According to an article in the Spanish language newspaper El Heraldo of Chihuahua, Mexico on January 11, 2010, a Mexican affiliate of the CalEarth Institute has just started construction of a demonstration “Superadobe” structure. This will become the Nutrition Rehabilitation Center for the Municipality of Guachochi, Chihuahua, the first prototype in the state of Chihuahua. … Read more
It deeply saddens me to see one disaster after another occurring around the world, especially since much of the tragedy could be prevented by building earthquake-resistant earthbag houses. The recent earthquake in Haiti is but one more example of this. Theo (Father Marc Boisvert) runs a project for the poor in Haiti. Their earthbag Sun … Read more
It’s difficult to know for sure how long earthbags will hold up in sunlight. Some brands fall apart pretty fast, as soon as a few weeks. Equatorial and high elevation areas may experience slightly more rapid deterioration due to increased UV levels. From my experience and what I have heard and read most bags hold … Read more
We can all learn a lot from each other, and so I’m encouraging everyone to send us their earthbag building experiences (favorable or unfavorable) so we can share the information with other readers. Earthbag builders are regularly experimenting with new ideas and techniques. If you have learned something interesting and think it can benefit others, … 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
Almost every part of a new home can be obtained at lower cost through using recycled goods and bartering. The concept is very simple. Someone, somewhere likely has an excess of what you’re looking for and will gladly trade or sell those goods at below market cost. For instance, plumbers replace sinks and bathtubs routinely. … Read more