One way of acquiring affordable housing is working together with other people. Let’s say six groups of three workers agree to build their homes together. They could divide into teams based on interests and skill level. Team 1: Site preparation and excavation Team 2: Earthbag foundation Team 3: Lower walls Team 4: Upper walls Team … Read more
The Enviro Dome plans have been tweaked over and over and the final version posted to my Earthbag House Plans site. This plan has always been one of my most popular designs. An ideal starter home, this plan is easy to extend or even create large dome clusters. Compact, but highly livable, the Enviro Dome … Read more
Knowledge is power, as they say. Serious natural builders will want to draw from the best pool of knowledge available. You see, earthbag is just one part of natural building. There are design and site issues to learn about, how to best use sustainably harvested wood, how-to information on roofs, plastering, and so on. It’s … Read more
[The following excerpt is from Paul Coleman’s Environmental Booty blog] The design is of four domes and a courtyard and when people see it I am sure they will be reminded of a fairytale world. It will fit in with the view and will disappear among the surrounds. Most of the materials will have to … Read more
[Most text quoted from the referenced article shown below.] Vernacular earthen houses located in seismic areas are at risk because of their inherent structural vulnerability. Adobe houses, for instance, are strong in compression but weak in tension. Earthquakes pull adobe houses apart, causing great loss of life and property. However, due to economic reasons, earth … Read more
The group at Konbit Shelter has made phenomenal progress on their triple dome in Haiti. Be sure to check out their blog for full details and, if at all possible, it would be great if you could find a way to support their project.