Earthbag Homes

[TexasGranny]

Nice TG. You posted just before me.

http://www.naturalho...nis-Weaver.aspx

Dennis Weavers home.

The link doesn't work - can you fix it. Is this his Earthship house in Colorado?

[bodeen]

You guys sound pretty solid on the construction trade stuff. Know most will not agree, but I wouldn't trade my log cabin for all the brick and mortar, stucco, or wood frame homes out there. My electric bills have never been so low, the insulation factor is amazing - mind you I am in Texas and we just went through a stretch of 100 degree days and my electric cost only increased $20 a month - still less than 1/3 of my previous home.

Just my

Oh BTW, I completed the interior of my home myself even to planing the wood for my window trims, which are trimmed out in red aromatic cedar. No sheet rock anywhere in my home - walls are all ponderosa pine planks installed on 45degree angles (all cut and installed by me) with white aspen ceilings. Oh and no living trees were cut down for my logs. They were all harvested from dead standing pine up north which also makes my home "green".

Wow, TG that's a beautiful house..... Great job.....

It's so gratifying when you do all the hard work.. I've done so much to my house..

Have a great week...

[cris]

<br /><br /><br />

I'm not familiar with hay bale building so I can't comment on that. Although you may need to buttress or add additional supports to pass code, it is not needed for structural support at all. Also since the bags can be formed into dome shapes, there is no need for traditional roofing at all. Earthbag homes built in dome shapes without additional lumber reinforcement have been standing the tests of time for centuries. there are ancient domes still standing from over a thousand years ago and the dome is universally recognized as one of if not the strongest building structures. I disagree about labor. 5 inexperienced friends can erect the framing in less than a week. No need to hire a contractor at all if one can follow basic plans and doesn't mind getting dirty. The little embodied labor needed for EB building is where one can save a lot of money plus the material costs are much lower. Cost and time are both lower than traditional methods when you're talking finished product. Also earthbag homes, when built properly are much stronger, more element resistant, and greener/more eco friendly than lumber framing. of course it all depends on one's personal objectives and goals, but *** for tat, EB is less expensive and less labor intensive for DIYers.

Earthbag domed homes have been standing for over a thousand years?

Show me a pic of that.....Im not familiar with any kind of building over a few years

old that could be made with this product.

Also, Im not telling you the Bags are unstable just to be negative NEO....ask any

other Engineer you want....Thats an unstable structure.

[cris]

You guys sound pretty solid on the construction trade stuff. Know most will not agree, but I wouldn't trade my log cabin for all the brick and mortar, stucco, or wood frame homes out there. My electric bills have never been so low, the insulation factor is amazing - mind you I am in Texas and we just went through a stretch of 100 degree days and my electric cost only increased $20 a month - still less than 1/3 of my previous home.

Just my

Oh BTW, I completed the interior of my home myself even to planing the wood for my window trims, which are trimmed out in red aromatic cedar. No sheet rock anywhere in my home - walls are all ponderosa pine planks installed on 45degree angles (all cut and installed by me) with white aspen ceilings. Oh and no living trees were cut down for my logs. They were all harvested from dead standing pine up north which also makes my home "green".

Wow....beautiful

Im planning a log cabin myself using dead standing pine. I'll be using

them in a different manner than you'd normally see.

Cutting the logs in 2 foot lengths and stacking them in the way that

some folks make beer can walls, with mortar in between.

its called cordwood construction.

This pic shows the technique

With the final result being something along these lines

[skitealwedrop]

Pretty cool video. I'm a home builder by trade and have seen some neat ideas and designs over the years. The only drawback to these types of projects are the labor costs...if you do it yourself with the help of family or friends (who work free or very cheap) then it is totally doable. I've seen people use old car tires and fill them with dirt. Some have used bales of hay. People have great imaginations! Thanks for the post...

I love your quote "People have great imaginations". Most of us do. Thanks for your post. It's rather cool and humbling.

Take care Ski.

