Ferrocement Roofed Domes for Tropical Climates

This roofed dome is designed for hot, rainy climates.
This roofed dome is designed for hot, rainy climates.

Domes are vulnerable to water damage, so what to do in rainy climates? I say add a roof. There are various roofed dome houses on our main website at EarthbagBuilding.com that you peruse here and here. Those are earthbag domes. The design I’m first presenting here is made of ferrocement. It’s just one more way to do things.

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Vanuatu Earthbag Update Aug 12, 2013

“Hi Owen, I’ve been sick for the past fortnight but it’s given me a chance to process all the offers and opportunities that have opened up.

I am going to have to work with the government in Vanuatu so I have to be very clear what I can offer to a community and how I can fund it.

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Another Post Footing Alternative

Concrete footing detail for wood, bamboo or metal posts
Concrete footing detail for wood, bamboo or metal posts

Many of our readers use post and beam frames for their natural homes and so it’s important to know various options for setting posts. I’ve been corresponding with Zafra, one of our readers and the lady who helped translate my Earthbag Building Guide into Spanish. She and her partner Daniel are going to use bamboo poles on their natural home in Venezuela, but the method shown here will work just as well with wood or metal poles.

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Lammas Ecovillage Gallery

The Lammas project has been created to pioneer an alternative model for living on the land.
The Lammas project has been created to pioneer an alternative model for living on the land.

The Lammas ecovillage is near the strawbale hobbit home we featured in yesterday’s blog post. Need some home design inspiration? Take a few minutes and browse the Lammas image gallery. This sort of building is contagious. (Who doesn’t want a nice affordable home that looks great and doesn’t destroy the environment?) That explains the hardline stance of council officials against outlaw structures.

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The Incredible House Truck Michael Ostaski Built

“Renaissance artist and craftsman Michael Ostaski gives a tour of the house truck he built in the 60’s. To build his Land Yacht Michael started with a stripped down truck cab with a simple bare chassis behind and built EVERYTHING you see with his own hands (by himself). This includes: welding the foundational framework to the truck, complete skeletal system, extensive woodworking details, skylights, siding, roofing, electrical, plumbing, cabinetry, stained glass windows, upholstery, tile work, airbrush, etc (not to mention the design itself).”

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