Jerry Collette of www.recycledrice.org is planning to use prepackaged rice hulls that come in 50 lb. polypropylene bags to build an earthbag tipi at the Pine Ridge Reservation. (See www.earthbagbuilding.com/bulletin) He says that they cost about $6 US each, so it is not exactly dirt cheap, but there are definite advantages. Rice Hulls make excellent … Read more
I was a guest on an internet radio talk show Wednesday, April 15, 2009 in the afternoon, discussing topics related to green home building. Quite a bit of the discussion was about earthbag building. See http://truthbrigade.com/ If you missed the live show, it will be archived at http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-11887/TS-212923.mp3 I don’t actually make my appearance on … Read more
I just read this article about the toxic effects of new houses that used drywall material shipped from China to the US in the last few years. Many people are getting quite sick and can no longer live in these contaminated homes. Nobody quite understands exactly what the cause is, except that the suspect drywall … Read more
The folks at The Year of Mud: Building a Cob House have put together a great site, including very informative articles on creating mosaics in earth plaster and building a reciprocal roof (we’ll save this for a future topic). Dirt cheap techniques like mosaics can really enhance the appearance your home. In addition to mosaics, … Read more
Tim Merritt, earthbag enthusiast and reader of our blog, sent us this roof idea from GardenDome.com. Tim is considering using these domes on top of earthbag walls to create more interesting shapes and save labor on the roof. The GardenDome.com website showcases over 60 domes of all different sizes and shapes. You can order their … Read more
One of the biggest issues in society is the cost of housing. Hundreds of millions of people can’t afford housing (even in the US, Europe, etc.). So, there’s a huge demand, but a lack of affordable supply. Here is a prime business opportunity for those who are knowledgeable about earthbag building, since earthbag (sandbag) houses … Read more