Update: This living wall is thriving. I built a second design with an aluminum frame and removable potted plants and so far the plants prefer this living wall made with fishing net. This is a living wall experiment using a small prototype to test the concept. It’s easy to make and very low cost. Living … Read more
There is a glut of small diameter wood in many parts of the US, both in national forests and tree farms. This resource is often wasted as it becomes fuel in massive forest fires. On tree farms, where it barely pays the bills, small diameter wood is sold cheaply to make paper. Instead of sending … Read more
A reader asked if perlite is a good choice for building earthbag roundhouses. Perlite should work if you make some adaptations. It has excellent R-value and so, in my opinion, is well worth a little extra effort. In fact, it’s a top choice because of its R-value of 2.7 per inch. So 15″ would give … Read more
The following text and list of properties has been gathered from various poly bag supplier websites to give you a snapshot view of poly earthbags. The information is presented here in a condensed format for brevity. It’s fun doing these blog posts because I always learn something. For instance, did you know polypropylene is 100% … Read more
Readers have shown a strong interest in my domes and roundhouses, so I decided to cluster them to create a new unique design for larger families. This version has three two-story roundhouses. There are a lot of things to like about this design: possible third bedroom, game room or home office in the main roundhouse … Read more
Part 1 discussed the most efficient, cost-effective ways to build with earthbags. This post discusses a few related items. Building site: Follow these steps and you’ll save lots of time preparing the site and reduce the risk of problems in the future. Choose a building site that’s clear of obstacles and naturally higher than the … Read more