The Natural Plaster Book: Earth, Lime, and Gypsum Plasters for Natural Homes by Cedar Rose Guelberth and Daniel D. Chiras, 2002. For builders of natural homes (straw bale, cob, adobe, rammed earth, and other natural materials), this unique step-by-step guide takes the confusion out of choosing, mixing, and applying natural plasters. From principles to practicalities, … Read more
Many readers want to build their earthbag home where they can grow their own food, raise some kids and animals, and have fresh air and clean water. Having a little place in the country is perfect for this lifestyle. Living like this takes a lot of effort and know-how. That’s why it’s helpful to have … Read more
Hello Owen. Just wanted to share with you my plan: Next year, I will build a large roundhouse in Hungary with raschel mesh tubes. I’ve got 7km of UV-stabilized raschel mesh from a Czech company called Juta. Since there are no volcanic rocks in Hungary, I might go with Ex-clay [expanded clay aggregates] for insulation. … Read more
They’re using mesh and a thin first coat at Project Somos. Compare this to how we did our earthbag roundhouse (already about 39,000 views!). They may be in a seismic zone and require the mesh for stability. Project Somos is establishing a village for abandoned and orphaned children in Guatemala near the town of Tecpán. … Read more
Phangan Earthworks Earthen Hand Wiser Earth Permastructure Wabisabi EarthbagBuilding.com Workshop page GreenHomeBuilding.com Workshop page Year of Mud Natural Building Workshops EarthbagHouse.com These sites also have workshops on bamboo, adobe, cob and other natural building methods, as well as permaculture courses. Please leave a comment if you know of other upcoming earthbag workshops.
From Haim, a reader in Hungary: “What gets me about the [building] permits in America is they are basically useless. Consider: – Hurricanes in Florida – Fires in California – Cold as Siberia upper peninsula Michigan The above 2x4s and drywall just don’t hold up well. People slave their whole life just to not be … Read more