Earthbags are homes made out of polypropylene flat bags that contains earth, sand, or gravel. They are built in rounded structures that usually form a cone or dome-like shape in the top part of the house. These type of shelters are reportedly "indestructible" in terms of withstanding the threats of nature such as floods and earthquakes.
Earthbags are really economical to build. One can build an earthbag home for just $1000 or up. The usual thing that costs so much in building this home is the manpower. These type of homes are highly-recommended for places that are flood-prone and disaster-stricken areas. If you're aiming to build a home that is durable and low cost, consider building an earthbag home instead.
What you need to know:
1. Decide
Is this the type of home for me and my family? According to themudhome, Earthbags are great for areas that have hot and dry climates and are disaster-prone.
2. Plan the shape of your structure
Planning is key and this is the foremost thing one needs to do before building an earthbag. Consider what you want to see inside, the placement, the furniture, etc. This will give you the idea what size or how big it would be. But the best shape for earthbag home is reportedly the round shape but a cornered one can also be made as an earthbag home.
3. Foundation
"Gravel Foundation system" is prescribed for earthbags. Naturalbuildingblog reports that this type of foundation was able to withstand a 6.1 earthquake in Turkey and was kept "dry" inside.
There is a step on how to do this the proper way.
4. The Flat Bags and Walls
Flat bags are made to keep the construction of your walls straight. This part of the house needs a lot of patience to work on and a couple of manpower.
5. Windows and Doors
In creating your doors and windows, molds are important for this. Molds will help you make everything stay in its proper shape.
6. Roofs
There are many options for roofs that you can use for an earthbag home like a living roof, metal roof, and ferrocement roof.
If you still want to learn more, check out some of the ways you can build it: naturalbuildingblog, motherearthnews, earthbagbuilding, dreamgreenhomes, and themudhome.
