Can I use gravel for earth bag domes?

Hello, I'm wondering if I can make ~12-16ft diameter domes where I only use gravel as the fill, and then mortar plaster the dome. If it's possible, what is the minimum size and maximum size of the gravel supposed to be? If I can't use just gravel, can I add sand?  Thank you.

No because the reason earth mixtures are used is that they will dry out and stay 'stuck' together.
Gravel will never stay as a single 'block' and so there is a great risk of the wall just draining away if anything happens to split a bag.
Is there a reason you ask?

The reason I ask is because I was told by 5 earthbag builders online that it would take me 6-8 months to build one 12ft diameter dome if I gave my self 4 hours each day dedicated to building it. That sounds very...very....long and I need to erect my house sooner than later (series of connected domes) so I was wondering if there was a way to save time by not mixing filler. No matter what, I'll be alone and I really didn't want to give up on this earthbag plan, but it seems I'll have to do a light gauge steel house which will break my heart/spirit but can be done in one month.

UPDATE: Also found this, this person seems to have many articles about earthbag building but I dont know if hes credible.

http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/low-cost-fill-materials/

"Other examples of low cost fill material for earthbags include: subsoil (also called fill dirt by excavators), clay, caliche, road base, crusher fines, crushed limestone, sand, scoria, pumice, gravel, dredgings (this includes silt and clay as explained above as well as crushed coral and sand from marinas)."

Earthbag construction by yourself is slow.
Gadgets can be made to speed up the filling process and you may google them.
Can I ask what you are trying to achieve and how long do you have available?

This link discusses some alternative bag fillers. But they all have problems, they rot, cannot hold a load, caqnnot be drilled into. So when you read that stones and sawdust can be usewd, ask what outcome is being sought.
If you want a home to stand for 20 yeras, clay based soil that hardens is the only material to use in my opinion.
.earthbagbuilding.com/faqs/miscfill.htm

Thanks for the help.  My goal is to build a small home consisting of domes. Small is subjective but those "eco-dome" plans seem nice where its 1 big dome and maybe 4 small domes connected to it (although I may need more domes but at least something can be made where we can move in and then continue the rest).  I will be alone. I have access to affordable dirt + cement + gravel + sand + cut PP bags. The only issue I have is that I am alone. As I said earlier, I was told by multiple people that a 12 foot wide dome would take 6-8 months if I gave 4 hours a day of my time for building. So that would not even cover the bedroom bathroom and kitchen so it seems it would take more than 1 year for me to build something to be able to move in. This is why I asked about gravel only for the fill. The only tools I saw for making things faster in my case if I was to do soil + cement is a mini mixer for the soil + cement.

I need to build a structure within 4 months that we can move in. We are fine with having limited space but it has to be reasonable/comfortable enough where we arent sleeping next to the bathroom or the makeshift kitchen area is not next to our bed. So with that said....it seems like I have to cancel this entire plan of considering earthbags.

John C Daley wrote:
Gravel will never stay as a single 'block' and so there is a great risk of the wall just draining away if anything happens to split a bag.

Even if the dome is mortar plastered?

Look at this list How to fill sand bags quickly

4 months is an impossible time line to have the place set out as you describe.
Its my guess it could be a building site for 2 yeras, based on my experience.
Why 4 hours and not more?
Can you pay to have wooden formwork built to save your own time, conveyors to move and lift the full bags ?

This is a small home and the amount of work is very visible.

John C Daley wrote:...4 months is an impossible time line to have the place set out as you describe.
Its my guess it could be a building site for 2 yeras, based on my experience...

I concur!  Rule of thumb: come up with a (much more) realistic figure for how long you think this will take, and then multiply that figure by at least 2x.  

I have personal experience as an owner-builder on a natural materials home.  I have also helped out on several other people's projects, including an earthbag structure.  Granted, my own project is larger in scale than what you are describing.  But regardless of scale, you should dedicate at a minimum 1 year for research, design, and preparation.  After that, I shy away from making a prediction for a construction timeline, since my earthbag building experience is minimal, but I would suggest to expect at least another year of building if you are talking about a solo project, even a small one.

I am unclear from your post if you meant that you need a house 4 months from now, or if you are budgeting a 4-month construction period from whenever you start?

If the former, don't even think about starting an owner-builder natural materials project!  These are not projects that can be rushed, at least without terrible results.

If the latter, then at least you could theoretically have time to do your homework before starting to fill earth bags.  But even in this case, I wouldn't consider an owner-builder natural materials project.

If your timeline is that strict, and you are intent on building a home rather than buying one, I would look into prefab kit homes.  There are kits for assembling geodesic domes that are fairly reasonable in price and, in theory, can be assembled quickly with limited construction experience.  I don't know if any are intended to be capable of assembly by only one person, but I'm sure the companies selling the kits can advise on that point.

Lang Fren wrote:Hello, I'm wondering if I can make ~12-16ft diameter domes where I only use gravel as the fill, and then mortar plaster the dome. If it's possible, what is the minimum size and maximum size of the gravel supposed to be? If I can't use just gravel, can I add sand?  Thank you.

Using just gravel or loose sand as fill for an earthbag dome is not a good idea, because the dome needs to be more rigid to be stable as a form, and gravel and sand are inherently shape-shifters.  However, I can verify that it is possible to build a large earthbag dome using crushed scoria as fill, as you can see at http://earthbagbuilding.com/projects/hart.htm . This is because scoria (about 3/4") has lots of sharp edges that keep the material packed into a rather solid block. An added advantage of using scoria (volcanic stone) is that it is quite lightweight and also insulating!

Lang Fren wrote:
I need to build a structure within 4 months that we can move in. We are fine with having limited space but it has to be reasonable/comfortable enough where we arent sleeping next to the bathroom or the makeshift kitchen area is not next to our bed. So with that said....it seems like I have to cancel this entire plan of considering earthbags.

Hi. This is for the guy building an earthbag.. . where are you located?? Maybe we could come and help you so you can keep your dream alive.. my email is phillips1412@outlook.com..

No strings attached just a helping hand to keep dream alive..
Rose

What if you built a smaller dome to start than a 12 foot dome? Are you planning a tall dome with a loft? Yeah, do you want help?

alaska myers wrote:.

UPDATE: Also found this, this person seems to have many articles about earthbag building but I dont know if hes credible.

http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/low-cost-fill-materials/

That website is run by Owen gieger (sp) he also has several other sites about earthbag building and plans he offers. He's basically the final authority on earthbag building from what I understand

Owen Geiger and I established both www.naturalbuildingblog.com and earthbagbuilding.com together many years ago. Since his death nearly three years ago, I have been keeping both websites alive and regularly posting new material. I still sell his plans and Earthbag Building Guide, as well as my own books and DVDs on that topic.

Owen Geiger and I established both www.naturalbuildingblog.com and earthbagbuilding.com together many years ago. Since his death nearly three years ago, I have been keeping both websites alive and regularly posting new material. I still sell his plans and Earthbag Building Guide, as well as my own books and DVDs on that topic.

*Gasps in fan girl* 😱😱😱😱😱😱
I have been studying your work for over 10 years! I was really just trying to assure them that the website was legit. Im not going to lie I thought you moved on too. I thought things must be at least semi automatic. You and Owens work got me in to architecture.