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Soil and Health Library This document is a reproduction of the book or other copyrighted material you requested. It was prepared on Friday, 23 March 2012 for the exclusive use of Homestead 101, whose email address is [email protected] This reproduction was made by the Soil and Health Library only for the purpose of research and study. Any further distribution or reproduction of this copy in any form whatsoever constitutes a violation of copyrights. PAULINA WOJCIECHOWSKA THE REAL GOODS SOLAR LIVING BOOKS This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader by Joan Gussow The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes by Athena and Bill Steen Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates by Paul Lacinski and Michel Bergeron The Natural House: A Complete Guide to Healthy, Energy-Efficient, Environmental Homes by Daniel D. Chiras The New Independent Home: People and Houses that Harvest the Sun, Wind, and Water by Michael Potts Wind Energy Basics and Wind Power for Home & Business by Paul Gipe The Earth-Sheltered House: An Architect's Sketchbook by Malcolm Wells Mortgage-Free! Radical Strategies for Home Ownership by Rob Roy A Place in the Sun: The Evolution of the Real Goods Solar Living Center by John Schaeffer and the Collaborative Design/Construction Team The Passive Solar House: Using Solar Design to Heat and Cool Your Home by James Kachadorian Independent Builder: Designing & Building a House Your Own Way by Sam Clark The Rammed Earth House by David Easton The Straw Bale House by Athena Swentzell Steen, Bill Steen, and David Bainbridge with David Eisenberg Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook: The Complete Guide to Renewable Energy Technologies and Sustainable Living, 10th Edition, edited by Doug Pratt and John Schaeffer REAL GOODS TRADING COMPANY in Ukiah, California, was founded in 1978 to make available new tools to help people live self- sufficiently and sustainably. Through seasonal catalogs, a periodical (The Real Goods News), a bi-annual Solar Living Sourcebook, as well as retail outlets and a Web site (www.realgoods.com), Real Goods provides a broad range of tools for independent living. "Knowledge is our most important product" is the Real Goods motto. To further its mission, Real Goods has joined with Chelsea Green Publishing Company to co-create and co-publish the Real Goods Solar Living Book series. The titles in this series are written by pioneering individuals who have firsthand experience in using innovative technology to live lightly on the planet. Chelsea Green books are both practical and inspirational, and they enlarge our view of what is possible as we enter the new millennium. Stephen Morris John Schaeffer President, Chelsea Green President, Real Goods BUILDING WITH EARTH A Guide to Flexible-Form Earthbag Construction Copyright 2001 Paulina Wojciechowska. Unless otherwise noted, illustrations and photographs copyright 2001 Paulina Wojciechowska. Title page photograph is used courtesy of Hartworks, Inc. I dedicate this book to all my teachers in the world of Extract on page xi is from Eco Design Journal, vol. 3, no. 3, 1995. natural building, and I thank each one of you for all the All rights reserved. No part of this book may be transmitted in any form by any tremendous knowledge and help: Trevor Garnham of Kingston means without permission in writing from the publisher. University, who taught me throughout most of my architectural Printed in the United States. education and whose idea it was to write this book; Nader Khalili First printing, June 2001 and Illona Outram of Cal-Earth, the pioneers of earthbag 04 03 02 01 12345 Superadobe construction; Athena and Bill Steeen of the Canelo Project; Tom Watson, the silent inventor of, Printed on acid-free, recycled paper. among many things, Pumice-crete; and all the others Due to the variability of local conditions, materials, skills, site, and so forth, Chelsea whom I met on the way who taught me Green Publishing Company and the author assume no responsibility for personal and took great care of me. injury, property damage, or loss from actions inspired by information in this book. Always consult the manufacturer, applicable building codes, and the National Electric Code. When in doubt, ask for advice. Recommendations in this book are no substitute for the directives of professional contractors, equipment manufacturers, or federal, state, and local regulatory officials. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Chelsea Green was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial capital letters. