Wrapping a mobile home in earthbags

Hi, I am wanting to wrap my single wide mobile home in earthbags essentially encapsulating it with a whole new earth bag structure and living roof to help with thermal regulation. Has anyone done something like this before? I've heard about strawbale wrapping but not earthbag, but no one is clear on what you need or don't need. Do I need a foundation? Rubble trench? Moisture barrier? The roof would not be held up by the bags so they wouldn't be load bearing. The bags would essentially be placed right up against the tin siding of the home and would be covered with stucco. Would I have a condensation problem with this method? Should I fill the bags with an adobe mixture or something else? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Amanda,

Welcome to Permies.

Interesting concept. I would pour normal foundation and properly build around the mobile in such a way that it would be a normal, self-supporting building. Then I would be chopping mobile piece by piece and replace with new newly built rooms. It will save time and money. I have noticed over the years that temporary is only cheaper if it's done really low quality and with free materials.

Amanda, welcome to the forum!

This post shows how one member built a cordwood structure around his trailer:

https://permies.com/t/80/32322/permaculture-projects/Camp#466056

Here are a couple of threads that folks might find interesting:

https://permies.com/t/168849/Unconventional-Wrapping-travel-trailer-Unconventional

https://permies.com/t/147066/Winter-preparation-living-trailer

Amanda Lusk wrote:Hi, I am wanting to wrap my single wide mobile home in earthbags essentially encapsulating it with a whole new earth bag structure and living roof to help with thermal regulation. Has anyone done something like this before? I've heard about strawbale wrapping but not earthbag, but no one is clear on what you need or don't need. Do I need a foundation? Rubble trench? Moisture barrier? The roof would not be held up by the bags so they wouldn't be load bearing. The bags would essentially be placed right up against the tin siding of the home and would be covered with stucco. Would I have a condensation problem with this method? Should I fill the bags with an adobe mixture or something else? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You for sure need a foundation of some type.  If you try just stacking a many thousands of pounds wall on the top soil the ground under it will not be able to support it outwith sinking.

You say it won't need to support the roof.  Does your trailer already have large enough overhangs that you will be able to get the earth bag walls under them?

I would have concerns about moisture if the bags are touching the trailer.  What year(or decade) was the trailer built?  I am assuming it is older since you say it has tin siding.  Which probably means it doesn't have a vapor barrier on the inside or a moisture barrier on the outside which complicates things.

If you are in a cold climate I don't think earth bags on the outside is the best option.  

What is your location? Different climates will need different solutions.

Hi Amanda,
I echo those who have already welcomed you to Permies.com

I just wanted to share something that I have done in the past, in case this is one of those cases for you. I often would read about alternative building methods, or organic gardening methods, or eco-alternative options for various services... and I would find something that I think was really cool. And I would want to integrate it for myself... without researching if it was appropriate for my situation. I think swales and pizza ovens are prime examples. They are cool and effective, when used correctly. They do not work in every situation. Instead of asking about the solution, try posing the question, and I think you would be surprised about how much you get.

For instance, what is the real problem you are trying to fix? You mention thermal regulation. I assume this means that your trailer is too hot or two cold, and/or that it is too expensive to keep it at a comfortable temp? Insulation and mass are ways to do this. Earthbags is one option, but there are many other options too. If you could share some more information, particularly about your climate, skills, budget, and time... we could answer more specifically. Earthbags might be the best option, but what if the best option is something different?

I would mirror Mats thoughts.
The floor of your mobile will have a great influence on the comfort of your structure.
I am swinging around to the idea of doing a proper construction of an annexe to your mobile home, then sell the home and add more on if needed.
I think it will be easier and abetter building as well.
Build it 4 ft from the home sp you have room to move.

Strawbale if you want to use that building method will be structural and insulative whether it is against the walls of your mobile home or ten feet away. If you build it ten feet away and roof it, then you have a significant addition to your space and the cost of roofing and flooring is the only additional expense over just a thick wall on your trailer. Repeating this a few times over the years will give you square footage that you can finish out as a custom natural home and eventually dispense with the cheaply made trailer.