Not to detract from this excellent video, but Henna Khalili states in the YouTube comments section “the plastering I learned during the course is not durable.” What course? At Cal-earth? Anyone know more about this?
This video shows the dome under construction.
I typically use Redguard water proofers that costs $125 for a 3 gallon bucket which is very expensive but is very efficient. I use them in my showers on the fiber board and the pitched slope shower pan before I tile and have never gotten a call back from a builder or homeowner. And the average water fall in a shower in a year is about 30,00o times the annual rainfall of Seattle…..so that’s saying a lot. One of the builders I sub for uses this for waterproofing concrete and I think I will try this before I paint the domes..
http://www.lowes.com/pd_70989-29-6080-9-30_0_?newSearch=true&returnToShoppin
Also, to combat the tensile strength issue, assuming I am filling the poly tubes with a 3:1 sand:portland ratio, could I use U shaped rebar to pierce two rows together? When the mix hardens, the U shaped rebar locking the two rows together will be secure. I don’t think this would cost that much extra either. Then use the plastic netting and stucco and it should be a really solid structure then…..also, what about hammering rebar down into the rows vertically?
And the only other issue I am having is how to implement solar cells into the stucco side of the home while still being aesthetically pleasing. I’d like to incorporate that into the building without having a poles somewhere else on the property with solar panels on it…..
Thanks for the suggestions.
The link you provide goes to a different product. Please clarify.
About 5%-10% is most common for cement or lime stabilizing. Maybe 15% for more extreme situations.
hi Owen. I watched the video on my phone but couldn’t get sound. This was truly one of the best vids I have ever seen so far and is very inspiring. I can’t wait to order my poly tubes in 1000ft lengths and get started building something very similar on my new 1.5 acres in Knox, TN. I just need to get my sand, silt, and clay ratios right first. Any suggestions? When it’s done I think I will try the plastic netting method with regular stucco mix with portland for durability. That seems to be the best in my opinion from everything I have researched so far though…. I plan on making a very detailed youtube vid and posting it from start to finish. Any thoughts or ideas you could throw my way would be greatly appreciated. Owen, thank you for publishing this site and being a mentor to all the people of this world who dream to build affordable earth friendly homes in hopes of making this planet a better place for our children :) God bless….
Thank you. A wide range of soils can be used for earthbag. You don’t need a precise formula. Here’s a doc that explains soil testing for earthbags: http://www.earthbagstructures.com/details/soiltest/soiltest.htm
If you’re going to build domes in rainy climates, the biggest issue is stabilization of soils and waterproofing the exterior.