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!
It's been almost a year since I last posted, and I have so much to tell you about--the gorgeous attached greenhouse, the beautifully vibrant red earthen floors and so much more. And I will soon. I promise. In the meantime, however, I have to post about a totally inspiring project that *one day* I hope and plan to be a part of. My dear friend Susan of Home Sweet Hive just launched her Indiegogo campaign for a laundromat utilizing rainwater catchment and greywater reuse right here in Taos. If you have any interest in sustainability projects, which I'm guessing you do since you're on this blog, please check out her campaign here and get inspired! I am!
