From Nomad to Earthbag Home

Hello, Permies!!

After years of homesteading in Wyoming and Missouri, my husband and I sold everything and spent the last 5 years living in a self-converted Sprinter van.  We had a blast traveling the country.  It was amazing!

But in the last year or so we're noticing some disturbing changes to our nomadic lifestyle.  The fact that many places where people traditionally parked are being closed (not without reason - they were being trashed) and the skyrocketing price of fuel (everything really) has made us re-evaluate our lifestyle.  

So we purchased 3 1/2 acres of wooded land in eastern Missouri - sight unseen.  We got it for a proverbial song and were thrilled to get something in a county with no building restrictions.

We've been on the property for about 2 weeks now.  During the process of clearing, we discovered that a previous owner had already created a graveled circle driveway and cut and leveled a perfect spot into the hillside for our >400 square foot earthbag home.  BONUS!  It must have been at least 10 years ago since we had to cut 4 to 5-inch trees from the site.

So we are doing a partially bermed earthbag spiral home with a living shed roof here:

No building restrictions sounds great, but dont forget that applies to the neighbours as well!

So we are doing a partially bermed earthbag spiral home with a living shed roof here

I am trying to work out what you are describing.

John C Daley wrote:No building restrictions sounds great, but dont forget that applies to the neighbours as well

That is indeed the price you pay for getting to do what you want...others get the same privileges. Wooded property is nice in that you can't see any of it.

We're planning on something similar to this.  It'll be bermed 4 feet on the back wall.

Congratulations on your land purchase.  The property is lovely.

I like your idea for a bermed earthbag.

I can't wait to see your progress so please post picture as you progress.

Since this property is so heavily wooded, we've had to cut a bunch of saplings to even move around in there.  Being a Wyoming girl, where growing a tree is a difficult and uncertain process, it's hard for me to get rid of any trees.  So we decided to make a wattle fence with the trees we're taking out so we don't have to just burn them.  This is less than half of the trees we've removed (the rest weren't suitable for wattle).  We put in some of the cross pieces and screwed verticals to them for weaving.  

I'll get goats again eventually, and the fence will be all ready for them.

I can understand what you are planning now.
What is your time frame?

John C Daley wrote:I can understand what you are planning now.
What is your time frame?

We weren't thinking we'd get any building started until next spring, but when we started clearing the property we discovered that it already had a graveled circle driveway and a leveled area under all those trees.  We're hoping to get the foundation trench dug this fall and maybe some bags put in before it gets too cold.  We should have the walls up by the summer heat next year.

Making some progress on the Forest Fence (wattle).  I actually quite enjoy the process - it seems more like art than fencing.  It's murder on my hands though....

I've also started on a scale model (1" = 1') of the earthbag house.  I just couldn't conceptulize how to mark out the spiral and the reciprocal roof.  I figure the model will help us figure out some things before we go full size.  Moving sticks will be MUCH easier than moving logs!

Great fence! you could use the waste trees for biochar.

Congrats on getting that property as well with the bonus gravel drive!

Earthbags, have you also looked at super and hyper-adobe bags?
https://permies.com/t/34803/Super-Adobe-Hyper-Adobe

Kyle Hayward wrote:Great fence! you could use the waste trees for biochar.

Congrats on getting that property as well with the bonus gravel drive!

Earthbags, have you also looked at super and hyper-adobe bags?
https://permies.com/t/34803/Super-Adobe-Hyper-Adobe

We did look into hyperadobe, but it's mostly going to be the two of us and my research indicates hyperadobe is better with more people.

The bags also seem significantly more expensive, although the lack of shrinkage might offset that..

More progress on the scale model of the house.  We've already made some major changes...moved the door and switched some rooms around.  SO much eaiser to do now!!

We're also working on a shed/cabin.  It's a "pallatable cobin".  We're using light straw/clay for the infill rather than plain straw like most do.  That we we don't have to fill in the boards.  We won't get to the plaster until Spring, but hopefully we'll have the walls and roof done.