Ash Medai

In my readings on earthbag construction (or other masonry) and earthquake resistance, is the use of wire mesh (chicken wire) on both the inside and outside of the structure, and connected between the walls.
The wire needs to be pulled tight to prevent motion of the masonry or eathbags. When properly applied, this method far exceeded the california earthquake testing equipment. That said, Im not an engineer and cannot educate you on the proper way to build. I mention this to give you a starting point for your own research. Please consult a professional engineer in such a high danger area.

the trick to wind resistance, is to reduce 'billow', that is movement of the plastic. I spent a couple of years under a tarp (roof was gone) and once the wind starts picking up the covering, every little bit of motion adds to the problem. Use clips, tautness and tie downs to keep the covering from moving. Think about a sail or a wing, wind acts the same way, lifting and pulling at the surface from the outside. watch for when the covering swells or collapses and pull it tight to keep that motion to a minimum.

Howell, Douglas, Ozark, Texas, Oregon, Shannon and Morgan Counties in Missouri.

I see it as a growing hub for alternative building.

hey Dan, thats awesome, not far from what I was thinking, now for covering, do you think ferro cement would be a good choice?

How hard was it to bend the plywood into the arch shapes?

Not far from what Im thinking and may well go up faster than the earthbermed bunker I have drawn. If I can get something like that, I may well be able to live in it for a few years and build a better home.
At this point, Im waiting on new in about 6 weeks before I make any plans.

thank you,

ash

So Ive been doing some sketches, this is about the best so far. It may be a bit hard to read, so I will explain it a bit. Im attaching to copies, one off my phone, the other touched up a bit, neither are real great.

Basically, on the left is the end and on the right is the side.

Im looking at digging into the ground 3 feet (frost depth is 24 inches or 2 feet as you will. The dimensions are 12 feet by 24 feet. I would then put in a small layer of sand in the bottom and dig a short trench of the depth of about half an earthbag in height. Lining the bottom and sides with 20 foot wide 6 or 10 mil plastic, possibly 2 layers. I would then put earthbags up to 5 feet high, three feet underground and 2 feet above, resting the upper 2 feet 'just a bit wider' using both barb-wire and rebar spikes placed every few feet. Id wrap this in the sides of the plastic up to the height it would go to create some water proofing and radon barrier. Over this, Im looking at ferrocement. Using larger 1.5" to 2" pipe every 4 feet with #4 rebar between them every 8 inches. The roof takes a catenary type arch. On top of the rebar and pipe 'ribs' there would be a layer of hardware cloth and 6x6 remesh. All of this tied together should be fairly strong, especially given the fairly short distance. End walls would be built of earthbags somewhat traditionally and covered either with ferrocement or an earth plaster. Waterproofing would hopefully be done by the ferrocement, though a layer of lime of even an elastometric coating will be used if needed to stay dry, but I think it should be ok for a few years. A wood burning stove (or built in fireplace should provide heat. This dwelling is about 288 sq ft and should have just shy of 9 ft ceilings at the apex. Solar, a water cistern and a DC deepfreeze should keep things going for awhile until I can get a greenhouse going and some chickens.

It is hard to say without seeing the final site, but this should come together for a very small amount of money and can be built by a single person over a few months in stages. The roof can be covered with tarps temporarily until the cement can be used. further the inside can be insulated well, Im looking at the 1/4" pink foam sheets, they will fit between the pipes and steel and give something for the cement mix to press against.

Anyway, would like some feedback on design, cost and ability to be built by hand alone.

Salutations

I am considering and planning acquisition and development of a small acreage in southern Missouri. I feel this a natural gathering place for alternative building and off grid living.
I will be sinking my modest available cash into buying the land outright and placement on a cistern. I will be a single person, alone.
I have considered compressed earth block, earthbag, cinderblock and a small wooden shed. Southern Missouri has a freeze thaw cycle, gets down to about 0F and may reach 100F on rare days. I gets a bit over 40 inches of rain per year. It does not have high winds. It does get a few rare tornadoes. It has minimal to moderate seismic activity. The frost depth is about 24 inches.

I have a 10x20 ft storage (rented) filled with property. I will need to store it as soon as possible. With care, I can fit that in a 10x10, some can be placed outdoors.
I would like to use as many materials from the property as possible, buying things will be difficult.

My first thought is a 16 ft earthbag round house, sunk into the ground about 2 feet and then bermed another 2-3 ft up the wall. I will be using EPDM to create a water barrier between the earthbag wall and the berming. I should get a small loft from that. This should eliminate the need for extra storage. Something similar to this, sunk into the ground and a bit smaller: http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/plans/towerhouse.htm
This would be great. Ideally, I would build with metal and stone, perhaps in a few years. Currently, Im thinking a modular design, and butressing out from the wall, to later build greenhouses inside of.

What I need to do, is build quickly and large, without the need for a lot of electricity and outside materials. I am looking at interlocking compressed earth blocks, as the cost of earthbags and barb wire and ultimately, cement (OPC) will bring the costs up to where I could just purchase a block press and cement outright. CEBs will require some cure time, while earthbags go in place right away.

Which is faster? Which one will stand up to being partially underground? Which one will handle the freeze thaw cycles in the area Im going to be in?

I am currently drawing a floorplan, I will upload in a day or so.