While Owen and I often point out the problems associated with dealing with codes and the officials who administer them, the flip side of this is that establishing a good relationship with the building authorities can make projects possible that would otherwise be denied. Building codes do generally allow alternatives to the common methods of … Read more
The easiest way to create straight vertical corners when building with earthbags is by using corner guides in each corner. These are typically built with two 2x4s nailed together to form a right angle. Secure each corner guide with a stake at the bottom and two angled braces, which are also staked. (Note how we … Read more
Jeffrey Bousquet is the winner of our earthbag building contest that sought new building ideas. The intent was to gather and share the best original earthbag building ideas for my upcoming earthbag book, which should be finished in one month. This included creative building ideas that simplify, save labor, speed construction, reduce costs, and improve … Read more
Bit by bit, word of earthbag building is spreading. Even though no large industry or organization has thrown their might behind the effort, earthbag continues its grassroots growth. Occasionally we stop and ponder, in a focused way, what can be done to facilitate this growth. With that in mind, here’s a partial list of needs … Read more
I have been consulting with Mike Parker who started www.childrenofthedump.org in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico about how to build inexpensive, ecological housing for poor families who subsist off recycling materials from the city dump. They typically live in shacks and shanties that are often not adequate for their needs, nor do they provide proper housing for … Read more
Note: This is probably the closest we’ve come to going viral with our message about earthbag building. Skim to the bottom of this blog post and look at all the sites that are posting this story. And that’s just a few. The surge of interest came from my recent articles at Instructables.com, which combined have … Read more