Earthbag homes

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.

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

The dirt bag homes don't look like they have any ability to withstand seismic shaking

Quote: Originally posted by mcfez

Actually....they do...and got approved for seismic. Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666   The dirt bag homes don't look like they have any ability to withstand seismic shaking

Kind of like those adobe houses. right? Dirt/water

Approved. Not sure what pieces of the information you are taking.....but in the whole light...it clearly states approved....in many locations. Just like any other new engineering tech....one must provide additional data for planning approval. So......this IS a approved system.

"........The best example of code approval in seismic areas of California is the work done at CalEarth, near Hesperia. They have actually designed and helped construct an earthbag public building for the city, and the system was required to undergo extensive testing to be sanctioned by the authorities. Since then they have sold similar designs for complex dome structures that have been code approved in various other states".

Details on various stress tests:
http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/testing.htm







[Edited on 7-24-2015 by mcfez]

Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan

I actually like the designs but all the pictures of this stuff shows un-finished houses... I wonder how many people finish...it only takes 10 weeks...but...it looks like the houses are NEVER done. today I took a sock out back and filled it with dry dirt... I then tied the end then I put the hose to it...wow...what a muddy mess

Minor hijack

Quote: Originally posted by mcfez

https://calearth.org/ This type of construction was approved by the County of San Bernardino a while ago. The link I provided is a excellent starting point for discovery of this technology. Cal Earth is the founder of earth bag construction. It's a perfect way to build a home in Baja. Lots of sand as the main material..... barbwire and a little bit of lumber. Best part of this is that any casual labor can help build a sandbag house. Cal Earth has on site classes with accommodation for extended stays at their Mohave Desert complex. In Pete's Camp.....8 miles north of San Felipe.....there is a perfect site to visit....as it is still under construction. Pictures of various construction sites: http://tinyurl.com/pjlq5yx

Quote: Originally posted by durrelllrobert

Quote: Originally posted by mcfez   https://calearth.org/ This type of construction was approved by the County of San Bernardino a while ago. The link I provided is a excellent starting point for discovery of this technology. Cal Earth is the founder of earth bag construction. It's a perfect way to build a home in Baja. Lots of sand as the main material..... barbwire and a little bit of lumber. Best part of this is that any casual labor can help build a sandbag house. Cal Earth has on site classes with accommodation for extended stays at their Mohave Desert complex. In Pete's Camp.....8 miles north of San Felipe.....there is a perfect site to visit....as it is still under construction. Pictures of various construction sites: http://tinyurl.com/pjlq5yx Back in 1970 I drew plans for a guy that had a cinder cone on his property just off highway 395 in Kern County. He set 8 foot long metal poles at 10 foot on center and stung barbedwire between them at 2 fooot intevals.. Then he built 2 foot high x 16" deep wooden forms on all sides. He also built and set wooden frames for all window and door openings as well as PVC electrical conduit. Next he mixed 3 cubic yards of volcanic cinder with water and 1 shovel of cement and poured and tamped that in the forms on all 4 sides. After that mix had set he raised the forms another 2 feet and repeated the process until he reahed the top of the 8 foot walls, setting the window/door forms and PVC conduit in the right location as he went along. After much debate the county of Kern approved those plans and the structure still stands today. This option eliminates the need for baging sand.

I filled enough sand bags in Viet Nam --I'll pass on earth bag home

[Edited on 6-11-2015 by BajaGlenn]

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote: Originally posted by durrelllrobert   Quote: Originally posted by mcfez   https://calearth.org/ This type of construction was approved by the County of San Bernardino a while ago. The link I provided is a excellent starting point for discovery of this technology. Cal Earth is the founder of earth bag construction. It's a perfect way to build a home in Baja. Lots of sand as the main material..... barbwire and a little bit of lumber. Best part of this is that any casual labor can help build a sandbag house. Cal Earth has on site classes with accommodation for extended stays at their Mohave Desert complex. In Pete's Camp.....8 miles north of San Felipe.....there is a perfect site to visit....as it is still under construction. Pictures of various construction sites: http://tinyurl.com/pjlq5yx Back in 1970 I drew plans for a guy that had a cinder cone on his property just off highway 395 in Kern County. He set 8 foot long metal poles at 10 foot on center and stung barbedwire between them at 2 fooot intevals.. Then he built 2 foot high x 16" deep wooden forms on all sides. He also built and set wooden frames for all window and door openings as well as PVC electrical conduit. Next he mixed 3 cubic yards of volcanic cinder with water and 1 shovel of cement and poured and tamped that in the forms on all 4 sides. After that mix had set he raised the forms another 2 feet and repeated the process until he reahed the top of the 8 foot walls, setting the window/door forms and PVC conduit in the right location as he went along. After much debate the county of Kern approved those plans and the structure still stands today. This option eliminates the need for baging sand. Look at most every large earthquake in the news. The poorly reinforced concrete and masonry buildings fall down. You say the county approved it after much debate. The county probably just gave in and said "whatever" as they have no liability for homeowners foolishness. Also, in 1970 how advanced was the seismic engineering and CA bldg regs for houses? [Edited on 7-25-2015 by mtgoat666]

Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan

I agree plaster but not a regular plaster... regular plaster sucks in water...a lot it would have to be a hardened plaster with a sealer in it... AND use the paper with chicken wire for a scratch coat before the plaster AND if you do that i'd stay with conventional block and castillos because the population understands this I like the idea and the weird designs but acceptance might a problem for later sales I wonder what the straw-bale houses look like now... maybe cracked and crumbly and moldy this time im not "in" not proven yet and too many "unfinished" projects no need to reinvent the wheel in Baja...there's enough unfinished projects here now

Quote: Originally posted by mcfez

Hell of a interesting tech. The problem with this paper concept is....there aint no paper in Baja! A lime paint coating is used....same stuff that they used to use on the eastern coast back in the early days. http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-a-Dome-out-of-Paper... Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan   I agree plaster but not a regular plaster... regular plaster sucks in water...a lot it would have to be a hardened plaster with a sealer in it... AND use the paper with chicken wire for a scratch coat before the plaster AND if you do that i'd stay with conventional block and castillos because the population understands this I like the idea and the weird designs but acceptance might a problem for later sales I wonder what the straw-bale houses look like now... maybe cracked and crumbly and moldy this time im not "in" not proven yet and too many "unfinished" projects no need to reinvent the wheel in Baja...there's enough unfinished projects here now

Earthbag home

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.

Quote: Originally posted by wsdunc

Fire: https://www.calearth.org/shop/ they sell the bags. We visited 10 years ago, nice folks, lots of info.

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...

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

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.

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.