[NEODinar]

<br />Earthbag domed homes have been standing for over a thousand years?<br />Show me a pic of that.....Im not familiar with any kind of building over a few years<br />old that could be made with this product.<br />Also, Im not telling you the Bags are unstable just to be negative NEO....ask any<br />other Engineer you want....Thats an unstable structure.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Incorrect, I never said EB homes have been around for that long. I said that earthen built dome structures have. Many are in ancient ruins and are still standing. It was a testament to the strength and durability of the domed design. People have been building earthen homes for centuries and the technology is sound. The military has implemented this method as well. Just think about it, why would structural engineers and inspectors pass EB homes if the life span was a "few years"? That's illogical. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying ALL EB homes are structurally sound, no more so then one could say ALL traditionally framed structures are sound. As I said many people simply build these structures just to build them without consulting authorities because they are relatively easy to build. However if built correctly they are extremely resilient and eco friendly. More and more people are starting to build using these methods and more and more city officials are becoming aware of the method and jumping on board. I'm not saying you're being negative in the least, just a bit misinformed on the subject. If what you were saying were true, people wouldn't be building them, nor would many still be standing, pretty cut and dry.

Here are a couple sites with a lot of great info on the subject. take care.

http://calearth.org/

http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/index.htm

[skitealwedrop]

You guys sound pretty solid on the construction trade stuff. Know most will not agree, but I wouldn't trade my log cabin for all the brick and mortar, stucco, or wood frame homes out there. My electric bills have never been so low, the insulation factor is amazing - mind you I am in Texas and we just went through a stretch of 100 degree days and my electric cost only increased $20 a month - still less than 1/3 of my previous home.

Just my

Oh BTW, I completed the interior of my home myself even to planing the wood for my window trims, which are trimmed out in red aromatic cedar. No sheet rock anywhere in my home - walls are all ponderosa pine planks installed on 45degree angles (all cut and installed by me) with white aspen ceilings. Oh and no living trees were cut down for my logs. They were all harvested from dead standing pine up north which also makes my home "green".

You need to invite me over for dinner Granny. I want to see your place. Log Cabins are beautiful and cool.

[cris]

<br /><br /><br />

Incorrect, I never said EB homes have been around for that long. I said that earthen built dome structures have. Many are in ancient ruins and are still standing. It was a testament to the strength and durability of the domed design. People have been building earthen homes for centuries and the technology is sound. The military has implemented this method as well. Just think about it, why would structural engineers and inspectors pass EB homes if the life span was a "few years"? That's illogical. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying ALL EB homes are structurally sound, no more so then one could say ALL traditionally framed structures are sound. As I said many people simply build these structures just to build them without consulting authorities because they are relatively easy to build. However if built correctly they are extremely resilient and eco friendly. More and more people are starting to build using these methods and more and more city officials are becoming aware of the method and jumping on board. I'm not saying you're being negative in the least, just a bit misinformed on the subject. If what you were saying were true, people wouldn't be building them, nor would many still be standing, pretty cut and dry.

Here are a couple sites with a lot of great info on the subject. take care.

http://calearth.org/

http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/index.htm

Ok...but heres a direct quote from your post NEO

Earthbag homes built in dome shapes without additional lumber reinforcement have been standing the tests of time for centuries. there are ancient domes still standing from over a thousand years ago

Im sure thats just a mistake on your part.

Just so you know, Im in the construction field. A structure as described in the video

can not get passed in any Building Dept in the country....Being in the field for 30 years

and doing years of research on alternate building ideas, Im quite familiar with all forms

of building.

The earth bag is in no way structural. A post and beam building is one way to make this

both safe and code acceptable.....with the bags as an infill.

Without that sort of support the end result is what has been seen recently in Turkey &

Pakistan where entire villages of mud homes have been destroyed.

earth homes fall down all the time...on the heads of their residents....this is another of your quotes...

