Flying Concrete Ferrocement Houses

Ferrocement is resource efficient because it uses minimal rebar and concrete to produce ‘thin shell’ structures. The resulting curved members are somewhat similar to trees and plants. This is the opposite of straight concrete walls that rely on massive thickness to gain strength (and cost way more money). One of the best sites for learning … Read more

Cody Lundin’s Zero Energy Home

No heating or air conditioning, and yet Cody’s house stays around 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Cody’s website and book explain how he built his ferrocement house. You could build a house like this with earthbags on the sides and ferrocement on the roof. “It’s winter in the high desert as I write this, and last night … Read more

Lightweight, Insulating Geopolymer Earthbags Part 3

I’m proposing using a combination of ferrocement, earthbags and porous geopolymer to build durable, affordable housing. In a nutshell, earthbags filled with lightweight geopolymer cement are fastened to a rebar or bamboo frame and then plastered with geopolymer cement. This is distinctly different from heavy earthbag walls, and much different than regular thin shell ferrocement … Read more

How to Build the Strongest Buildings That Can Last Centuries

Dustin: I live in Florida where few domestic buildings last more than 50 years because of hurricanes. I explored the Monolithic Dome for quite some time. They have stood the test of direct hits by very powerful hurricanes that leveled the entire neighborhood; except the dome. The dome is the only sensible structure here. No … Read more

Structural Integrity of Insulated Earthbag Vaults

This blog post provides additional information about the insulated earthbag vaults that I’ve been discussing the last few weeks. (Use the search engine in the upper right corner and enter “insulated earthbag vaults” to read prior posts.) As explained from the very beginning “We get quite a few enquires about vaults. So far we’ve always … Read more

Nylon Cement Roofs

Roofs tend to be one of the most expensive, most difficult parts of building a home. Most conventional roof systems are very expensive and utilize energy intensive materials. One low-tech alternative is nylon cement roofs, which have been pioneered for over 30 years by Bill Birdsall. Bill’s website shows how he built his house and … Read more