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wojciechowska, Paulina, 1967- Building with earth: a guide to flexible-form earthbag construction/ Paulina Wojciechowska. p. cm. — (A Real Goods solar living book) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-890132-81-0 (alk. paper) 1. Earth construction. I. Title. II. Series. TH1421 W597 2001 693'.91—dc2i 2001028676 CHELSEA GREEN PUBLISHING COMPANY Post Office Box 428 White River Junction, VT 05001 (800) 639-4099 www.chelseagreen.com CONTENTS Acknowledgments ix 3. GETTING STARTED: DESIGN, 4. BUILDING WITH EARTHBAGS 43 6. WEATHERPROOFING AND Introduction xiii FINISHES 75 SITING, AND FOUNDATIONS 29 Materials 44 Design Considerations 29 Tools 46 Earthen Plasters 76 1. EARTH ARCHITECTURE 3 Locating the Building on the Preparing the Fill 49 Application 77 Clay-Based Building Materials 5 Land 29 Filling Bags or Tubes 50 Stabilization and Alternatives 78 Adobe 6 Landscaping 30 Filling a Bag with More than Three Vegetable Stabilizers 81 Cob 8 Topography 30 People 51 Animal Products as Stabilizers 82 Mineral Stabilizers: Lime 82 Rammed Earth 9 Orientation 31 Filling Bags or Tubes with Only Lime Plasters 83 Wattle and Daub 10 One to Three People 52 Utilities 32 Making Lime Putty (Slaking) 84 Straw-Clay 10 Building Shape 32 Using Small Bags 52 Making Lime Plaster or Render 86 Papercrete 11 Planning Ahead 33 Tamping 52 Application 87 Earthbags 12 Site Preparation: Setting Out 33 Keying 54 Pozzolanic Additives to Lime Structural Reinforcement and When Are Earthbags Appropriate? 16 Foundations 34 Plaster 87 Buttressing 54 Extending or Recycling the Earth-Filled Tires 39 Stabilization for Waterproofing 88 Openings 57 Building 17 Rubble or Mortared Stone 39 Arched Openings 58 Stabilization with Cement 89 Earthbags Forever 19 Gabions 40 Square Openings 60 Application of Stabilized Renders 91 Dry-stone 40 Bond Beams 60 Interior Finishes 92 2. USING BASIC STRUCTURES Pumice-crete 40 Sealants 92 FROM NATURE TO BUILD 5. ROOFS 65 Paints 94 WITH EARTH 21 Clay Slip or Alis 95 Brick or Adobe Roofs 66 To Cook Wheat Flour Paste 96 Arches 22 Vaulted Roofs 67 To Make Alis Clay Paint 96 Making the Arch 24 Conventional Roofs 68 Application 97 Vaults 24 Water-Catchment Roofs 68 Lime Paint or Whitewash 97 Apses 26 Thatched Roofs 68 Additives to Lime Wash 97 Domes 26 Living Roofs 70 Recipes for Water-Resistant Whitewash 97 Corbeling 26 Low-cost Flat Roofs 71 Some Old Limewash Recipes 98 Roof Insulation 72 viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Casein 98 8. THE EARTHBAG I would like to give special thanks to Nader Khalili and Iliona Outram, Bill Recipe for Interior-Exterior ADVENTURE 123 and Athena Steen, and Tom Watson for their generosity in everything they Casein 99 gave throughout the many months of my travels, which enabled me to write Application 100 Shirley Tassencourt's Domes, this book. Oil-Based Paints 100 Arizona 123 I would like to express my gratitude to all those who helped me put this Maintenance 100 Allegra Ahlquist's House, Arizona 127 book together in many different ways, some of whom I mention below: House Built by Dominic Howes, From Kingston University, I would like to thank the Green Audit 7. OTHER INTERIOR WALLS, Wisconsin 128 Research Project for partly funding and enabling me to commence the FLOORS, AND FURNISHINGS: Sue Vaughan's House, Colorado 130 writing of this book. Thanks to Peter Jacob, Bryan Gauld, and Sue Ann Lee. BUILDING WITH CLAY 103 Carol Escott and Steve Kemble's Also to Trevor Garnham for guiding me through the process. From the Finding and Analyzing Building House, the Bahamas 131 Green Audit room at Kingston University: Cigdem Civi, Helen Iball, and Soils 103 Kelly and Rosana Hart's House, David Lawrence. Jar Test 104 Colorado 135 Friends in England whose help was invaluable: Flora Gathorne Hardy for Testing by Hand 105 Kaki Hunter's and Doni Kiffmeyer's her help, photographs, and immense support and belief in this book; also to The Right Mix 105 Honey House, Utah 140 Salim Khan, Bruce Ure, and Shahnawaz Khan for their technical support; Thin Partitions and Ceiling The Lodge "Njaya," Malawi 142 and to Tim Crosskey, Henry Amos, Wasim Madbolly, and Max Jensen for Panels 109 The New House of the Yaquis, the photographs; and to Adrian Bunting for the Malawi project. Insulation 110 Mexico 143 Straw-Light Clay 111 Friends who contributed their stories and photographs in the United States: in Arizona, Bill and Athena Steen, also Allegra Ahlquist, Shirley Hybrid Earthbag and Straw Bale 113 Afterword 148 Tassencourt, and Dominic Howes, who shared information as well as huge Interior Detailing 114 Bibliography 149 amounts of love and support throughout the whole process, together with Earthen Floors 115 Resources 153 Carol Escott and Steve Kemble, and a very big thank you for being there in Construction 118 Index 158 Sealants, Maintenance, and those very difficult times. In California: Michael Huskey. In Colorado: Kelly Repair 119 and Rosana Hart. In Utah: Kaki Hunter and Doni Kiffmeyer. In New Electricity and Plumbing 120 Mexico: Joseph Kennedy. Also I would like to thank Ian Robertson in California for his support, Gene Leon for early editing, Frank Haendle in Germany for communica- X tions, Lydia Gould for all the survival help in Mexico, and Athena and Bill Steen for making that trip possible.