If what you were saying were true, people wouldn't be building them, nor would many still be standing

People around the world build with Earth and mud because there is no

other choice. That does not mean its a safe form of construction

[kliklok00]

Oh and no living trees were cut down for my logs. They were all harvested from dead standing pine up north which also makes my home "green".

Cool looking interior! I know you are proud of your work. Your statement about harvesting dead standing trees made me reflect back on the aftermath of Hurricane Rita not so long ago...a group of us from Kerrville took a week off and went into Louisiana right after Hurricane Rita roared through the area. We helped clean up debris...trees that had been blown down. It was mind-boggling at all the lumber...yet no one would (or could?) harvest it. We cut up some trees that were so big, our largest chain saw (36" bar) could not cut the tree trunk in two even after completely circling the trunk with the saw buried at full depth. We cleaned trees off of houses, downed across streets, on top of cars, etc., etc. I could have built thousands of homes with all that downed wood...but it all got cut up for fire wood or was burned in piles. Sad!

[nstoolman1]

The link doesn't work - can you fix it. Is this his Earthship house in Colorado?

Sorry it does not work. Yes it was for his house in Colorado. The link worked right after I posted it but as you said

it does not now. I tried to find it again but I have lost it. I have seen the homes built with hay bales also.

They showed it on National Geographic. Very interesting.

[cris]

Sorry it does not work. Yes it was for his house in Colorado. The link worked right after I posted it but as you said

it does not now. I tried to find it again but I have lost it. I have seen the homes built with hay bales also.

They showed it on National Geographic. Very interesting.

here it is....Dennis Weavers Earthship Home

[NEODinar]

<br />Ok...but heres a direct quote from your post NEO<br /><br /><b>Earthbag homes built in dome shapes without additional lumber reinforcement have been standing the tests of time for centuries.</b> there are ancient domes still standing from over a thousand years ago<br /><br />Im sure thats just a mistake on your part.<br />Just so you know, Im in the construction field. A structure as described in the video<br />can not get passed in any Building Dept in the country....Being in the field for 30 years<br />and doing years of research on alternate building ideas, Im quite familiar with all forms<br />of building.<br />The earth bag is in no way structural. A post and beam building is one way to make this<br />both safe and code acceptable.....with the bags as an infill.<br />Without that sort of support the end result is what has been seen recently in Turkey &<br />Pakistan where entire villages of mud homes have been destroyed.<br /><br />earth homes fall down all the time...on the heads of their residents....this is another of your quotes...<br /><br /> <b>If what you were saying were true, people wouldn't be building them, nor would many still be standing<br /></b><br /><br />People around the world build with Earth and mud because there is no <br />other choice. That does not mean its a safe form of construction<br />

<br /><br /><br />

oops my bad, you're right, I meant earthen homes, not specifically earthBAG homes. I'm not sure when earthBAGS began being used for home building. They're practically the same thing and the ancient earthen structures served as the inspiration for modern EB building.

I already agreed with you that the home in the vid wouldn't pass code, however I'm not sold on your assessment that it would cave in any time soon either. My brother lives in the mountains in New Mexico and many of his friends have built this way with minor to zero issues.

I am in no way an engineer or construction expert, but I do know that many of these homes have been passed by those who are, so whatever elements needed to make them code compliant whether it be a beam/post. sill plates etc, i'm not aware of. All I know is that inspectors wouldn't pass them if they were structurally unsafe. So again if you're interested in learning what makes them code compliant simply look it up. I gave you two sites to start from.

Yeah it's true some people who like you said can't afford to or simply just choose not to research and build PROPER EB homes will have them collapse, just like people who cant afford to or research how to properly build lumber structures will collapse. You are not understanding that we are in agreement in our understanding that there is a difference between building properly and not building properly. An incorrectly built structure regardless of method will probably fail, a properly built structure regardless of method will probably not fail. Simple as that.

People around the world also build lumber structures because they feel there is no other choice, doesn't mean it's a safe form of construction either, but if built properly it can be. Understand it's not the method, it's the execution that will garuantee integrity.

