires are really flammable and can already be recycled into rubber, oil, or asphalt - so the "need" to make them into homes is dubious.  All rammed earth projects are susceptible to termite infestations as well - worse than log homes are.  

In a more remote part of the state, with a more adventuresome code inspector, it might work OK as a project.  But may I suggest you build this as a second home on a lot with intentions to tear down the original house once the earthship gets a Certificate of Occupancy (in case it takes a while) or that you start by making an outbuilding like a workshop using the process first, so you get to know the method and the building officials get their looks in on it before you go investing a lot in open land and setting a tight timeframe for an occupiable dwelling - it is just that the method is more "bleeding edge" than "leading edge" right now in most states, so you do not want to be paying finance charges on that, you know?