How do you keep a high vertical earthbag wall that is straight from toppling over? This is always a concern when designing and building standard rectilinear buildings with earthbags. The conventional solution generally relies on periodic buttresses and/or heavy-duty reinforced concrete bond beams at the top of the wall. I have come up with a … Read more
A hybrid earthbag and pallet building would provide excellent protection from the weather and would be virtually free to build with debris and discarded shipping pallets. The addition of rain water collection, humanure composting, and simple solar oven(s) would provide fresh water and help keep human waste safely out of the way. Any additional materials … Read more
There’s obviously a great deal of concern about the recent earthquake in Haiti. Disasters like this are all too common, and so we’re working hard to develop at least two low cost, easy to build earthquake-resistant earthbag house designs. We hope to be better prepared in the future with plans ‘ready to go.’ But in … Read more
The internet has been vibrating along with the earth since the great quake in Haiti, and I have received quite a few emails responding to this catastrophe, often with suggestions about ways to assist the Haitians. I’ll quote from one particularly thoughtful response: “I would like for you and your colleagues together to present our … Read more
See www.youtube.com for a slide show set to music of building a home with earth bags, earth plaster for the exterior and interior walls, and milk paints for the drywall…all with imagination for detail. This was a four year, artistic project completed by one woman along with the help of others here and there. Built … Read more
In many cases, buttresses are not the optimum solution for bracing earthbag walls. Post and beam designs are often preferable and have many advantages. Besides being less obtrusive, post and beam designs are suitable for wider range of styles, require less plastering, take up less space, and are faster and easier to build in many … Read more