earthbag construction.

[dilligaf]

We have become quite fond of this type of building and are embarking on our second project using earthbags.
it is going to be a semi dugout goat shelter.

we have found that the new type woven plastic feed and dog food bags are PERFECT to use for these projects..

the concept is simple,fill the bags and stack them just as you were laying block,barbed wire is used between the layers to hold it all together and you tamp everything down to keep it level and settle it all in..
this is a great way to build with recycled items at virtually no cost.

i am wondering if anyone else here has messed around with this type construction and if so i would love to read about it..

as far as our newest project,it is going to be a 8x8 shelter partially underground and it will have a earthen roof. almost all materials will be recycled or harvested from here on the property.

thus far i have completed all the digging required and we are having a "workshop" next weekend to "git er dun"..

if there is a interest i will post photos and/or video of the process..

if not, i wont bother..lol

more on earthbag construction..

http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/

[jazzy]

yes, id love to see photos of your work, ive wanted to try a small shed to try it out. i think its a pretty neat project.

[Liberty]

Of course there's interest! Please post photos as the project progresses. I'd love to see them.

[orion commander]

Yes, I would like to see. What I have not been able to grasp is how it stays together. When the bag breaks down all there is is a pile of dirt left. Can you build a house size structure of any permanence?

[dilligaf]

Yes, I would like to see. What I have not been able to grasp is how it stays together. When the bag breaks down all there is is a pile of dirt left. Can you build a house size structure of any permanence?

to prevent UV breakdown you do have to "stucco"(for lack of a better word) or "cob" over any exposed bags OC. for this there are about as many formulas as there are people building with earthbags..

our first project was the front wall of our root cellar and we had a heck of a time figuring out what worked best for our climate (we average 72 inches of rain annually here).we had a LOT of trial and error before we found something that could withstand our weather for any length of time . we wound up going with a 10 part portland cement,1 part sand, 1 part georgia clay mix. in drier climates a simple "cob" mix (sand,clay and straw) works fine.

people add newspapers,borax,lime and all sorts of stuff in their formulas though. i think it comes down to what works best for your area..
it should be noted that you have to face the bags with something the "stucco" will adhere to. on our first project we used recycled chicken wire,this seems to be pretty common. however on this project because this shed will be for a buck goat i am going to use diamond mesh that i will have to purchase. i want to make sure it can withstand the abuse a cantankerous buck can put it through.

as far as is it viable for big projects? yes it is. in the link in my first post there are some examples of large projects and if you search on the web you can find plenty of examples.

it should also be noted that this can be a very labor intensive process.
that doesnt bother me as i aint afraid of hard work and i prefer to look at my money rather than spend it lol.. so for me this is mainly about cost over time and effort.although its also because its a very viable way to build here as we have NO level areas to build conventionally.

thus far i have about 9 hours in prep, all digging done with a shovel and pick. i figure i have moved about 5 cubic yards of dirt. the dirt will be used to fill the bags and then to go over the roof.



so thats where i am at till a week from saturday when we will have folks coming in to get some hands on experience and to lend us a hand as well..

until then feel free to ask any questions you may have and i will try and answer them to the best of my ability..

[Lorraine in GA]

I'm very interested to see your progress Dilligaf! This looks really cool!

[dilligaf]

finally!!! we have completed the goat shed. really havent worked on it for 3 weeks as we had other more pressing things to do around here..

this project turned out to be more costly than i had anticipated as we wound up using 14 bags of portland cement, this combined with the extra expense of the diamond mesh rather than chicken wire pushed the cost up considerably. i havent sat down and figured the total yet but off the top of my head i believe we still came in well under 300 dollars for the total..

we WILL get around to doing a detailed write up on the project and i will post it here when its done.

thanks everyone for your patience..

[Summerthyme]

Can't wait to see pics of the finished project,

Summerthyme

[dilligaf]

Can't wait to see pics of the finished project,

Summerthyme

me neither, as wife forgot the camera this morning..

[Lraiser]

finally!!! we have completed the goat shed. really havent worked on it for 3 weeks as we had other more pressing things to do around here..

this project turned out to be more costly than i had anticipated as we wound up using 14 bags of portland cement, this combined with the extra expense of the diamond mesh rather than chicken wire pushed the cost up considerably. i havent sat down and figured the total yet but off the top of my head i believe we still came in well under 300 dollars for the total..

we WILL get around to doing a detailed write up on the project and i will post it here when its done.

thanks everyone for your patience..

Ok...patience never was my strong suit.

The pics are outstanding!

Oh by the way could I rent your kids when it comes time to fill my bags. Sure would save my back.

Is there a reason you switched to diamond mesh over the chicken wire?
Also did you use the cement over the walls or at the sides to direct the run off?

I know...wait for the synopsis but dang inquiring minds want to know.