Living Walls

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

Roundhouse/Dome Cluster

The Roundhouse/Dome Cluster and Roundhouse Cluster share the same floorplan, although in this case I’m showing a larger master bath with laundry. Specifications include 1,330 sq. ft. interior, including lofts in the roundhouse and both large domes, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, Footprint: 31′ x 70′, not including buttresses.

Updated Step-by-Step Earthbag Building

My Step-by-Step Earthbag Building article at EarthbagBuilding.com has been updated. I built a demonstration wall and photographed each step. YouTube videos have been embedded to further demonstrate the process. All the latest tools and techniques are shown, including use of stronger sheetmetal sliders, 2-gallon cement buckets, bucket chutes, bags turned inside out, and filling bags … Read more

Small Diameter Roundwood Trusses

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

Perlite Roundhouses

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

Nine Day Dome

In July, 2009 Guiding Star Creations co-created this 9 day workshop with hosts Eric and Nancy. This dome was built as a WWOOFer’s (farm stay) cottage for Eric and Nancy’s 14 acre organic farm. The dome has a 3m(10ft) interior diameter and the walls are 30cm(1ft) thick. This dome was fitted with features to adapt … Read more