I just read this article about the toxic effects of new houses that used drywall material shipped from China to the US in the last few years. Many people are getting quite sick and can no longer live in these contaminated homes. Nobody quite understands exactly what the cause is, except that the suspect drywall … Read more
The folks at The Year of Mud: Building a Cob House have put together a great site, including very informative articles on creating mosaics in earth plaster and building a reciprocal roof (we’ll save this for a future topic). Dirt cheap techniques like mosaics can really enhance the appearance your home. In addition to mosaics, … Read more
One of the biggest issues in society is the cost of housing. Hundreds of millions of people can’t afford housing (even in the US, Europe, etc.). So, there’s a huge demand, but a lack of affordable supply. Here is a prime business opportunity for those who are knowledgeable about earthbag building, since earthbag (sandbag) houses … Read more
Creating scale models is a great way to learn earthbag building techniques and help visualize your future home. Tim Merritt sent me some pics of models he’s been working on and I was so impressed I wanted to share them with other readers. Tim used modeling clay for his models. Kelly Hart created models for … Read more
I want to poke a stick at spending thousands on an earthbag building workshop. For that same money you could do all of the following: – learn carpentry fundamentals and basic wiring and plumbing through websites, library books and videos; – buy several books; – volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and weekend natural building wall … 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