A New, Old Way of Doing Things
In June of 2010, my family and I finally decided to begin work on a recreational cabin in northern Pennsylvania. The parcel of land had been purchased in 1989 and had been sitting unused for all that time. Over the years building on the land had been discussed and various plans had been started but had always been abandoned for one reason or another - usually money. In fact, by 2010 many members were considering selling the land. What we needed was something cheap and easy to build which, for us, was unattainable using conventional building methods. To that end, I began extensive research on alternative building methods.
What I eventually found was Kelly Hart's and Dr. Owen Geiger's Earthbag Building Blog. Earthbag is a modern take on what is essentially an ancient building method. Across the globe homes have been built using easily obtainable earth materials for centuries. These examples include adobe bricks, cob (a mixture of straw and mud) cottages, wattle and daub, rammed earth, hillside earth sheltered communities, etc. Earthbag construction involves filling woven poly bags (such as those for animal feed or sandbags) with soil and creating brick-like walls. The individual bags are hard tamped together and prevented from sliding by double strands of barbed wire. The resulting structure is a very solid and cohesive mass that can be built with lots of sweat but zero formal construction experience.
Beyond the cost of the bags (which are minimal compared to conventional building materials) and perhaps the truckload of fill dirt, the walls of your structure can be made for "dirt" cheap. Certainly roofing choices, plaster choices, interior finishing, and other amendments (which we will discuss) effect the ultimate cost of your structure but it can be around $10 a square foot! Because our structure is a mountain cabin we were less concerned with new materials and more with durability and function. Therefore we are scrounging and buying secondhand almost all of our exterior and interior items. I will keep The Process updated as we purchase items.
Finally, while the cost effectiveness is great for my family, the method and materials of this project are great for all of us. Conventional construction far exceeds that of earthbag in the usage of resources and energy. Earth is a readily available material which naturally compacts and adheres stronger than lumber. It is not subject to insect damage or rot. The thermal properties of earth helps to even out and maintain interior temperature resulting in less fuel needed for constant heating. Other aspects of our structure are designed to use natural or recycled materials to help facilitate drainage, ventilation, water management and insulation without hazardous chemicals.
Hopefully, I am teaching my children (and maybe some others) about living and building responsibly - with an eye to the future, to our legacy. We should be the Earth's custodians, not it's conquerors. The health of our environment does not need to be sacrificed for our happiness. A balance can be struck where we live a "modern" existence of comfort and ease and still protect the land. I would argue even that with a greater cognizance of our environmental impact comes an increase in happiness - an awareness of purpose. And a new humility that comforts the soul far more than any artifice of man.
What I eventually found was Kelly Hart's and Dr. Owen Geiger's Earthbag Building Blog. Earthbag is a modern take on what is essentially an ancient building method. Across the globe homes have been built using easily obtainable earth materials for centuries. These examples include adobe bricks, cob (a mixture of straw and mud) cottages, wattle and daub, rammed earth, hillside earth sheltered communities, etc. Earthbag construction involves filling woven poly bags (such as those for animal feed or sandbags) with soil and creating brick-like walls. The individual bags are hard tamped together and prevented from sliding by double strands of barbed wire. The resulting structure is a very solid and cohesive mass that can be built with lots of sweat but zero formal construction experience.
Beyond the cost of the bags (which are minimal compared to conventional building materials) and perhaps the truckload of fill dirt, the walls of your structure can be made for "dirt" cheap. Certainly roofing choices, plaster choices, interior finishing, and other amendments (which we will discuss) effect the ultimate cost of your structure but it can be around $10 a square foot! Because our structure is a mountain cabin we were less concerned with new materials and more with durability and function. Therefore we are scrounging and buying secondhand almost all of our exterior and interior items. I will keep The Process updated as we purchase items.
Finally, while the cost effectiveness is great for my family, the method and materials of this project are great for all of us. Conventional construction far exceeds that of earthbag in the usage of resources and energy. Earth is a readily available material which naturally compacts and adheres stronger than lumber. It is not subject to insect damage or rot. The thermal properties of earth helps to even out and maintain interior temperature resulting in less fuel needed for constant heating. Other aspects of our structure are designed to use natural or recycled materials to help facilitate drainage, ventilation, water management and insulation without hazardous chemicals.
Hopefully, I am teaching my children (and maybe some others) about living and building responsibly - with an eye to the future, to our legacy. We should be the Earth's custodians, not it's conquerors. The health of our environment does not need to be sacrificed for our happiness. A balance can be struck where we live a "modern" existence of comfort and ease and still protect the land. I would argue even that with a greater cognizance of our environmental impact comes an increase in happiness - an awareness of purpose. And a new humility that comforts the soul far more than any artifice of man.
As low-cost as this process is, there are still fees and labor/machinery costs for those things I cannot do myself. I am happy to share anything I learn from this experience, however, if the mood strikes you, please consider contributing. Thanks!
Greg
Greg