James Golub

Check out www.unitedearthbuilders.com or the UEB thread on this forum.

Christopher Steen wrote:James,
Awesome projects! Few questions:
1) What's the daily square foot of tamped wall built when mechanized with EHB (# of hours and laborers)
2) for the Mojave dome, what's the ratio of hours between the EB and Hyperwattle? What's the dome interior diameter?
3) what's the Mojave vault formwork--is that precast or plastered EB? What's that interior diameter?
4) what was the formwork/armature used on the LA county barrel vaults? Their internal diameters?
5) I'm sure people would like to know, where are y'all and your machine located?
6) would you use the smurf ent again or switch to uf/mc/metal flex?
7) would you feel comfortable doing round vertical walls mechanized with EHB?
8.) when are you gonna get yourself a cheap pneumatic tamper there is no turning back when you do. I use mine, a small front end loader and scrap 2x-ply slip formwork. But your setup is more versatile. I bet you could rock a Pico Jack with a small plate as well, and then just share the diesel if you aren't using a monster compressor when spraying
9) you seen the front end loader and the pto 3 point huge barrel mixers? Does your EHB have a mortar mixer style auger inside the bucket to mix plaster and drive over to the wall?
Chris

Great Questions!

1) At max with an optimal crew of 8 we can lay about 640 feet per day with one EHB. 8 hour day. We do compact with a vibratory plate compactor 21". The compacting is the slowest part at this point.
2) At this time we cannot build domes with the EHB. We are looking into experimentation, but with little demand for the domes (although people love to romanticize about them) it's not financially viable at this time. The Mojave/JT dome was all built by hand, but if it was built by a machine it would take a day or two. It's not that much bag. The interior diameter is 8'6".
3) Here's links for the dome bag work/wattle/plaster:

http://imgur.com/a/ODhPm
http://imgur.com/a/qzBmF
http://imgur.com/a/nydtH

4) Prefab angle iron forms bent and bolted together. We skinned them with sheet steel, perlings and it was a big deal. We tried box steel and rolled steel as well but I think the right angle iron worked the best as it maintained the best shape and strength. The diameters were 8',12',14' & 16'. They were massive and all built by hand. The total cost was over $1,000,000 USD.
5) We are located in Joshua Tree, CA. Beautiful place, I recommend visiting as we have several earthbag structures built here including (http://www.bonitadomes.com/)
6) I would use it again, I like it. The others are great too and I hope to test out a variety of ideas I have in regard to installing electric because it's not incredibly smooth installing any of those products. The bag walls may vary, bumps are here and there, uneven, etc.
7) I would absolutely be interested in that. Roundhouses are so practical and feel nice on the inside. At this time our max height is 7' safely with a 12" bond beam to secure the roofing. We haven't gone 2 story yet due to the limitations of the skid.
We usually rent them because of cost, but I would like to get a mini. So easy to carry and as of now we use the loader skid to move them around once the wall gains height.
9) I have and I would love to get my hands on one! They would make life easier in some ways especially when code calls for concrete in the bags. Elephant trunks and barrel mixing wont cut it when it comes to affordability and expediency. We have a 12" auger in the hopper. It's incredibly powerful and can mix concrete but not over the long term. Breaks chains. Direct drive would be better but that's future

Thanks!

[quote=Susana Smith]Thanks James! That rules out wet wattles against cob in a wetter, cooler, less windy climate, as I suspected.

I have considered drying some claystraw in advance. I was thinking of blocks, but maybe wattles could work.
Have you ever done this?

Can you give an estimated weight for a dry 10' wattle? And would that be 12" diameter round?
Would a 10' length actually hold together for carrying and placement?

I may be able make some in advance in a nearby location, before my foundation and frame are done,
and given the long drying time necessary and the short building season, it seems worth considering.
Every week counts.

I am planning straight walls.
If some wattles were made and dried in advance, what would be the best way for me to combine them with others made and dried in-place,
given that I won't have desert sun and wind to dry the ones made in place? IE, they'd need to be open to the air on both sides.
Maybe layer it vertically?, some dry then some fresh etc.

Hmmm, maybe a core of pre-dried, with 2-3" of fresh wet claystraw on either side?
That thin it would dry okay if only open to air on one side? What do you think?
Have you got any idea what would be the optimum thickness of an outer crust sandwiching pre-dried wattles?
Thin enough to dry well but thick enough to glue the wall into a single unit.
Oooh, then the wall could exceed the traditional 12" limit, even up to the width of strawbales.
Wow, this might be a way to approach the insulative value of strawbale walls without risking mold.

Also, can you suggest sources for the bags?[/quote]


We have done some blocks recently and they're great, but haven't found an application yet. I surmise that it would be cheaper than framing up for a light straw clay application but I would do some tests first. For domes, it isn't as efficient I think. The containment of the bag is simply divine. It really allows for fluid application and creative curves and designs.

