Earth Bag Homes

[steve_bank]

http://earthbagbuilding.com/

I watched a show on Discovery Channel on building an Earth bag house in desert near Tucson Az..

Plastic bags are filled with a non toxic fireproof mix and layers built up in a dome. Variation on sand bags. Barbed wire is placed between layers to prevent slipping.

The dome is crowned with a ring attached by cables to the foundation. The dome is stuccoed inside and out. Minimal cost and technical skill. It was done in a few weeks by a woman and a group of volunteers, assisted by an expert.

The mix for the bags was done by hand.

They paid for cement delivery for the foundation and a concrete pump to pour the foundation.

They rented a backhoe to dig the foundation tranches, buot their own concrete forms, and installed the rebar themselves.

The dome is a large thermal mass. It absobs heat on the outside in the day which heats at night. Cooled down at night it keeps the living space comfortable in 100+ heat.

Power from solar panels and cooking with propane. Water from a well.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Hell, no! That's an awful lot of weight to have above your head without good engineering.

 

[steve_bank]

A dome is structural strong, as the Romans discovered. They built large domes without comet or mortar.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Hell, no! That's an awful lot of weight to have above your head without good engineering.

A dome is structural strong, as the Romans discovered. They built large domes without comet or mortar.

Sure, with good, solid blocks. These aren't.

 

[steve_bank]

Hell, no! That's an awful lot of weight to have above your head without good engineering.

A dome is structural strong, as the Romans discovered. They built large domes without comet or mortar.

Sure, with good, solid blocks. These aren't.

The physics and forces that make a Roman dome work are the same.

 

[Valjean]

I'd add a little Portland cement to the sandbags and wet down each layer, and use something more substantial than barbed wire for stabilization.

 

[steve_bank]

I'd add a little Portland cement to the sandbags and wet down each layer, and use something more substantial than barbed wire for stabilization.

At the top is a ring. Cables run from the ring to the foundation.

 

[Valjean]

I'd add a little Portland cement to the sandbags and wet down each layer, and use something more substantial than barbed wire for stabilization.

At the top is a ring. Cables run from the ring to the foundation.

Not picturing it.

 

[steve_bank]

I'd add a little Portland cement to the sandbags and wet down each layer, and use something more substantial than barbed wire for stabilization.

At the top is a ring. Cables run from the ring to the foundation.

Not picturing it.

In the TV show they put anchorsmin the concrete foundation and a metal ring on the top/ Cables ran from the ring to the foundation under tension.



Cut an orange in half and put a wedding band on top. Run strings from the band to a base to stabilize it.

Not saying I would live in one, but it shows adaption to climate. No Passive solar heating and coolling.

 

[Sarpedon]

Sounds like how you would reinforce a concrete block wall, by putting reinforcing bars in the cavities and grouting them full. This reinforced earth system would not be as strongly bonded to the steel, but the steel would pierce the bag and thus be connected to it somewhat.

There are several similar methods of using cheap or waste materials for construction. One is using earth filled discarded tires, another uses straw bales like giant blocks. All can be used unreinforced in low rise construction (though usually the roof requires a separate structure), but are more frequently reinforced with metal or wood. All use stucco or similar material as a finish.

The main disadvantage of all these is the width of the material. This uses valuable floor space and requires more concrete for foundations. Concrete is notoriously bad for the environment, and should be used in limited amounts. For all its environmental disadvantages, it probably would be better to go with a straight concrete building, that would be built efficiently, and then insulated. Neither poured concrete, tilt up panels, nor concrete block need large amounts of skill to erect.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Sounds like how you would reinforce a concrete block wall, by putting reinforcing bars in the cavities and grouting them full. This reinforced earth system would not be as strongly bonded to the steel, but the steel would pierce the bag and thus be connected to it somewhat.

There are several similar methods of using cheap or waste materials for construction. One is using earth filled discarded tires, another uses straw bales like giant blocks. All can be used unreinforced in low rise construction (though usually the roof requires a separate structure), but are more frequently reinforced with metal or wood. All use stucco or similar material as a finish.

Yeah. I have no problem with such improvised solutions for low-rise walls. I doubt they actually make sense once you consider the labor involved but if people want to do it, fine. Massive walls add thermal mass which is green if you can do it without being too expensive.

My problem is with using such improvised materials over one's head.

The main disadvantage of all these is the width of the material. This uses valuable floor space and requires more concrete for foundations. Concrete is notoriously bad for the environment, and should be used in limited amounts. For all its environmental disadvantages, it probably would be better to go with a straight concrete building, that would be built efficiently, and then insulated. Neither poured concrete, tilt up panels, nor concrete block need large amounts of skill to erect.

I think the best answer is earth-bermed concrete, or full underground if you have a convenient small hill to put it inside (so your floor remains above most of the terrain, thus avoiding most of the water issues you would otherwise have.)