[cris]

<br /><br /><br />

oops my bad, you're right, I meant earthen homes, not specifically earthBAG homes. I'm not sure when earthBAGS began being used for home building. They're practically the same thing and the ancient earthen structures served as the inspiration for modern EB building.

I already agreed with you that the home in the vid wouldn't pass code, however I'm not sold on your assessment that it would cave in any time soon either. My brother lives in the mountains in New Mexico and many of his friends have built this way with minor to zero issues.

I am in no way an engineer or construction expert, but I do know that many of these homes have been passed by those who are, so whatever elements needed to make them code compliant whether it be a beam/post. sill plates etc, i'm not aware of. All I know is that inspectors wouldn't pass them if they were structurally unsafe. So again if you're interested in learning what makes them code compliant simply look it up. I gave you two sites to start from.

Yeah it's true some people who like you said can't afford to or simply just choose not to research and build PROPER EB homes will have them collapse, just like people who cant afford to or research how to properly build lumber structures will collapse. You are not understanding that we are in agreement in our understanding that there is a difference between building properly and not building properly. An incorrectly built structure regardless of method will probably fail, a properly built structure regardless of method will probably not fail. Simple as that.

People around the world also build lumber structures because they feel there is no other choice, doesn't mean it's a safe form of construction either, but if built properly it can be. Understand it's not the method, it's the execution that will garuantee integrity.

I would say were in complete agreement then

[NEODinar]

<br />I would say were in complete agreement then  <img src='http://dinarvets.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /><br />

<br /><br /><br />

Here;s some copied and pasted info I found.....

One of the greatest needs in the world is disaster-resistant housing – houses that can hold up against hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, flooding and other natural disasters. Events like this that affect many of thousands of people seem to occur almost daily. It’s sad and painful to see so many lives lost, and so many families and homes upended. But it’s even sadder and more painful when you know most of this tragedy is preventable by using sound construction methods. Properly designed structures that can withstand natural disasters can save millions of lives and millions of structures every year.

Let’s start with challenge of rebuilding after the 2004 Asian tsunami. What methods and materials would work best to rebuild the region? Ideally, the houses would be very low cost, simple to build, require few special tools or skills and be incredibly strong – preferably as strong as bunkers used by the military, but yet still meet the typical needs of families around the world. Most options are too expensive, non-sustainable, impractical or culturally inappropriate. At or near the top of the list is earthbag construction.

For those who don’t know, earthbag buildings are made out of sand bags that are filled and stacked like masonry. Sand bags are also called earthbags, because they can be filled with any number of materials, including soil. They have a long history of use by the military for constructing bullet and blast resistant structures. Militaries around the world have used sand bags since the Napoleonic Wars about 250 years ago. That’s a very long record of proven performance, and sand bags are still used today because they have many desirable properties. The first sand bags were made of burlap; today they’re made out of woven polypropylene for even greater strength and durability.

Sand bags (or earthbags) also have been used for many years in flood control. Millions of bags are placed around communities every year to protect against flooding. Average citizens often pitch in and work together with no training to construct barrier walls to prevent flooding.

The same characteristics that make earthbags ideal for military and flood control use – strength, durability, simplicity of use, low cost – also apply to constructing houses. In addition, earthbag houses are fire resistant, non-toxic, do not attract pests and can be built to suit any climate. For instance, bags can be filled with insulation in cold climates.

It’s important to note that structural details can be changed to meet specific design requirements. For instance, lower walls can be filled with gravel in flood prone areas, and reinforced to resist lateral forces of flowing water. Instead of being swept away like typical wood-framed houses, families can return to their homes after a flood, clean the house and resume their daily lives.

Earthbag houses are also hurricane and tornado resistant. It’s best to use round and polygonal shapes such as hexagons and octagons when building in high wind areas. You want the wind to blow around the house instead of creating large flat surfaces where wind pressure can build up. Conical shaped roofs with minimal roof overhangs and sufficient roof tie-downs are recommended.

