This is a fourth installment on earthbag vaults. Previous posts have already covered most of the details. This blog post presents two more options – living roof and thatch roof. The thatched roof is the simplest and fastest. The living roof is much more difficult and not recommended as a first time project. The roof is made with bent pipe (possibly old oil drilling pipe) covered with metal roofing and ferrocement.
Specifications: 263 sq. ft. interior, 74 sq. ft. sleeping loft, total 337 sq. ft. interior, one bath, Footprint: 15′-6″ x 30’
Insulated Earthbag Vaults
Insulated Earthbag Vaults for Rainy Climates
Solar Vaults
In the article you say that ” Previous posts have already covered most of the details”..
If the previous posts are those in the bottom, the links are no longer working… can you update?
Tks
Some links quit working when we transitioned from WordPress to our own server. It’s easy to find the pages. (They’re still there.) Copy and past and the link title in a search engine and they’ll pop right up.
I’ve just learned about basalt fibre on your blog!
I did a search and found that there’s even a company producing basalt fibre twine, similar to carbon fibre twine, the big difference being cost. The base cost for basalt fibre was quoted at $1.75 a ton! In a demo video concrete is being used and the build shows an almost ~4 ton (kg) weight being placed on a concrete/basalt twine re-enforced shell only 2 inches thick.
This type of re-enforcement must really be strong. Add to that basalt rebar does not rust. Hmmm, I wonder if this stuff is available in South America?
You’ll have to check for local availability and cost. I’ve heard basalt is often more than steel rebar.
This is the first time I’ve heard of the “vault” construction style with earthbags. Wow!
Owen, have you got around to testing out the build? I read in comments on one of the links above that you were intending to. Has anyone actually built one yet? Any photos?
This design wins hands down for practicality, cost and speed. Jeesh! I imagine one of these babies could be semi-complete with a small team of 3 in short time. Maybe 3 weeks working manually?
Thanks for sharing this Owen.
These earthbag vaults are experimental. They haven’t been built yet, although they’re fairly simple and so I don’t expect any complications. I hope to build one within the next 6-12 months.