Estimated weight? Good question. I am reasonably strong and can lift a 14' wet length with no problem but I would estimate no heavier than 50lbs. It's awkward but contained in a bag but I would say it's like lifting a large worm. Ours was 8" around when stuffed but the bags stretch to varying sizes and the diamonds vary as well. 3/8" and 5/8" diamonds if I recall and the 9" wattles stretch to 17" so it really requires some awareness of how much you are filling the bag. The 10' lengths will hold, the bag is strong, but care is always a good rule of thumb. Try not to get the bag caught which may cause it to stretch. When dry simply be much more careful. Compacting the bag is necessary but not to the point where it's losing the R-value. What I mean by that is the air pockets created by the straw should not be compacted like tight bricks.

My suggestion would be to place some vertical 2x2's or even #4 rebar at 5' intervals and stack the wattles on top of each other like you are suggesting. Let's say 6 pieces of lumber or rebar vertically at apx 5' internals and spread about 9" apart. Like a vertical drying rack. That could work well. Given enough time they should dry according to the humidity in the air, sun exposure, etc.

Attaching them to verical walls will require anchor points in your wall, which we did with wooden dowels and zip ties. They aren't so heavy so it doesn't take much to attach them and plaster strengthens it all.

Overall I would allow the wattles to dry out first and then apply clay plaster just to be sure there is not mold. Spraying it all with a lime wash is a good way to abate mold ass well. Once you crust the wattle, it is tough to move too.

We sell the bags online, here is a link and if you would like to order some, email us :)

http://www.unitedearthbuilders.com/#!bag-supplies/c1o1j

Terry Ruth wrote:James thanks for sharing all that. Did you say Mohave, CA. I was there working on the Stratolaucher last year. Where are you getting the NHL? Did you say you brown coat on top of earth plaster with 3.5 then 2.5? I don't have access to the NHLs here. I would have thought finish with 5 since it has more cement or are you sealing the final coats with some sealer? Does CA code allow for this time of construction or are you not being code enforced? And what are the bags made of and where did you get that blue skid loader attachment?

Joshua Tree actually ) We bought the NHL from a local company, Solstice Eco Building Supply who is a dealer for Transmineral. What we did after the hyper wattle layer was apply a earthen straw plaster to shape the dome and vault which acts as a bond coat. Next we did a 'crack coat' which is intended to crack due to the difference of material. The clay and the lime. We used a sprayer so there was little cracking because the sprayer bonds the plaster so well. We then applied 2 more coats, brown and scratch and are now waiting for winds to calm in order to apply the final color coat.

NHL 3.5 and then 2, this was recommended by Transmineral due to the dome shape we are applying to. 5 makes sense for durability, I agree.

We haven't decided to use a sealer but are looking into paints and sealers, but overall the rain isn't too bad here, driving yes, a lot in a small period of time yes, but not sustained. And overall the lime looks amazing.

We are building this as an R&D project under the 120sf guideline, so no code enforcement. It's going to outlast a few generations probably anyway so safety isn't really an issue that I personally foresee.

The wattle bags are polyethylene and we sell them ) http://www.unitedearthbuilders.com/#!bag-supplies/c1o1j

Our store is going through renovations but if you would like to order simply email us.

We also sell the EHB and have a deal with a mid-west company called Progressive Innovations who we collaborated with in order to make the dream happen. They provided the machine and I was able to show them how to use it

My pleasure

We did apply the wet hyper-wattle to the structure and to us, it looked breathable enough to do so since we do have a naturally dry climate with high winds that make the clay dry incredibly fast. Now we were afforded the benefit of being out of country while it dried so we did allow the structure to dry for a couple of months before we applied the earth, clay and straw plaster bond coat before the NHL 3.5 lime plaster. We did still have a moldy smell in the beginning of the drying phase but dissipated after about a week. We allowed the structure to be fully exposed to the SoCal sun and covered if rain came in (rare).

One beautiful thing about hyper-wattle insulation is that they can be pre-made and placed after drying. So for example, they are light enough (especially after they are dry) that one person of reasonable strength can lift and place a 10' length. So if you are able to produce all of the insulation, allow to dry for X amount of time, then place afterward, that would work well and ensure your wattle is completely dry. Granted they will be a bit stiff but that, in my view, is not an issue because they are still malleable for dome applications. Vertical, straight walls are easy )

We haven't yet, but are looking to use the EHB, or an alternative to make the hyper-wattle as well.

Hey All! I just wanted to share some of the projects I have participated and led with my partner Fox at United Earth Builders! We have been building, near non-stop, for 6 years and are hoping that earthbag/superadobe/whatever you want to call it, spreads across the globe. We love it to no end!

We have re-purposed a levee builder in order to build earthbag homes and just wanted to share it with the Permie forum!

EHB

We also have hand built a natural dome/vault structure with 90% reclaimed materials from the Mojave! Here is a video of our insulation technique that we researched and used from Patti Stouter at buildsimple.org.

Hyper-Wattle:

Here is a video of a project we supervised in LA County:

One other project from last year in Niger Africa teaching Tuareg Nomads

Nomads: http://nomadfoundation.org/best-mission-ever
http://nomadfoundation.org/earthbag-building-finally
http://nomadfoundation.org/earthbag-decorations-the-art-program

Write up in ARCHITECT Magazine:

http://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/using-additive-manufacturing-to-build-with-materials-sourced-from-the-jobsite_o

I hope you all enjoy! Check us out at www.unitedearthbuilders.com