Earthbag buildings are also earthquake resistant. The key here is working closely with engineers to develop safe designs. This is done on a case-by-case basis, taking into account local soil properties and the degree of seismic risk. Engineered plans are now available for building with earthbags in seismic areas. Precision Structural Engineering, Inc. now offers code approved earthbag plans for seismic and non-seismic regions. In addition, our website at EarthbagStructures.com provides lots of drawings and easy to understand, low cost solutions for reinforcing earthbag houses against earthquakes and other natural disasters.

More testing is called for to fully document the strength of earthbag structures, but so far the results are very promising. Bryce Daigle’s testing and thesis, for example, details how earthbag walls obtain maximum compressive strengths almost 10 times as great as those typically achieved by conventional stud-frame housing in terms of load per meter of wall length. Testing Proves Earthbags Very Strong

Nadir Khalili’s tests in Hesperia, California demonstrated how earthbag structures exceeded the strength of the testing equipment with no deflection or failure, and received code approval in the most dangerous level — seismic zone 4. Gaining building code approval in California, the strictest area in the world as far as building codes, speaks volumes to the inherent strength of earthbags.

In addition to providing flood protection, gravel-filled earthbag foundations are being used by PAKSBAB, an NGO in Pakistan, because they are very strong in earthquakes. They conducted a shake table test at the University of Nevada, Reno, to simulate the devastating Northridge (Canoga Park) quake that occurred in California. According to their report, “the house survived 0.82g, twice the acceleration of the Canoga Park record. Although severely damaged, the building did not appear in danger of collapse, even at the end of the test sequence.”

Based on the successful completion of these tests, and lessons learned from thousands of earthbag structures around the world, about a dozen groups have chosen to build with earthbags in Haiti – a country with high risk of earthquakes, floods and hurricanes.

Some may wonder how this compares to building with concrete. The problem with concrete, other than being unsustainable because it’s a major contributor to global climate change, is excessive cost and difficulty in maintaining quality control. Properly built reinforced concrete structures, which can be engineered to high earthquake-resistance, are not affordable in Haiti and countless other areas around the world. So even with building codes and strong concrete designs, builders in these areas will typically find a way to circumvent codes and/or misappropriate valuable building materials. When a sack of cement costs upwards of a week’s wages, the temptation is just too great.

The need for disaster-resistant housing is a growing concern as more and more people now live in areas that are vulnerable to hurricanes, earthquakes, fires and other disasters. The high population density makes any disaster that much more deadly.

Also, destruction of natural habitat is exacerbating the problems as we can see with New Orleans and other areas along the Gulf coast. The trees that once provided a buffer against storms are now largely gone, and so wind and waves from hurricanes cause much more damage. This makes the need for disaster resistant structures that much more important.

And, there are enormous economic implications. It’s nearly impossible to build a thriving economy when year after year large sectors of a country are destroyed. We need the political and social will to move forward on this vital issue. Now is the time to address these challenges head-on.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/hands-on-and-how-to/disaster-resistant-earthbag-housing.aspx#ixzz20r5ArTHu

[RodandStaff]

You guys sound pretty solid on the construction trade stuff. Know most will not agree, but I wouldn't trade my log cabin for all the brick and mortar, stucco, or wood frame homes out there. My electric bills have never been so low, the insulation factor is amazing - mind you I am in Texas and we just went through a stretch of 100 degree days and my electric cost only increased $20 a month - still less than 1/3 of my previous home.

Just my

Oh BTW, I completed the interior of my home myself even to planing the wood for my window trims, which are trimmed out in red aromatic cedar. No sheet rock anywhere in my home - walls are all ponderosa pine planks installed on 45degree angles (all cut and installed by me) with white aspen ceilings. Oh and no living trees were cut down for my logs. They were all harvested from dead standing pine up north which also makes my home "green".

Good job TG... always love it when folks learn to do things for themselves... which is becoming more and more of a rarity these days!!!