It is best to start laying bags starting at the corners and doorways and work toward the center of the wall. And when you get to the center, you’ll probably have these small spaces left. I call these custom bags. I’m going to demonstrate how to fill this gap with a small bag or custom bag. I just estimate about how much soil will fit here. Remember it will compress quite a bit. Just fold the bag over. And then just tamp it into the opening.
I’ve recently published six new YouTube videos on various natural building topics on my Earthbag Natural Building channel.
Dr. Geiger, I watched the finished roundhouse video on youtube. It’s beautiful! Were your bags 18″ x 30″? Approximately how many bags did you use? Thanks for continuing to post information. Our house is still a dream in the making, but with each new blogpost or video, it gets a little closer to reality.
Thanks, Ginger. We used 18″x30″ bags. That’s the best size for 99% of earthbag structures. We used exactly 500 bags on our roundhouse. That includes two courses below grade.