“I have been going a bit nuts trying to find a bulk supplier of Scoria nearby. I was recently reading in an article that the area I live in has large deposits of basaltic scoria; like the biggest in the USA. So I decided to go out and look for it. I didn’t have to go further than my back yard before I noticed this stuff within every foot or so.
Insulation
No Lava Rock/Scoria Available in Alaska
From Angela, a reader in Alaska: “I just wanted to add some updated info. I have been searching high and low for scoria. Alaska doesn’t have readily available sources. I have contacted a long list of people and while we can find the volcanoes and a scoria pit even, there’s no way to get it to the general public. Which really frustrates me because I’m been hot on the trail for a long time trying to build an earthbag home for us. If anybody gets any bit of updated info, please share.”
Rice Hull Mesh Earthbags
This bit of news is a nice breakthrough for rice hull earthbag building. Using a suggestion from Richard, a long time reader, I made a test bag using raschel mesh and rice hulls. I had previously ruled out using rice hulls in mesh bags, because it seemed certain that the hulls would fall through. Well, it turns out some hulls do fall through, but not many. The hulls naturally jam up against each other and only a negligible amount (say 3% or so) fall through.
Strawmark Strawbale Homes FAQ
Q. Is Strawmark suitable for wetter areas of New Zealand?
A. Strawmark commissioned a Moisture Performance Test by BRANZ/BIA, which sets the building code. Their test results state that our method is suitable for all areas of New Zealand.
How to Build Large Earthbag Domes
Question: “I was wondering if there is a limit to the size of diameter an earthbag dome can have. I am wanting to have a dome with more than 800 sq ft. I would like it to be a dome because I do not want the hassle of constructing a roof, and I’m a simple person so I am only wanting to construct one dome instead of multiple ones. Any information about this would be helpful, thank you!” Tyler
First Code Approved Scoria Bag Pole House
“About two years ago, my family purchased 11 acres in the north of New Zealand with the hopes of creating a family farm out of the empty paddocks. With a good pioneering spirit, we moved onto the land and lived in camper trailers for the first winter. It quickly became clear that we needed some better shelter, so we decided to build a cottage.