http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfwnQwpVDlE Here’s an innovative way to cover walls. Fusion stone doesn’t require mortar. Stones are held in place with clips and screws. You can see a close-up of the stone and mounting system at about 50 seconds. It’s possible to do something similar with cast thin geopolymer stone with grooves in the edges.
We’ve been discussing Professor Joseph Davidovits cast stone research at the Geopolymer Institute in hopes of applying this concept to earthbag building. You have to admit the possibility of building a house with dirt cheap, natural materials that turn to actual stone and become fireproof, insect proof, bulletproof, etc. is intriguing. [Update: two people have … Read more
Yesterday’s video about How the Pyramids Were Built shows how loose limestone can be turned to stone. This method seems easier and simpler than using MICP, don’t you think? This seems like a good time to experiment with geopolymer cast stone to make the first ever earthbag stone dome. The mountain range near our home … Read more
Alternate title: How to Build an Earthbag House That Will Last as Long as the Pyramids. I can’t say for sure that the pyramids were built this way, but this video describes a reasonable theory of how the blocks of the pyramids were made with natural materials from the Giza Plateau – limestone, kaolin clay, … Read more
Getting the plaster on an earthbag wall nice and flat can be quite challenging. You can save plaster work by covering the rough plaster with stone. You can buy flat stone facing. This is sandstone. Or you can get stone from out on the prairie or up in the mountains. You want flat stone that … Read more
Sometimes incremental changes are the most effective. People are naturally resistant to major changes, but they’ll more readily grasp and utilize small changes. That’s the thinking behind this confined masonry/earthbag system. Confined masonry is one of the most common building systems in the world, with millions of structures built this way. Confined masonry construction consists … Read more