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fire
Junior Nomad
Posts: 40
Registered: 9-19-2018
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Earthbag home
Hi there, I couldnt determine when your original post was made - however, I too want to build an earthbag home on my land in Baja.
I'd be interested in knowing what sort of info have you since dug up? (pardon the pun)
i am particularly interested in if you found where to source the poly bags needed for earthbag homes, and if you have completed your project.
Quote: Originally posted by Bendrix11  | I already posted this topic in the building forum, however I think I may get more feedback here at Q & A. So anyway, I've been looking into these
things recently and would be interested to know if anyone has an experience or knows of anyone who has built one of these things (particularly in the
La Paz/Todos Santos region...)
Many thanks in advance. |
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John Harper
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My buddy has a straw bale barn up in Eastern Washington. It's been up over 10 years and no problems that I've heard of.
John
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TMW
Select Nomad
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I thought some of the homes in El Dorado Ranch in San Felipe were made of straw and mud bails or something like that, similar to adobe.
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wsdunc
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Fire:
https://www.calearth.org/shop/
they sell the bags. We visited 10 years ago, nice folks, lots of info.
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joerover
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How about a behive hut,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloch%C3%A1n
the fat lady is breeding
which means
The fat ladys are breeding
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daveB
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In 2004 there was a sizable earthquake off the coast of Colima, Mexico.
The following year we toured the city, saw many strangely empty lots. Even the church was still closed, after suffering damage. But those lots
apparently, had adobe houses that had colapsed, the death toll in the city was over 50, and the collapse of those houses, mostly responsible.
Earthbag homes may be another thing, perhaps a big impovement on what had been built in Colima. Maybe, or maybe not.
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fire
Junior Nomad
Posts: 40
Registered: 9-19-2018
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I did a search about the differences between adobe construction and earth bag,
here is what I found
"Earthbag building currently lacks the same degree of testing and ease of code approval, yet I’m convinced, certain as one can be, that earthbag is
stronger than adobe. For one, the soil is tamped, not just poured. This helps create a denser, stronger rammed wall that history has shown can last
for hundreds or thousands of years. Plus, there’s the added strength of poly bags and barbed wire, which add significant tensile strength. The barbs
are embedded in the densely packed soil between each course, as well as hooked on the bags themselves. In addition, if builders follow our
recommendations about size and spacing of openings, plaster, bond beams, etc. then earthbag buildings will be extremely strong – far stronger, in my
opinion, than the mass produced housing being built today."
http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/earthbag-in-comparison-to...
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
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| Quote: Originally posted by fire | I did a search about the differences between adobe construction and earth bag,
here is what I found
"Earthbag building currently lacks the same degree of testing and ease of code approval, yet I’m convinced, certain as one can be, that earthbag is
stronger than adobe. For one, the soil is tamped, not just poured. This helps create a denser, stronger rammed wall that history has shown can last
for hundreds or thousands of years. Plus, there’s the added strength of poly bags and barbed wire, which add significant tensile strength. The barbs
are embedded in the densely packed soil between each course, as well as hooked on the bags themselves. In addition, if builders follow our
recommendations about size and spacing of openings, plaster, bond beams, etc. then earthbag buildings will be extremely strong – far stronger, in my
opinion, than the mass produced housing being built today."
http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/earthbag-in-comparison-to... |
Plastic bags and barbed wire! Brilliant!
Put that in your building permit application, apply a PE stamp (that’s what photoshop is for!), and bob’s your uncle! I am sure the county will
issue you a building permit, how could they question your creative engineering?
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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Stickers
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One of these houses was built in West Los Angeles years ago. It was expensive, beautiful and stylish featured in the real estate magazine of the LA
Times (I think). I used to drive by it regularly.
Then the earthquake hit (Northridge) which wasn’t too bad in West LA. As I drove the neighborhoods looking at damage it was mostly brick chimneys
that were toast, all the homes looked OK except for one. The dirt house was gone, just a pile of rubble and I do mean a pile of rubble
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fire
Junior Nomad
Posts: 40
Registered: 9-19-2018
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Thanks, well I suppose reinforcing with re-bar, barbwire, and plaster will help
https://www.engineeringforchange.org/news/build-earthbag-str...
| Quote: Originally posted by Stickers | One of these houses was built in West Los Angeles years ago. It was expensive, beautiful and stylish featured in the real estate magazine of the LA
Times (I think). I used to drive by it regularly.
Then the earthquake hit (Northridge) which wasn’t too bad in West LA. As I drove the neighborhoods looking at damage it was mostly brick chimneys
that were toast, all the homes looked OK except for one. The dirt house was gone, just a pile of rubble and I do mean a pile of rubble
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caj13
Senior Nomad
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they showed some Gal building anearth bag in the Mohave on that "building of the grid" program, another one too on a different episode. both of em
ended up looking like beehives.
for some people - it's obviously the bees knees.
for me, when I desided to build my own home, I had to choose between rammed earth, straw bale, SIPs panels etc, was not aware of earth bag, but
would not have chosen it, dont want a round home with a cone shaped top! I chose ICF with SIPS panel Roof. I was never convinced of the
permanance of some of the other options. !
Never looked back, House has held up perfectly, and is now showing a premium price on the market - because fire proof & earthquake "proof"
and super energy efficient.
[Edited on 9-21-2018 by caj13]
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John Harper
Super Nomad
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| Quote: Originally posted by fire |
"For one, the soil is tamped, not just poured. This helps create a denser, stronger rammed wall that history has shown can last for hundreds or
thousands of years. |
Historically, I think dirt was tamped between two solid rock walls, to help withstand siege engines. Not sure there were freestanding tamped walls
that lasted hundreds of years. I guess adobe lasts a few centuries, perhaps tamped dirt too. Looks like most the adobe walls from the 18th century,
unless protected, are gone.
I recall a video of a friend's that showed a house being built with earth packed old tires, not sure if that's still a way of doing it as well. In
Baja, I'm sure the old tires would be easy to acquire.
John
[Edited on 9-21-2018 by John Harper]
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fire
Junior Nomad
Posts: 40
Registered: 9-19-2018
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Looking for earthbags
| Quote: Originally posted by Bendrix11 | I already posted this topic in the building forum, however I think I may get more feedback here at Q & A. So anyway, I've been looking into these
things recently and would be interested to know if anyone has an experience or knows of anyone who has built one of these things (particularly in the
La Paz/Todos Santos region...)
Many thanks in advance. |
Hi there, I am trying to source some earthbag sacs in Baja, the earthbag sacks on a roll would be preferable, know where I might be able to get these
near cabo or la paz?
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motoged
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A few years ago someone posted about building with that or similar technology around San Bartolo....don't remember a project follow-up.
Don't believe everything you think....
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fishbuck
Banned
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A house in my near my camp was made from adobe brick.
I watched.
He hired a laborer and bought special dirt.
They made a mold, mixed up the adobe, and made bricks.
I think he believed it would be cheaper than concrete block.
The house got finished and he lived in it for a few years.
He abandoned the house and it has sat empty since.
It's been for sale for a long time... cheap.
When I inquired to another neighbor he said :
"don't bother, it's a teardown.
He once thought it was worth $200,000. Because that was his 1st asking price...
Now it's worth the value of the lot minus demo costs.
Stick with conventional materials if you ever plan to sell it.
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." J. A. Shedd.
A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. – Albert Einstein
"Life's a Beach... and then you Fly!" Fishbuck
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