Building on top of clay

Hello,

Thank you Mr. Hart for your contributions to the knowledge base available to earthbag builders!  

We intend to experiment with a structure of several small earthbag cylinders.  Each room a pod.  

We have expansive clay soil.  It is pretty much entirely clay.  We have decided to try fine limestone as bag-fill.  

We would like to pour a reinforced concrete slab foundation for this project for several reasons.  Aside from adequate drainage, thickness and reinforcement, can you suggest other considerations for this foundation?

Thank you!

John Skaggs wrote:Hello,

Thank you Mr. Hart for your contributions to the knowledge base available to earthbag builders!  

We intend to experiment with a structure of several small earthbag cylinders.  Each room a pod.  

We have expansive clay soil.  It is pretty much entirely clay.  We have decided to try fine limestone as bag-fill.  

We would like to pour a reinforced concrete slab foundation for this project for several reasons.  Aside from adequate drainage, thickness and reinforcement, can you suggest other considerations for this foundation?

Thank you!

Cylinders or roundhouses are easy to make with earthbags and are one of the most stable building shapes.

I have heard of others successfully using crushed limestone as fill; if dampened and well compacted it can become brick hard.

My recommendation for a low embodied energy foundation for earthbags is a rubble trench foundation, with a French drain if necessary for good drainage. It is possible to utilize a concrete pad as a foundation as well. Both of these options are discussed in the book.