Structural aspects

Trailer Houses versus Earthbag Building

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I’ve been writing about the problems with building codes for a while now. Just for the record, I’m not 100% against codes. Limited codes can be beneficial, but the current situation is way over the top. This fact is well illustrated by comparing trailer houses (also called mobile homes) to buildings made of earthbags. A … Read more

Gable End Walls

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The photo above shows a gable end wall made with earthbags. Although you could build this way, it is faster and easier to frame gable ends with wood or bamboo. Framing the gable ends saves moving all that weight high on the wall. This little detail can save you days of hard work. This is … Read more

HNC House Loft Detail

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How do you get the most space for the least amount of money and yet still have a safe, durable, comfortable home? The two primary techniques we settled on in the HNC House design are large lofts and wrap-around porches. In the drawing above you can see how the lofts are built. The loft joists … Read more

Wood Pole Lintels

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One of the easiest and least expensive ways to build lintels over doors and windows is with small diameter wood poles. Poles are typically gathered inexpensively from local forests, sometimes with a firewood permit. In comparison, milled timbers, dimension lumber, and concrete and steel timbers are more expensive than pole lintels. Pole lintels are fast … Read more

Dirt-cheap Dirt Floors

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David Easton, author of The Rammed Earth House and owner of Rammed Earth Works in California, shares his earth floor building method in Popular Science. Click link below for full article. “My family and I live in a beautiful earth home with a handsome earth floor. It may sound unbelievable, but as a successful builder … Read more