Why earthbag building is one of the best building methods. Sometimes we delve into esoteric aspects of earthbag building. For those new to building with bags, here is a summary of advantages. • Low cost (if you build simply and do most of the work yourself) • Durable (rammed earth structures such as earthbag can … Read more
Road base is a mixture of clay and gravel used in road building throughout the world. As an engineered material designed to withstand extreme loads (trucks and cars), you are assured of good working properties for earthbag building. While site based soils are less expensive and require less transport, the working properties are unknown and … Read more
I found another great way to build gable and vaulted roofs — with pallets: Pallet Pavilions The site referenced above shows how pallets can be used for walls and roofs. This is exciting because free pallets are usually quite easy to get in most countries and they’re very strong. Many are made of hardwood such … Read more
Here’s an email from one of our readers (abbreviated for ease of reading). I just had a few questions about building an earthbag home, and I hope you can get me pointed in the right direction. First off, I’m broke, so these questions pertain to me saving up for my future home. My dream home … Read more
Embedding bottles in a wall creates a really stunning effect, especially when sunlight shines through bottles of different colors. However, many bottle walls are thin walls. Here are some suggestions for using bottles in wide earthbag walls: – Buy a bottle cutter or rent a wet tile cutter to remove the ends. Join bottles of … Read more
Steve over at Utopia Springs sent me a link about a fascinating housing idea for desert areas. These structures stay cool in the desert (in the 60’s) using just evaporative cooling. The galvanized metal roof is covered with burlap, and water flows down over the top. A small RV pump is adequate to keep the … Read more