• Earthships and Earthbag Construction (Your very own Hobbit Hole)
    52 replies, posted
Would it be possible to use a spray foam insulation on the walls, or something? [editline]11th July 2013[/editline] And how resilient are they to earthquake damage?
[QUOTE=Shadaez;41406345]Would it be possible to use a spray foam insulation on the walls, or something? [editline]11th July 2013[/editline] And how resilient are they to earthquake damage?[/QUOTE] Yes. And I have no clue, I've never heard of anyone building an Earthship in an earthquake-prone area. I would say not very well, considering it's mostly earth and concrete.
Actually, everything I've read on earthships and earthbag homes states that they are damn near Earthquake-proof. Here's an article mentioning Earthships being built in Haiti as disaster relief that highlights their resistance to earthquakes and seismic activity. As an added bonus: they are also basically bulletproof. Which could come in handy if you're living in Haiti. [url]http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/earthship-biotecture[/url] And I don't see any reason why you couldn't apply a layer of foam insulation, but I'm not sure whether it'd be necessary. Depending on the fill materials of your bags, they are already extremely efficient in terms of insulation and thermal mass.. Crushed volcanic rock seems to be the most highly recommended fill material. I guess it couldn't hurt to double up with a layer of foam insulation, but it could be overkill!
I gotta have one. Only shame is they take up lots of horizontal space.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;41409096]Actually, everything I've read on earthships and earthbag homes states that they are damn near Earthquake-proof. Here's an article mentioning Earthships being built in Haiti as disaster relief that highlights their resistance to earthquakes and seismic activity. As an added bonus: they are also basically bulletproof. Which could come in handy if you're living in Haiti. [url]http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/earthship-biotecture[/url] And I don't see any reason why you couldn't apply a layer of foam insulation, but I'm not sure whether it'd be necessary. Depending on the fill materials of your bags, they are already extremely efficient in terms of insulation and thermal mass.. Crushed volcanic rock seems to be the most highly recommended fill material. I guess it couldn't hurt to double up with a layer of foam insulation, but it could be overkill![/QUOTE] Oh wow, I had no idea. Thanks! [editline]12th July 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=InUndenial;41416093]I gotta have one. Only shame is they take up lots of horizontal space.[/QUOTE] Why go up when you can go down?
This construction process is banned in my area. The local ground and hills are deemed unsafe for earth/burrowed hill construction. It totally blows because otherwise I'd build a mansion halfway up a hill. [img]http://img.geocaching.com/cache/b08a7eae-176e-47ae-85d5-a3be584d6542.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=pentium;41421231]This construction process is banned in my area. The local ground and hills are deemed unsafe for earth/burrowed hill construction. It totally blows because otherwise I'd build a mansion halfway up a hill. [img]http://img.geocaching.com/cache/b08a7eae-176e-47ae-85d5-a3be584d6542.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] Oh hell, I'm decently sure my area is pretty similar. I had no idea, I need to do some more research.
Don't homes like this accumulate Radon? I mean there's probably ways around it but yea.
[QUOTE=kebab52;41424558]Don't homes like this accumulate Radon? I mean there's probably ways around it but yea.[/QUOTE] No more so than the basement of any other home. If you're concerned about it, you can always mount a basic radon detector somewhere in the house.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;41428230]No more so than the basement of any other home. If you're concerned about it, you can always mount a basic radon detector somewhere in the house.[/QUOTE] I probably don't understand it. In Scotland like no-body has a basement, so I', just basing that on what I've heard
Probably wouldn't be a problem as long as you don't build it on granite or somesuch.
Don't domes and round shapes lead to a lot of wasted space inside though? Unless you custom make every piece of furniture isn't it going to be extremely difficult to find furniture that exactly matches the curvature?
on the topic of Radon.. [video=youtube;lF-AiH1g3jk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF-AiH1g3jk[/video]
I'd love to have a house like this. If it were cost-effective I'd also excavate downwards too so my house could be a lot bigger than it first seems. A set up of mirrored tunnels and lenses could funnel sunlight down into artificial light wells in the depths of the house, keeping it nice and bright and sunny even below ground.
This thread made me all warm and fuzzy inside. I'm glad to see there's more people interested in these types of buildings.
I would love to live in one of those once I'm retired.
How do I get into this? I want to do this. I just don't know where to start. How to get the resources, man power, and time. What all do I need and how do I know how to construct one? I'm serious. Always wanted to either do this or make a storage container home (or both). Would love if someone responded with serious guidance. I know you posted a lot ~about~ the homes, but I want guidance on building one. Measurements. Models. THE KNOW HOW.
I'd love to live in one of these. Like, it'd be a dream come true. However, the only thing that scares me about it is the possibility of vandalism.
As a draftsman for architecture I'm glad to see this thread :v: also here's a house from not so far away from me: [IMG]http://www.myslidestyle.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/Loesungen/Raum/Villa_Vals_Vals/Junior_120B_0058b.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TGl9sG3ip8E/TycK2XhDyeI/AAAAAAAAEm0/q2KtCrXUi1s/s720/Villa-Vals-SeARCH-6768.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://volcania.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/villa-vals-search-6756.jpg[/IMG]
Radon gas only accumulates if your basement is airtight, so on a earthship type thing you would need to worry some because they are built without artificial ductwork for air
[QUOTE=Chubbles;41512475]How do I get into this? I want to do this. I just don't know where to start. How to get the resources, man power, and time. What all do I need and how do I know how to construct one? I'm serious. Always wanted to either do this or make a storage container home (or both). Would love if someone responded with serious guidance. I know you posted a lot ~about~ the homes, but I want guidance on building one. Measurements. Models. THE KNOW HOW.[/QUOTE] This page has access to a lot different media that supposedly details the construction process and design techniques of Earthbag Homes: [url]http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/resources.htm[/url] That website also features blueprints and floorplans, though they're quite expensive. If you have the know-how of their construction techniques, then it shouldn't be too difficult to apply that knowledge to your own Earthbag home plans. [QUOTE=Sableye;41553401]Radon gas only accumulates if your basement is airtight, so on a earthship type thing you would need to worry some because they are built without artificial ductwork for air[/QUOTE] Proper ventilation is a pretty key component to this style of construction, though. I mean, I'm not an expert on this stuff by any means, but it doesn't seem like they'd be any more susceptible to radon accumulation than any other home, so long as they're properly built. [editline]22nd July 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=SwizzChees;41522275]As a draftsman for architecture I'm glad to see this thread :v: also here's a house from not so far away from me: [IMG]http://www.myslidestyle.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/Loesungen/Raum/Villa_Vals_Vals/Junior_120B_0058b.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TGl9sG3ip8E/TycK2XhDyeI/AAAAAAAAEm0/q2KtCrXUi1s/s720/Villa-Vals-SeARCH-6768.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://volcania.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/villa-vals-search-6756.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] I've seen pictures of that place before. It's pretty flippin' cool!
Can't really do those things properly in my climate, winters are too cold. Using concrete instead of earthbags would work though. But you need to put insulation on outer walls against frost heaving. Also heating would be serious problem here, as it seems like it would loose a lot of heat through the roof and walls that are close to the surface. But then again in the history of my local area there has been people literally living in holes in ground after serious city fires. Don't know if those count though.
I've been looking into earthships a bit, and I found this site with pros and cons. Some of the cons sound pretty bad. [url]http://www.archinia.com/about-us/publications/216-earthship-pros-and-cons.html[/url]
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.