earthbag building - the tools, tricks and techniques

[...]... first -and- only-time owner/builder, there are some distinct advantages to earthbag construction Let’s look at the advantages the earthbag system gives the “do-it-yourselfer” compared to these other types of earth building Adobe is one of the oldest known forms of earthen building It is probably one of the best examples of the durability and longevity of earthen construction (Fig 1.3) Adobe buildings... one-quarter-inch pebbles (0.6 cm) up to two- or three-inch ( 5-7 .5 cm) “lumps” or “cobbles.” A well-graded soil containing a wide variety of sizes of sand and gravel up to one inch (2.5 cm) contributes to the structural integrity of an earthen wall A blend of various sized sand and gravel fills all the voids and crannies in between the spaces created by the sand and gravel Each particle of sand and. .. probably the least expensive form of earthen building, it takes much more time and effort until the adobes can be effectively used Adobe is the choice for dirt-cheap construction Anyone can do it and the adobes themselves don’t necessarily need to be made in a form They can be hand-patted into the desired shape and left to dry until ready to be mortared into place Earthbags, on the other hand, do not... The companies that manufacture these bags sometimes have mistakes in the printing process that render them unsuitable to their clients Rather than throw the bags away, they sell them at a considerably reduced cost The 50-lb misprint bags come in bales of 1000 bags and weigh about 120 pounds (5 3-5 4 kg) per bale The more you buy the lower the price per bale Prices for the 50-lb bags average about 1 5-2 5... once the rammed earth wall is exposed While the optimum soil mix for both rammed earth and earthbag is similar, and both types of construction utilize compaction as the means of obtaining strength and durability, that is about where the similarity ends Because the bags themselves act as the form for the earth, and because they stay within the walls, earthbag construction eliminates the need for heavy-duty... gravel is coated with clay and glued into place Sand and gravel are the aggregates in an earthen soil mix much the same as they are for a concrete mix In a perfect earth -building world the soil right under our feet would be the optimal mix of 2 5-3 0 percent stable clay to 7 0-7 5 percent well-graded sand and gravel We can dream, but in the meantime, let’s do a jar test to sample the reality of our soil’s... right): way-too-big; 100-lb misprint; 50-lb misprint; 50-lb gusseted misprint; 50-lb burlap Bags and Tubes: The Flexible Form The bags we use are the same kind of bags used most typically to package feed and grain (Fig 2.12) The type and sizes we use most often are woven polypropylene 50-pound and 100-pound misprints with a minimum ten-by-ten denier weave per square inch 22 EARTHBAG BUILDING SUSTAINABLE... advantage of earthbag over pressed block is the same as that over all the above-mentioned earth -building forms, the fact that earthbags do not require a specific soil mixture to work properly Adobe, rammed earth, cob, and pressed block rely on a prescribed ratio of clay and sand, or clay, sand, and straw whose availability limits their use The earthbag system can extend earthen architecture beyond these limitations... to withstand load and wind shear, and resist earthquakes Since then he has acquired permits for building residential and commercial structures, including a nature and science museum in one of the highest earthquake zones in the United States We signed up for a one-day workshop Nader personally taught us how to build an arch using bricks 1 2 EARTHBAG BUILDING and dry sand, and then using sandbags We... size.” Clay is the glue that holds all the other particles of sand and gravel together, forming them into a solid conglomerate matrix Clay is to a natural earthen wall what Portland cement is to concrete Clay has an active, dynamic quality When wet, clay is both sticky and slippery, and when dry, can be mistaken for fractured rock (Fig 2.1) Sands and gravels, on the other hand, remain stable whether wet . community. As Earthbag Building: The Tools, Tricks and Techniques demonstrates, Kaki and Doni are smart, they are playful, they are wise, they are fine teachers and they have lots of get down and dirty. advantages to earthbag construction. Let’s look at the advantages the earthbag system gives the “do-it-your- selfer” compared to these other types of earth building. 4 EARTHBAG BUILDING 1.2:. the solidity of a rammed earth wall. The sheer joy of mixing and plopping cob into a sculp- tural masterpiece is unequalled. But for the first -and- only-time owner/builder, there are some dis- tinct