BUILD GOOD

EA RT HBA G WA LLS
EA RT HBA G INFO PA RT 3
Patti Stouter/ www.BuildSimple.org
November 2012
and friends of www.EarthbagBuilding.com
BUILD GOOD EA RT HBA G WA LLS
EA RT HBA G INFO PA RT 2
This file covers some techniques for building with
earthbag in NON_HAZARDOUS AREAS.
See the other parts of the Earthbag info series
available online to learn more about earthbag
construction.
Example projects around the world are featured at:
http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/projects/projects.htm
and at: http://calearth.org/galleries/index.html
Free online booklets give more details. See
http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/articles.htm http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/articles.htm
Strong buildings require care and advice. Before
building, purchase a book or video, take a course, and/
or seek advice from experienced builders and/ or
architects or engineers. Check www.BuildSimple.org for
latest news about structural testing.
Links to books and videos are available at:
http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/resources.htm
Notice if authors of how-tos have investigated recent
advances in understanding of earthbag structural
performance. The author and those at Earthbag
Building.com follow current advances and often give
free advice to those planning aid buildings.
This work by Patti Stouter is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
PRE PA RE T O BUIL D
Soil test
Footings
Base wall
3 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
How st r ong is y our soil?
Fill and tamp
test bags
Use plain soil
and mixes with
added sand or added sand or
clay
Dry for 10+
days until hard
4 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Check t est bags
Hammer a 3/ 7 cm
nail in each
Cut bags away. Is
each:
Solid?
It holds the
nail?
No deep cracks?
5 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Dr op a dr y t est bag
Cut the bag off. Hold a corner 18/ 45 cm
above hard ground
Good strength soil should not:
Break in half
Lose 4/ 10 cm Lose 4/ 10 cm
off a corner
6 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Make f oot ings wider or
deeper in poor soil*
One story of
earthbag is
as heavy as
two stories
of concrete of concrete
*Not sure? Ask a local
engineer for advice.
7 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Keep pipes under f oot ings
away from
earth walls
8 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
W at er - r esist ant base
for snow, rain splash, inside leaks
9 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
W at er - r esist ant bags
Gravel, sand, rubble, or stabilized
soil
10 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
A dd r ubble or st one t o sand
Sand alone
can become
unstable in
walls 3- 4 walls 3- 4
(1- 1.2 m)
high
11 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Use double bags
To hold
sharp
gravel or
rubble rubble
12 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
E A RT H W A L L S
Fill
Tamp
Lay wire
13 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Keep f ill mixed and moist
Dropped balls should
always split in 2 or 3*
*See Earthbag
Basics slide 5
14 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Moist soil cur es st r ong
15 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Fill bags t he same
Use chute to
measure, or
count small
buckets buckets
16 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Fill bags f ull
Less bags +
Less wire =
Less work +
Less money! Less money!
17 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
T uck cor ner s and pin shut
18 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
L ay it down j ust r ight
19 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
T amp unt il it r ings
Many soils
compress 1/5
20 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Check level
21 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Keep ext r a people away
f r om bar bed wir e wor k
22 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Use bar bed wir e in
pr opor t ion t o wall st r ess
23 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Mor t ar anchor s and st r apping
Make walls of
loose bag fill
stronger
24 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
OPE NINGS A ND MORE
Anchors
Bucks
Lintels
25 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
A nchor elect r ic boxes
Hammer pins
into bags
26 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Met al anchor s
27 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Inset suppor t s, benches. lof t
28 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Pipes f or vent or access
Cant add them later
29 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Bucks keep bags level and plumb
Tamping warps
the best opening
edges
30 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Bucks must r esist t amping
Move the
pole up as
the walls
rise rise
31 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Keep bucks ver t ical
32 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
E xt end lint els int o walls
33 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
16 (40 cm)
minimum
each side
Sills pr ot ect ear t h walls
34 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Keep water
out or
stabilize the
course below
A r ches dont need lint els
Make arch forms
strong,
thicker than
the wall,
smooth outside
35 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
T OP IT OFF
Rebar Pins
Bond Beam
Plaster Plaster
Roof
36 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Pin r einf or ced bond beam t o
walls
37 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
A dd r af t er t ies in bond beam
>>
38 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Bags add strength
in hazardous
regions.
Plaster within 2 Plaster within 2
weeks in tropics
within 5 weeks in
cooler areas
39 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Plaster nooks f irst
Sticky rough clay
or cement
40 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
L ime plast er on ear t h
Wall top must be
under an overhang
41 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Fishnet or chicken wire mesh
Stronger
corners
Helps at Helps at
overhangs
Holds stucco
42 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
Use stucco on a cement base coat
On all earthbag fills
in the tropics
Only on gravel or
sand bags where frost
43 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
T hanks f or har d wor k and
s har ing phot os :
Slides:
1- Small World School, Phuleli, Nepal
4, 5- Aman Setu School, Pune, India
7 (left), 8, 14, 28 (right) J. Turner, Homegrown Hideaways,
Kentucky, US
7 (r), 23 (r.), 30 (l.), 45 (upper l.)- Residence J.
Vallejo, Bogota, Columbia
14, 22 (r.), 35 (r.), 40 (r.)- R. Barber/ EMI, Free Burma
Rangers Clinic, Thailand
16 (l.), 18 (r.), 19 (upper r.), 21, 26, 27 (l.) 35 (l.),
40 (l.)- O. Geiger, www.GRISB.org
27 (r.), 43 (r.)- K. Hart, www.EarthbagBuilding.com
28 (upper l.)- J. Loving, Belize
28 (bottom l.)- Guiding Star Creations, Mexico
29, 33 (r.), 37 (r.), 42- E. Bellamy, University of
Cincinnati prototype, Kentucky, US
30 (r.)- Rasin Foundation Clinic, Leogane, Haiti
32- F. Pacheco, Ecooca, Brazil
33 (l.)- Shine on Sierra Leone, school, Sierra Leone
33 (r., 34 (l.)- D. Watson & A. Gerhart, Residence, San
Miguel de Allende 40 (l.)- O. Geiger, www.GRISB.org
17- Cato, Chiapas Clinic, Mexico
18 (l.), 22 (l.), 31, 37 (l.)- M. Long, Haiti Christian
Dev. Project, Bois Marchand, Haiti
22 (l.), 29, 33 (l.), 34, 38, 45 (r.)- M. Gunn & R. Lewis,
Children of Hope Orphanage, Leogane, Haiti
20 (l.)- K. Watanabe, Community Center, South Shounah,
Jordan
Miguel de Allende
34 (r.)- Christina & Reid addition, sw US
45 (bottom l.)- Guest house, Playa Tortuga, Costa Rica
All other photos and graphics by Patti Stouter
A public service of www.BuildSimple.org
Volunteers are welcome to translate this series!
Please ask for an original file and let us post
a copy.
44 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls
45 EARTHBAG INFO 3: Build Good Earthbag Walls