Ransom Ranch is Now for Sale

For many years I have had a link to the building of Marcia Gibbon’s earthbag project in Arizona at earthbagbuilding.com, so I was particularly interested when I noticed that the place is now for sale. The 18-acre ranch has 12 fruit trees, an organic garden that grows flowers and nuts, and a private well, but … Read more

Restoring an Ancient Spanish Castle

Castell de Llaés in Catalonia, Spain dates back to the 10th century. The castle is owned by an elderly Catalan couple who bought the crumbling building from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vic in 1994.  Joan Tarrida i Miquel and  Esther Capdevila spent 16 years restoring the castle and were looking for its next stewards … Read more

A Simple Earthbag House in Jamaica

This environmentally friendly house was built with durable, empty bags filled with raw earth. The structure employed rice bags with local soil from the site (with additives), along with barbwire acting as tensile strength. Earthen plaster was then applied to the exterior for a smooth finish. Earthbag construction has remarkable strength and longevity. It can … Read more