We routinely ask readers to document their projects and allow us to publish them on our Projects page at EarthbagBuilding.com. This enables other readers to learn much more rapidly. It’s the old “two heads are better than one” except here we’re dealing with thousands who are working together and sharing ideas. Very powerful.
A perfect example is a project called Angel’s Dome in Mexico that shows a very practical and simple way of building ‘eyebrows’ – arched protective overhangs – over doors and windows on domes. Even though many domes are built in deserts, many are built in areas of higher rainfall and eyebrows offer a good, low-cost solution for protecting doors and windows from the elements. Angel’s detailed photos enable others to utilize this technique. It’s so effective that we’re planning on using the same method on an upcoming project. Thanks for sharing.
I looked at the photos but I’m still a little vague on the outcome. It looks like they pound rebar through the bags around the window, then attach other rebar to make an eyebrow form. But where does it go from there? Do they stack bags on that, or cover it in cob, or will they add chicken wire or lathe and plaster it, like ferrocement?
Yes, it’s the same as ferrocement. You pound in rebar (not clear through), add mesh and then plaster it. Expanded metal lath is the best type of mesh, although you could use dirt cheap substitutes like chicken wire, woven poly vegetable bags, etc. For larger overhangs, you could build it up in layers. You could do something similar in cob, but it wouldn’t be as durable. And just to be clear, there are no bags on top.
I am planning on building an eco dome, so far I have “How to Build an emergency shelter” and “earthbag Building” as well as several others on cob and green home building. I am looking (now) for greater detail such as descriptions for building door and window frames as well as measurements for eyebrows, and floor plans or other details. Any help on these subjects would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for writing. We try to offer comprehensive building info on our websites so readers can build on their own. Almost everything you need is at http://www.EarthbagBuilding.com, Earthbag Building Blog, or Earthbag House Plans: http://earthbagplans.wordpress.com if you spend enough time searching.
Due to the vast range of possibilities, not every detail is covered. These can be worked out if you buy one of my plans at Earthbag House Plans. I offer the house designs as semi-custom plans, so you can get things just the way you want.
For example, my Enviro Dome is offered at Dream Green Homes: http://www.dreamgreenhomes.com/materials/earth/earthbags.htm