We just got a notice from the Earthbag Network Forum that “the downtime with our website has been fixed and we hope you’ll stop back. I’d like to thank the programmers who donated their time to fix the problem as our budget for the site is fitting for a website about low cost building methods! So stop back: earthbagnetwork.com”
I encourage anyone interested in sharing information about earthabg building to join and participate in this forum. It is the only true forum about earthbag building that I know about, and active involvement is what keeps a forum alive.
I have a question.
I have a friend that is building a small house as she goes. A concrete slab foundation has already been poured with plumbing. She was going to use cinderblock for the exterior walls, but I don’t like that idea for moisture problems and r value. Is it possible to do earth bag walls on an already existing slab?
Yes, it certainly is possible, especially if the concrete pad was created with a standard thickened edge foundation for the original intended construction.
The Earthbag Yahoo Group is probably the largest and most popular forum: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/earthbag/
Hello, I have a question, my wife is a little insecure about a 100% earthbag home. So, to compromise I suggested we have columns like a traditional home. But instead of putting brick in between the columns we put sand bags. Is this a good idea? Considering the sand bag wall will not be connected to the other sand bag walls? Perhaps , I can use rebar to connect them to the columns. That way it will be stronger. What do you guys think?
You could use earthbags as infill like you describe, and securing them to the columns with rebar would be a good idea.
Anyone know of any bag manufacturers or suppliers in Uganda ?
There’s an NGO who is planning an earthbag project in Uganda in January. They must have found a source. (Sand bags are made all over the world for flood control and military use.)
The project is described on our Bulletin Board: http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/bulletin.htm
I just went to the Network website and the first click takes me to the Gobbler Knob blog and the Bag-A-Nator, which is a human powered mechanism to more quickly fill bags! WHEW! This looks like a great way to help some folks fill their bags.
link to the Bag-A-Nator page:
http://www.gobblerknob.com/2010/12/bag-nator-101.html#comments
I don’t recommend this method. Spend timing carrying around full earthbags and you’ll come to appreciate filling bags in place on the wall. And instead of using a shovel to fill the bags, try using 2-gallon buckets and a bucket chute. This is all shown step by step in my YouTube videos, in various blog posts and in my Step by Step Earthbag Construction article: http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/articles/stepbystep.htm
In addition, you need to have the right moisture content for maximum compaction. This is best achieved by sprinkling or misting your pile of soil just before filling bags.