6 weeks, $6,000 and plenty of dirt
“I couldn’t teach another lesson. Nor could I tolerate another day with a boss, a punch card, and the indigestion I suffered from bolting my muesli. This was why I’d spent the past five months camping in a remote Turkish field. Then the first winter storm crashed through the valley, turning my tent into a canvas pole dancer. It dawned on me I might need a house. There were only two problems: I had just $6000 left in my account, and 6 weeks before winter.”
“Now Kathmandu’s outskirts also have an earthbag building! It will be used as an after-school house for the children of Goldhunga, a village located 30-minute drive from Thamel, in Kathmandu. It will be soon filled with computers, books and other supplies. Its size is 10x15ft and it is composed of one room and one floor.
From the archives — I realized yesterday that this open source disaster resistant earthbag house could be easily adapted to Nepal.
Add a roof of recycled wood and metal roofing and for very little money (under $1,000) you’d have a safe, decent home in short order. This design is 25 sq.m (270 sq.ft or about 16’x16’ interior) It’s extremely simple and easily to build.
I just found this earthbag shelter for street children in Boudha, Nepal. That’s pretty much all I know about this project. Maybe one of our readers can fill us in on the details.
We’ve posted quite a few blog posts over the years about how to reinforce earthbag buildings. Due to the earthquake in Nepal, we’re getting lots of questions about reinforced earthbag methods for earthquake regions. The following list will save people lots of time searching our blog and websites. Watch for more news on this topic in the future.
“The hard-hit district is losing hope despite being so close to the capital. The Arniko Highway coils eastwards from Kathmandu towards the Chinese border at Kodari. Every settlement, every bazar, every village along the way has been flattened.