Yesterday’s blog post about a built-in mass heater was popular. Caleb, one of our readers, reminded us of hypocausts – underfloor heating systems — that have been used for centuries. Even if you’ve read about this before, it pays to go back and reread this type of information from time to time. For instance, I … Read more
Hi! I am a Pakistani born Canadian citizen. Trained as a civil engineer, I focused myself on green earth technologies. Self educated with reading books & info. on net by great people like Dr Owen, Kelly Hart, Prof. Nadir Khalili. I am building earthbag dome in a flood hit area (Badin Pakistan) .This project is … Read more
DIY masonry heater with oven. Very practical. These stoves will burn for several days with no fire tending. The builder had no previous brick laying experience. Click for free building instructions with drawings. The Masonry Heater Association of North America (lots of great pics and plans on masonry heaters and ovens, and they teach workshops)
Luke, the reader who’s doing our Facebook fan page, sent me this amazing story. It’s all in Russian and I haven’t translated it yet. They built a mass heater/fireplace into the earthbag wall. The thick earthbag wall is the mass. Rough translation of a few snippets: Earthbag house with a brick oven in the suburbs. … Read more
From Haim, a reader in Hungary: “What gets me about the [building] permits in America is they are basically useless. Consider: – Hurricanes in Florida – Fires in California – Cold as Siberia upper peninsula Michigan The above 2x4s and drywall just don’t hold up well. People slave their whole life just to not be … Read more
La Casa Vergara was designed by José Andrés Vallejo and built in Bogotá, Colombia in just 5 months, early in 2011. I am delighted to see that professional architects are beginning to accept earthbag technology as a viable approach to building. La Casa Vergara is a fine example of an upscale home that is built … Read more