33’ (10m) Roundhouse with Open-air 2nd Story

The blog post about my Hobbit House plan with second story open-air deck (scroll down to the fifth design) was very popular and so I decided to offer the same feature on my 33’ Roundhouses – both one and two bedroom versions. The concept is very simple – it’s easy to stay comfortable in hot … Read more

Ladder Bond Beam

Most earthbag builders use concrete bond beams on vertical wall structures. That’s the best choice, especially in seismic or high wind areas. But what if you’re not in a seismic or high wind area? If money is tight, time is short and you’re more of a carpenter than a concrete worker then consider using a … Read more

Patagonian Earthbag Pit Greenhouse

The folks at Our Little Thing blog have created a wonderful example of a pit greenhouse built with earthbags, PVC pipe, some wood, and plastic cover.  This is the second one they have built, having learned many things from the first trial. In the harsh Patagonian climate, they plan to grow many things that are … Read more

The Beauty of Traditional Thatching

Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (Cladium mariscus), rushes and heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates. Thatch is still … Read more

Earthbag Pit Greenhouse Plans

I see at least two main approaches to building a pit house with earthbags: 1. Mimic Mike Oehler’s greenhouse design using earthbags instead of poles and shoring. 2. Mimic conventional walipini pit greenhouses. That’s what I’ve chosen to do in the following drawing. It’s very similar to typical walipini’s, so follow the directions in the … Read more

Hobbit House with Second Story Deck

Here’s another version of the Hobbit House (five versions altogether) showing an open-air second story deck and rectangular windows. The deck adds another 471 square feet of living space at very little extra cost. This design is perfect for hot climates where breezes make a big difference in comfort. The deck can be accessed by … Read more