Earthbag Construction: Building a Cheap and Environmentally Friendly Home

Over the past few years the cost to rent an apartment or home has dramatically increased while wages have remained relatively unchanged. This has spawned a movement of people seeking out alternative and affordable building techniques. Many people have even downsized to those “tiny homes” to escape massive debt and alleviate financial concerns.

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There are many new and affordable building methods available today. And some of the construction methods are so simple that people are building their own homes without the need of a contractor or hired help.

One of the more fascinating new construction methods is called earthbag construction. Earth bags are nothing more than a sand bag filled with a mixture of sand and clay. These bags are then stacked like masonry block to form walls of a building. Some people have managed to build small homes in this way for as little as $3,000. The bags will most likely be the greatest expenditure as they are made from polypropylene (18” x 30”) and can cost as much as $1.00 per bag. Polypropylene bags can last almost indefinitely if kept out of sunlight. Therefore, by covering the earthbag walls with a type of stucco or cob the earth bag walls will last a lifetime and maybe even several lifetimes.

This building technique could also be used in emergency situations such as the mass flooding in Louisiana. The thousands of displaced homeowners, with a little instruction, can build this simple shelter until funds are made available for them to rebuild their homes or make repairs.

What gives the earthen walls strength?

The mixture of the material inside the bags (sand and clay) is key to the rigidity of the wall. Once the moistened mixture inside the bag is placed in the row it is then rigorously tamped down. Once the mixture drys out it begins to harden. In a sense you are making earthen bricks. Between each row of earth bags two strands of barbed wire are placed like mortar to increase adhesion between the two rows.

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What are the environmental benefits of earthbag construction?

There are numerous environmental benefits. The greatest benefit is that it is ecological, using mostly materials found on the building site. It is also extremely durable and there is no need to add man-made insulation as found in traditional building methods. This type of structure also holds up well to natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods.

The only real downside to this type of construction is that it can be hard to get a building permit. Many municipalities have yet to research and approve this building method.