The earthbag clinic and school buildings in Leogane have unfortunately experienced cost overruns. Obviously this is a very important topic, and doubly so when building in developing countries where budgets are very tight. One problem has been the unusually high cost of materials, which can be much higher than in the US. The main expense … Read more
This Instructable describes an innovative way to build walls using bamboo or wood saplings and bags of insulation. We’ll be using bamboo for this Instructable since it is rapidly renewable, low cost and readily available in many parts of the world. Let’s start with some background information to better understand what is involved. People often … Read more
I’m real happy with how the sample vetiver/clay block and earthbag turned out. This follow-up report summarizes some of the pros and cons. You can read the first report here. The block dried in a few days, but the mix in the bag was slow drying (it took about 2-3 times longer to dry) and … Read more
Today’s post is from a group in Pakistan who’s building flood resistant houses. “Sir, the size of the structure is 20 feet by 12 feet. We have given a buttress on the back wall. We dug an 18 inch trench and put gravel till 6 inches. After doing so we tampered the gravel so that … Read more
Just like polypropylene bags, raschel bags also are susceptible to UV damage. This is no surprise to long term readers, but I’m just reporting my experience to encourage earthbag builders to protect their structures from ultraviolet damage. The raschel earthbag made on approximately January 5 for my post titled Open Weave Fabric: Ideal Working Properties … Read more
Today’s post is from Eco Friendly Shelters. You know, it’s one thing to talk about the excellent fire resistance of earthbag structures in the abstract, but I’m sure living through a forest fire would be much different — possibly life changing. As bad as these experiences are, they get people thinking really hard about what … Read more