These structures complete the series for my Earthbag Castle: Custom Chonburi, Tower House, Carriage House and Guard Tower. Now, everything has to be put together inside the castle wall. Stay tuned. The Carriage House is a garage with some shop space and a second floor apartment for extended family or ‘servants’. The Guard Tower serves Read More →
Archive for August, 2011
How to Build the Strongest Buildings That Can Last Centuries
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011:Dustin: I live in Florida where few domestic buildings last more than 50 years because of hurricanes. I explored the Monolithic Dome for quite some time. They have stood the test of direct hits by very powerful hurricanes that leveled the entire neighborhood; except the dome. The dome is the only sensible structure here. No Read More →
Castle Tower House
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011:The Castle Tower House is largely the same plan as the 2-story Roundhouse Above Survival Shelter with a crenellated roof design. In the earthbag castle I’m currently designing it’s used as a corner ‘watch tower’. Its primary function in ‘peace time’ is a guesthouse or office. Compare this version to the original plan to see Read More →
Custom Chonburi
Monday, August 29th, 2011:This design evolved from email discussions with one of my repeat customers who is building earthbag homes in South America. He wanted a larger, grander design that included a larger master bedroom, pantry, mechanical room and sitting room. My recent blog post on Earthbag Fortresses and Castles was quite popular and so I decided to Read More →
10 Reasons Why People Don’t Build With Natural Materials
Sunday, August 28th, 2011:Have you ever puzzled over why so many people choose to buy homes at outrageous prices that require 20-30 year mortgages even though they are often poorly built, made with materials that offgas hazardous substances and readily burn in house fires? In addition, these conventional houses are usually energy inefficient, require expensive ongoing maintenance, cause Read More →
Hobbit House with Wood Shingles
Saturday, August 27th, 2011:My Hobbit House design was one of the top viewed earthbag plans last week, and one of the most common search terms, so I reworked the roof to incorporate wood shingles. The first version showed a living roof, but these take a lot of maintenance and require an expensive EPDM rubber membrane. A wood roof Read More →