The photo above shows a gable end wall made with earthbags. Although you could build this way, it is faster and easier to frame gable ends with wood or bamboo. Framing the gable ends saves moving all that weight high on the wall. This little detail can save you days of hard work. This is … Read more
How do you get the most space for the least amount of money and yet still have a safe, durable, comfortable home? The two primary techniques we settled on in the HNC House design are large lofts and wrap-around porches. In the drawing above you can see how the lofts are built. The loft joists … Read more
“Constructing an earthbag home is considered by many to be the most inexpensive method of building a home simply because the material is free and usually already onsite. The major cost associated with earthbag homes are the bags used to hold the earth which makes up the structure. The most common type of bags used … Read more
“The Haitian National Congress (HNC) asked me to conduct training next May for bright and eager Haitian adult citizens who want to become entrepreneurs, nudge their country more toward functional democracy, learn problem solving skills and learn free enterprise practices that will increase their personal income. These trainees will then return to each of Haiti’s … Read more
Long time readers already know what’s available, but we’re constantly getting new readers. We hit another record this past month, so I’ll briefly recap what is available on our sites. Virtually everything you need to know to build your own earthbag home is free on our websites. Here are a few examples: YouTube Free videos … Read more
“The kiva or bee hive fireplace with their distinctive arched firebox door is typical of southwestern design and most often placed in a corner. Historically these kiva fireplaces were constructed of the same adobe material used to construct the home. Custom bee hive fireplaces can be found in almost limitless styles and must be installed … Read more