Earthbag construction is a natural building technique where you pack bags with earth and stack them on top of each other. Earthbag houses are strong, durable and eco-friendly and can handle earthquakes far better than conventional structures. They are inexpensive and can be built quickly with the proper know-how.
The earthbag technique comes from military bunker construction techniques and temporary flood-control dike building techniques. It only requires sturdy sacks, filled with, as you can guess, earth.
Making an earthbag building. Photo: McZusatz
The #1 Printed Resource on Earth Bag Homes
The Earthbag Building: The Tools, Tricks and Techniques (Natural Building Series) by Kaki Hunter, is a very handy guide on how to build your very own earthbag home from scratch.
Earthbag Building: The Tools, Tricks and Techniques
This profusely illustrated guide first discusses the many merits of earthbag construction, and then leads the reader through the key elements of an earthbag building:
- Special design considerations
- Foundations, walls and floors
- Electrical, plumbing and shelving
- Lintels, windows and door installations
- Roofs, arches and domes
- Exterior and interior plasters.
With dedicated sections on costs, making your own specialized tools, and building code considerations, as well as a complete resources guide, Earthbag Building is the long-awaited, definitive guide to this uniquely pleasing construction style.
“This book covers all of the methods that are required to design and build an earthbag building. Everything is spelled out in great detail so that even the most inexperienced beginner will be able to figure out and complete each step in the building process. Each section of the book contains timely tips that will help speed up construction and avoid mistakes. Congratulations, Great Job!!”
Earth Bag Building Videos
Earthbag Room with Rocket Stove, Paperbag Floor & Pallet Ceiling Construction
No more climbing the ladder every night up to his loft. Garen is all moved in and snug as a bug in his new room. Here are some new and improved ideas including an in-floor rocket mass heater (a new twist on a radiant heat floor), a construction paper floor, and a new twist on the pallet ceiling.
