The blog post the other day about Temporary Shelters made with straw bales was a big hit and so I located this old instructional video and got it uploaded to my YouTube channel. I’ve already received more positive comments than most any of my other videos. This video has an incredible story. It was almost lost. Matts Myhrman lost the master copy. I managed to find one of the last remaining copies in a library, and Kelly Hart volunteered to copy it onto CD (with Matts’ permission, of course). Here it is on YouTube six years later!
Owen,
How much more would a permit and engineer stamp add to the cost of alternative building; earthbag, and straw bale?
Each job is different. You have to show them the plans and get a quote. A ballpark figure is around $2,500.
would having an engineers stamp pretty much guarantee getting a permit for an earthbag house?
Yes.
Which designs do you sell that already have a permit, and do you roughly know the price per square fot to build them here in the US?
My plans are pre-approved by Precision Structural Engineering, Inc., but to get a permit each plan must be engineered individually to meet the code in a specific area. That’s because codes vary quite a bit. It’s all part of the sham plan to drive up costs and enrich big business and government.
I watched the youtube video,looked good. I guess my problem with every alternative home is getting permits and the hassles associated with them.I live in northern az and ive read that in some way straw bale homes are getting more excepted.
Yeah, that’s why we always encourage seeking out rural areas with few or no codes. You can get a permit and engineer’s stamp, but the costs will skyrocket.