The following link directs to a builder named Jesse Loving that is creating an earthbag house in Belize. The design involves a central courtyard with a doughnut shaped house surrounding it. This is a truly amazing structure and much more complicated that the design that we are going to build. Also different is the fact that they are using the traditional poly earthbags while we will be using the hyperadobe method with mesh tubing. Still, there is a lot to learn from Jesse's project. The gravel foundation and infill will be the same method that we are going to employ and the straight lintels above the exterior windows will be something that I hope to emulate. Additionally this is a round structure just like our plan, except ours lacks the courtyard. Check it out if you are interested in this building method. His albums are a terrific visualization aid for earthbag construction.

Jesse Loving's Picassa Album

I have been playing around with the idea of using hyperadobe building method rather than earthbags for a few months now but I am facing a supply problem. Hyperadobe is a building method that is a relatively recent find by alternative builders. As a constuction method it is similar to earthbags that I have described but the retaining material for the soil is different. Instead of slippery poly bags, hyperadobe uses a strong mesh tubing similar to what is used in produce packaging for onions or potatoes or erosion control booms. The tubing is filled with soil and tamped down solid just like earthbags but each course has greater adhesion to the course below due to the mesh openings. The dirt becomes a monolithic structure and achieves great stability with less effort. The most appropriate tubing material in the US that I have found is called Raschel Mesh or Leno Mesh. The Leno Mesh is pictured above. 

The difficulty I am facing now is where to purchase the materials. Since the material is so thin and lightweight it comes in lengths between 1000' to 3000' which is more than enough to build one cabin of the size that I am planning. However, most manufacturers of these types of tubes will only deal in large quantities like shipping containers or skids. And the few suppliers that I have found are imposing a huge markup on the products. For example, a manufacturer of erosion control booms in Canada lists the product at $300 - $350 per roll, while their supplier wants double that.

If you have any leads on where I might purchase the type of material pictured or listed above please leave me a clue in the comments. Thanks!