Hyper-Wattle on Rubble Bags

Here’s Patti Stouter’s entry for the $300 House design competition. Rubble bags on lower walls provide a solid, flood resistant wall. Hyper-wattle provides lightweight insulating upper walls made of mesh tubes. Thin walls conserve space and materials, and take less labor. Her design is one of only a few in this competition that could actually … Read more

Alternative Fill Materials for Eternally Solar Earthbags

We’ve been discussing the Eternally Solar earthbag building system at length. Engineering tests show their walls exceed building code requirements even when filled with sand. Their bags are also used to form lintels and bond beams. As exciting and practical as this is, there’s a wide range of other options. Their earthbags can be filled … Read more

Durability of Earthbag Homes

Previous blog posts have explained how earthbag homes are similar to rammed earth (see Ancient Rammed Earth Structures) and compressed earth (see Impact Testing Megablocks with Black Powder Cannon). And in comparison to adobe, which is also quite durable, earthbags gain additional durability from: – Tamping (greater density, less air space, clay platelets bonded together) … Read more

Mesh Bags Sewn to Work Like Eternally Solar’s Bags

Several previous posts have already covered the basics of the Eternally Solar’s earthbag system. Today Dr. Johnny Anderton of Eternally Solar / EarthBagBuild explains how mesh bags can be sewn to work like their bags. Owen: What about sewing mesh bags or tubes (Hyperadobe) to create a product similar to yours? Can owner builders do … Read more

More Details About Eternally Solar’s / Earthbag Building System

Today’s post is from Dr. Johnny Anderton of of Eternally Solar / EarthBagBuild. We’ve been discussing various aspects of their building system over the last week or so. Clearly, this is another great earthbag system to study and learn from. “The design of the bags with the central channel allow for a lot of variation … Read more