AyeJay Jones

I was reading a lot and came to the conclusion that because it gets so cold here I dont think earthbag is the way. I think I will build a polebarn home instead. Then make an earthbag building later on to see how I feel about it. I need an r value of at least 30 to be okay here and with earthbag walls that just doesnt seem possible.

It looks awesome, square footage?

The floor plan in my head did not even include laundry and mech room I have to figure out what works best for me.

I was thinking a one bedroom for my first, but this floor plan is something else. At first I didnt like it, but I like where it's going. I would probably ditch the greenhouse though to increase the size of everything else.

Okay, that sounds good. I read that having insulation on the outside makes it so that I have to heat the earthbag walls before the house gets warm. Shouldn't I put the insulation on the inside?

So are you suggesting using straw on the inside of the earthbag walls to insulate the home?

That actually looks really good! Is that a hybrid home? And maybe the spray stuff and then use drywall since I want to make a square shaped home anyway. Insulation is the last piece of the puzzle for me so excuse me if that sounds really dumb. Otherwise I'm pretty stumped.

After reading the guide on earthbag buildings I am worried earthbags won't be enough to get the level of insulation I need. It gets extremely cold, my walls need an r value of at least 21 which is extremely high. A straw bale home just sounds very unappealing to me. I want to make an earthbag home work, but getting around this issue sounds hard. Has anyone tried putting insulation directly onto walls and then covering it?

Thank you all for the insight! I must ask, why are square structures seen as more difficult than round ones? I just purchased a book for more information on building but I would like to know. I wanted to do a square structure, not a dome. I planned to make the roof with wood instead of earthbags and have a slanted roof. I just dont like the look of the dome roofing.

Also I do plan on living here many years. If I buy a new house in the future I'll pass this on to my children or my younger sister.

I am not neccesarily looking for something that has to be green(sorry), but earthbag buildings do interest me. I want to build a home as cheaply and quickly as possible and this looks like the way to go. I think the area I am building in I could secure a permit, but I will be in an area where weather can dip as low as -30 degrees farenheit. The summer can get pretty hot too. Yesterday it was 90 degrees. First I am asking if connecting to city power and water would be more difficult with earthbags. Second, could two people who havent done the technique pull this off? We are very strong physically and I have done hundreds of DIY projects.