mark vernon

I thought I should add a few more pictures of the building...after 2 years it has no issues, and already been through 2 earthquakes and a few typhoons..

The bags are full of earth, with a fairly higher clay content and tamped down. Each course has 2 strands of barbed wire along the lengths and in certain places there are 4 ft lengths of 1/2 inch rebar. The top of the walls now has a 6 inch tie beam, because Philippines does have an earthquake risk.. The building has about 100 tons of earth in the walls. This is what it looks at the moment - we are getting 5 trusses made from 2x2 angle bar, and these will be laid on top of the tie bems and the rebar rods are bent over the trusses and welded to them, then C Parlins laid aross and finally the steel roofing is screwed to the C Parlins...

Just some extra pictures...with the french drains, the 4 inch perforated pipes go all the way around both sides, and will drain off to a culvert.

The curve in the back wall is actually the guys not laying the wall very straight...

We did actually dig down and out of the hillside and then filled it afterwards. There is also drainage at the base of that wall. I have posted some pictures from early on, a few weeks ago. We started clearing and digging 6 weeks ago.

There is 10 mil PE sheeting on that back and sides of the wall where it is bermed..extra rebar through the walls and a french drain around 3 sides of the building, with sharp gravel below and above it, and that is laid on PE sheeting as well. The earth has a high level of clay in it, and we have already been through one typhoon and the rainy season when we were building the trenches and no problems with water coming down the hill. The old couple has lived on that spot for many years and they say no problems with water coming down the hill. However, I have added a lot of drainage options there just in case. In the middle of the wall there, I may add another buttress inside, but that was partly the function of the built in seats for the dining area.

The thing in the foreground is actually a homemade tamper, one of three we made from concrete.

Any advice most welcome..I have done a lot of research and reading but this is my first practical project...the entire project to move in, will be around $3,500. Labour is 4 guys at $7 per day plus food (normal rate is $6 per day). The welder with his welding machine and a helper is $14 a day. Currently experimenting with soil/sand mix to go as first coat on the walls, before adding 3 layers of lime plaster. The lime putty has been sitting in large bins for the last 2 months...

Here are a few pictures and also the sketchup diagram of the planned roof trusses. Will use 2x2 1/4 inch thick angle bars for top and bottom, with 1.5x1.5 x 1/4th inch for webs. This is what the welders are used to doing here. The cost of 20ft angle bars is $15 and $11 each respectively. They are connected to the walls using 2 pieces of 1/2 inch rebar coming up through the 4 inch thick concrete tie beams, and welded and bent over the truss. On the back wall, it will be more earthbags, and on the ends, we will add glass bottles in lime plaster.

Lots of info to go through here, but I wanted to say that yes, Kiln dried wood is far more expensive than steel here, probably twice or more...A 20ft rectangular steel tubing of 1.5mm wall thickness, 20 ft long is 750 pesos (about $15 USD). The shanty houses around this little project basically cobble roofs on their houses using coco lumber which rots or has termites within 2 years and galvanised metal sheeting which rusts really quickly as well...termites are a huge problem, hence the use of steel for everything. Steel framed windows, doors, beams, so hardly any wood used. The roof is 4 mil thickness ( I think that is 26 guage?), and C parlins are 1.2mm wall thickness, 20 ft long. The beams will be welded to rebar coming out of the concrete tie beam. I made a modification to the design and will have the same 2x4 steel tubing beam act as a central ridge Using 2 x 20ft lengths welded together, and also using 7 trusses, spaced at 4.5 feet apart. Yes, I want an attic space at the end of the house (about 10 ft x 20ft across), but that will not be hanging from the structure..3/4 inch plywood will sit on the concrete tie beam, with the same 2x4 tubular beams supporting it.

The thickness of the walls are 17 inches wide as is the tie beam concrete, and 6 inches deep. The rebar is 12mm (1/2 inch), which goes down about 4 feet into the wall through the tie beam. The tie beam will have 2 parallel rebars embedded along the length and breadth and they will be tied to the vertical rebars. The steel tubes will be welded to 2 rebars at each point in the wall, plus both rebar connections will be bent over the bar itself

We tend to mix both metric and imperial here - I wish they would go one way or the other, but I am getting used to it now. Most of the time larger measurements are in feet and inches and small measurements in mm (like steel thickness).

I realise I could use a rafter going across the entire width of the structure, and might have to go with that...but would be nice to still keep the cathedral style ceilings..

EDIT...After a bit of discussion, we will probably stick to a skillion shed roof, with a 2ft rise over 20 ft...enough for the rain to come off into the gutters at one side...10 x tubular steel beams at 1 meter spacing, and C parlins at 600 or 900mm spacing. I will keep the more complex stuff for my next project..

I am building an earthbag house as a charity project in the Philippines, and am a bit unsure of the roof...perhaps someone can tell me if it's ok. Total cost with everything including labour is about $3 to $4k USD...the roof is the most expensive part.

I am trying to figure out if this is safe enough...a simple A frame using 2x4 tubular steel bars spaced at 6 ft intervals with a 2x4 ridge beam at the top and welded to rebars coming out of the concrete tie beam (6 inches thick) with 2x3 C Parlins at 600mm center spacing and long span PBR steel 26 guage roofing at 14ft long each side...the width of the house is 21 ft, the length is 32 ft