JASPER, Mo. (AP) — A southwestern Missouri man is taking recycling to the extreme by building a house made from everything from old tires to cardboard and wood scraps from dilapidated barns.

The Joplin Globe reports that 36-year-old Jimmy Carter expects to complete his 3,500-square-foot house near Jasper in about four years.

The home, at least now, consists of hundreds of earth-packed tires. It eventually will feature more than 1,000, each weighing 300 pounds.

Carter says the house will have minimal reliance on electricity and gas. Solar energy will come from sun-facing windows. Rainwater will be collected through gutters into cisterns.

Three sides of the house will be tucked into the earth, with the roof sitting just a foot or so above level ground.

Carter figures he already has spent about $4,000 on the home, mostly for gravel and the use of a bulldozer. He expects the project’s price tag to be about $25,000.