Many of you may have wondered what the structure shown in our masthead is. These images are of a Glorieta that is a sort of glorified gazebo that emerged directly from the soil surrounding it. This was created as part of a conference about sustainability, held in Crestone, Colorado in 2003, attended by youth from … Read more
Here’s a great shelter design by Delani that was posted at Core 77 as part of a recent shelter competition. Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest, and this design is exquisite because of its simplicity. That means it’s inexpensive and easy to build. And no doubt about it, it will work structurally. (However, it … Read more
Here’s a simple way to help prevent metal roofing from being blown away. Roofs are typically quite vulnerable to uplift in windy areas. There are commercially available roof hold-downs that bolt trusses and rafters to walls, but I’ve never seen the system described here. It was inspired by hearing all the stories about metal roofing … Read more
I’m gradually converting my basic hand-drawn plans to AutoCAD and SketchUp, starting with the most popular designs at Earthbag House Plans. I think you’ll agree there is much improvement. And it isn’t just visual effects. Plans are being tweaked based on reader input. The Enviro Dome, for instance, now has a small (optional) pool in … Read more
How do you keep a high vertical earthbag wall that is straight from toppling over? This is always a concern when designing and building standard rectilinear buildings with earthbags. The conventional solution generally relies on periodic buttresses and/or heavy-duty reinforced concrete bond beams at the top of the wall. I have come up with a … Read more
The most common size bag for earthbag (sand bag) building measures about 18”x30” measured when empty. This is often called a 50 pound bag, since these bags are used to store 50 lb. of grain and feed. When filled, this size creates walls about 15”-16” wide. This is a good size for earthbag building because … Read more