Ibrahim Revert

Pardon my ignorance. If I build an earthbag dome house, given the roof itself seems to be made in the same way you build the walls, does this mean I get to save on the roofing costs compared to a flat roof structure ?

I just looked up how tiles are made, seems like a straightforward process except the firing. You're right that might be a challenge. I am eyeing the southwest around Utah/Colorado, I don't live there yet. It gets below freezing there so maybe I would have to frost proof the foundations. As of now I know little about foundations, as you can see I'm still researching. I know a 2000 sqf house is a huge task, however I have seen people using backhoes to mix the cob and build the walls at a faster pace. I will probably exert my skills by building a garage in which I could live first, then I would build the house, which I plan will have only one floor.

Hi,

I am planning on building a house by myself a few years from now. For two reasons : I want to learn the skills, and to save money. I will do most of the work except the roofing and the plumbing. I estimate it will take 2 years.

So far I came up with this budget for a 2000 sqf structure (does not include land or paperwork) :

-5K for foundations
-5K for cob / straw bale walls, I'm planning to get the cob from the land which should be over 15 acres
-13K for the roof frame and the tiles provided I manage to make the tiles myself out of free clay from the soil
-10K for doors and windows

So that's 33K not factoring in the electrical and plumbing. The finishes should be plaster, how expensive can that be ? I don't want to use painting. Let's add an extra 10K for the finishes and renting the tools.

I will probably build all walls with cob, except the north wall. That one would be cob doubled with straw bale on the outside for insulation, so as to use the thermal mass to radiate solar heat back inside the house. The floor would be made of cob also. Thick cob walls should give the structure sufficient load bearing capacity.

The climate I will be building for is very dry, excessively sunny, moderate to warm temperatures during the day to close to zero at night, or below zero in winter.

Back to back plumbing is definitely a cost saver. I will not have septic, but a combination of incinerating toilets and a compost system. I have seen videos where people treat their grey or even their black water using plants.

Millwork I would buy that used. I don't need much of it, probably. The hardware could also be had used. I looked up doors and window prices, they don't seem that much expensive on home depot.

So is a 43K budget realistic, without plumbing and electrical ? Thanks for your help.