For ease of getting a permit for earthbag houses, buy rural land with few or no building restrictions. Ask building officials about building restrictions before buying land! Some will let you build with alternative materials (earthbag, strawbale, adobe, etc.), some won’t. Although alternative materials are allowed by code, some counties make the process so difficult … Read more
Jorge Dominguez has been building earthbag houses in Hawaii for some time, and he recently emailed me some of his thoughts about this way of building as it relates to durability, financing, and insurance. I think that he has touched on some very important issues that I would like to share with you. “I was … Read more
In May of 2009, Kelly Hart was interviewed for nearly an hour by Veronica Entwistle for her “Paradigm Shifters” Radio Program, at www.bbsradio.com. Veronica and the station have been kind enough to allow you the opportunity of listening to some or all of this interview directly. Either the entire program, or specific aspects of sustainable … Read more
Where are you going to build your sustainable home? For the best possible life you’ll want to find a community of people with the right attitude. In Crestone, Colorado, for example, there are straw bale, earthbag, adobe, earthship houses, etc. on almost every block. This tiny town has around 125 of these alternative buildings. The … Read more
I find it very heartening to notice that several earthbag dwellings have been approved by building authorities recently. The most recent one is located near Berea, Kentucky, and is profiled as the Kentucky Dome Home on our website. This house was designed by John Capillo, the owner, and was built with the assistance of HomeGrown … Read more
John Annesley chose earthbags to build the walls for his large shop in the Arizona desert because they will never rot, burn, harbor mold or off-gass noxious chemicals. Additionally they provide good thermal mass for the fly-wheel effect that works so well in this climate. He plastered the walls with a combination of paper fiber, … Read more