Maggi McKerron is building guesthouses with bags filled with rice husks (hulls) in Chiang Dao, Thailand. Here is her latest report.
earthbags
Emergency Shelter for Kashmir Flood Victims
A recent flood in Kashmir has displaced millions. Aid workers have been blocked from the area, but hopefully this information on emergency straw bale shelters will be helpful.
Problems with Earthbags from China?
Reader question: “Has anyone determined the safety of bags manufactured in China, vs the US? I have read reports of bag failure even after the bags were kept covered. Is it known if the bag failures are from the manufacturing materials or the percentage of UV protection the covering material provides?
Affordable Covered Pool Made with Earthbags
“This summer being scorched under the glaring Texas sun, my wife and I had an idea. We need a swimming pool. Our thoughts were grand, our visions long. Covered, big, deep, beautiful, were some of the adjectives that sprang to mind. It was going to be a thing to behold, our in-ground pool.
Hyper-Wattle Video and Update
Patti Stouter, winner of the $300 House contest, is at it again. Her latest project combines 1. gravel-filled poly bags (earthbag foundation), 2. hyper-adobe (compacted soil in mesh bags), with 3. hyper-wattle (straw filled mesh bags or tubes soaked in clay). The structure is then plastered with earth and lime.
Patti: “I am so pleased with how firm the straw wattle walls on my bench have become. I’m glad I chose a layout that will be an asset to my yard, because the wall is there to stay.
How the Pyramids Were Built
Alternate title: How to Build an Earthbag House That Will Last as Long as the Pyramids. I can’t say for sure that the pyramids were built this way, but this video describes a reasonable theory of how the blocks of the pyramids were made with natural materials from the Giza Plateau – limestone, kaolin clay, … Read more