Using earthbags for interior walls would take up too much space and so they’re generally not recommended for this purpose. Thinner interior walls are more efficient. The easiest solution is to frame interior walls with 2x4s or, for plumbing walls, 2x6s. But there are more sustainable alternatives. On some of my plans I use adobe, … Read more
Do earthbags really become hard as rock or is this exaggeration? I did a little experiment on the roundhouse we’re currently building to find out. The answer depends primarily on the choice of fill material and the degree of compaction. The moisture content and curing process also play a role. We used road base – … Read more
One way to save money and reduce your impact on the environment is to use unmilled roundwood when building your home. Wood in the round is much stronger than standard dimension lumber and requires less processing. In our case it enables us to use local, sustainably grown wood instead of wood shipped hundreds of miles. … Read more
It seems most people are using wood to attach rough frames (“bucks”) for windows and doors to earthbags. We have termites in our area and so we’re using galvanized sheet metal for this purpose. I’ve used both kinds and discovered sheet metal anchors are much faster to make. The first step is to cut sheet … Read more
Wrapping walls in mesh – starting under the first course of bags and going over the top of the bond beam – is a simple way to add a great deal of extra strength to your earthbag structure. Fishing net and plastic lath are ideal for wet climates. Galvanized wire lath or chicken wire is … Read more
My previous post described an alternative bond beam for curved walls; this post is on straight walls. Conventional reinforced concrete bond beams may not be affordable or the materials unavailable. Or maybe you want to reduce or avoid using cement. Here’s one low-tech, low-cost bond beam design. It’s even possible to use salvaged materials for … Read more