WHAT ARE EARTHBAGS AND WHY AM I BUILDING WITH THEM?
Building with earthbags is essentially building with adobe bricks without going through the lengthy process of making them. You take polypropylene sandbags, fill them with a moist mix of sand and clay, tamp them down hard and connect the layers with 4 point barbed wire. Then, you cover them over with an earthen plaster.
In reality, I didn't use polypropylene bags. Some Brasilians started a type of construction they call hyperadobe which uses mesh bags, or continuous tubing, made from the same material as the onion or potato bags in the grocery store. They don't require barbed wire, though otherwise the process is just about the same.
As I talk about in the blog posts, my design has been guided by simplicity and efficiency. More than anything, what's been most important to me is to live in a house that I myself, with no building experience whatsoever, can design, build and maintain. A natural extension of that has been the desire to live in a peaceful space. For me that means a home that's in tune with nature, thus limiting the use of imported materials for construction, in addition to those that will be needed later on, such as for heating. Please enjoy reading, ask me any questions, get inspired, and come help and learn!
Mud Party!
Next weekend on both Saturday and Sunday (14-15) I'm hosting a mud party to get my bedroom done! We will be plastering the wall, working on a cob-bottle wall and doing an adobe floor. How much we get done depends on how many people show up. I'll have snacks and lunch. If you're interested in participating, email me or write a comment with your email and I'll get back to you. Thanks!
Hi Aly
ReplyDeleteYou might have already gotten this, i've been having trouble commenting.
Anyways, Kerry and I and the kids would love to come help on Saturday. How do we find you? We understand from Susan that you are norht ont he Cerro Montoso road (from the John Dunn Bridge) but not certain after that. We'd be coming from hwy 64 by the earthships.
Also when should we arrive? and what do we need to bring (like tools, etc)
Richard