Almost every part of a new home can be obtained at lower cost through using recycled goods and bartering. The concept is very simple. Someone, somewhere likely has an excess of what you’re looking for and will gladly trade or sell those goods at below market cost. For instance, plumbers replace sinks and bathtubs routinely. … Read more
Restrictive building codes are forcing people to look for alternative housing. Building a portable trailer is one of the best tricks for bypassing building codes legally. No permanent foundation and no utility hookups typically mean very few codes. There’s a wealth of free information on trailer houses and tiny houses on the Internet. But it … Read more
It’s relatively easy to make your own earthbag tampers, but some may decide it’s simpler and more expedient to just purchase them. Here’s one tamper I came across after a quick search on the Internet: Ames True Temper 8″ x 8″ Tamper, 42 inch hardwood handle, $24.98, available from Lowe’s building supply centers.
There’s a plethora of building options not covered in the current earthbag literature, one of which is using wood siding on earthbag houses. Plaster is by far the most common wall finish, but it’s always good to know about other options. For instance, you may have access to a portable sawmill and low cost timber … Read more
A couple in Alberta, Canada have built what appears to be a very nice little dome sauna with earthbags. They say that they have only spent about $125 (mostly on bag material), with the rest of the materials either dug from their property or gleaned from dumps, etc. The bags were first covered with a … Read more
I am very pleased to announce that a new forum has been created where people can share information, photos, videos, questions, and network socially…all about earthbag building! It is The Earthbag Building Network and it is very easy to register and become a participant. I just did, and I hope that many of you will … Read more