Here’s our third earthbag bench. I love these small projects. They’re so simple and practical. This one was made almost entirely with surplus materials: a few extra bags filled with gravel, cement plaster and scrap tile. It was built during the construction of our earthbag roundhouse so all the tools, materials, etc. were all in place.
For bony butts may I suggest a padded cushion for your bench? Maybe some wire loops at each end allowing the seat to be tied down.
*It seems like instead of a second story I just need a sleeping loft?
That’s the easiest. It’s difficult lifting materials up in the air to build a 2nd story. Also, hot air naturally rises, so your sleeping loft will tend to be warm and cozy.
sq ft of living space, and would like the option to upgrade down the road by adding a second story.
Anything to point me in the right direction would be appreciated. Are my goals unrealistic? Thank you ever so much.
Austin.
The roundhouse idea enables a 2nd story or loft. Read about our roundhouse on this blog. Note the super simple roof design. There’s room for a loft with no extra work.
Hello Mr. G,
You are fantastic and provide an enormous service to the public with your various projects. I have told everyone about you, keep up the good work.
I am buying some land and want to build a house. I feel like this oppertunity may not present itself again for some time so I spend the bulk of my day plotting this endeavor.
I am a pretty simple ex-military guy and focus on ease of use and execution. I will have a five week window. What is the fastest method I can employ to manifest this house?
I would just buy a prefab cabin and be done with it, but that is not a secure structure. I believe in a secure home, require maybe 400 s
Five weeks is not much time. You could build a small dome or a small house in that time if you work hard and you’re in good shape. It will go faster if you have scoria as fill material and at least one other person to help. I would make a roundhouse. That’s the simplest, fastest shape to build in my opinion, assuming you have some carpentry skills to build a roof.
Our blog describes lots of labor saving technqiues, so be sure to read everything. Ex: buy pre-mixed road base and pile it around the job site to minimize labor.
That looks great! I love the tile top. Is that earth plaster? Is it painted or was color added to the plaster?
The top is left over tile and scraps from the roundhouse. The sides are painted with leftover paint, although you could mix any color of plaster.