Earthbag House in the woods

[1wicked2008]

are the earthbags filled with papercrete ??? the place looks great sept those ugly tires they dont look right in there..

[packymck]

@1wicked2008

The earthbags are filled with a mixture of clay and sand. The woman that built this house used tire treads bolted together as a form for building the main earthen column. The treads are now plastered over with an earth/lime plaster.....

[QueenPenn02]

i want one n the woods too in okla

[packymck]

Go 4it @QueenPenn02

[justmoiced]

This is sublime.well done

[netlethe]

Wonderful Work

Thumbs UP.

Peace for all

[MonkeySpecs301]

thats really really really nice, and i thought about doing something like that, but its just too lonely. so i am looking at buying shares at an eco-village.

[gelflingfaysuzanne]

i love your house!!!!! how much did it cost to buid this?

[packymck]

@gelflingfaysuzanne

this is my neighbors house. She bought the earthbags for approx. $ 250 dollars. most everything else was scavenged, found, donated, and/or free. My guess is she has under $2K in the house.

[fallingleaveskungfu]

whoa!

[32937isready]

What is the radon level?

[packymck]

@32937isready

that's never been tested.....

[ikambor]

@32937isready Why ask that,, do you think that this type of home would have anymore radon than any other? it comes from the earth,, and if you build on land with high levels,, then you'll get high levels,,

[KASPLARFO]

✭✭✭✭✭

[jaenadar]

Nice house! I'd never build something with car tyres though, they contain heavy metals and misc chemicals that leech out into the soil if they get moist. There are better uses for old car tyres, different forms of advanced devulcanization is being patented right now to allow full recycling of tyres (being made into new ones and other types of rubber) rather than having to burn them or build health hazardy' houses ;)

[packymck]

Hey @jaenadar

thanks for your comments.

The center stack isn't really tyres. The builder used recycled tyre treads to cover a center

earthen/stone column. She used what was available locally, and she already had the tyre treads.

I agree though. I don't think it was necessary to use treads to cover the earthen/stone column.

[ikambor]

@jaenadar older used tires eventually stop leaching or reduce the leaching over time,, they will finally get to a level where they are neutral,, I dont how long that takes,, I imagine a couple years at least,, they wont be a danger until heated for recycling,, I wouldn't put new tires in the building,, but then again who would,, think of a car air freshener,, they eventually stop leaching their fragrance,, same principle,,

[barbara5956]

I would love to see this house i live in georgia me and my husband. I would love to build one of these yeah and get rid of the ball and chain mortgage!!! we live in the mableton/smyrna area close to altanta

[packymck]

Hey @barbara5956

I did this video about a neighbors home. I'm contacting her to see if she wants to get in contact with you.

I'd need your email address, so she can talk to you direct...

[ecofriendlyshelters]

Great work! BEAUTIFUL! 

[packymck]

@ecofriendlyshelters

Thanks.....I'd like to see more of your ecoFShelters. I like your design.

[empouse]

Wooww. That house looks amazing! :D I'd love to learn how to build one.

[packymck]

Hey @empouse

Start reading everything you can about Natural Building, earthbags, cob, and papercrete and you too can live simply on planet earth! And to be able to live

without a mortgage.....priceless.

[roboboxB]

Smurfs.

[IamDemetri00]

I have 3k and just need a location to build. I'm a single guy with no bills and just want to live out in nature selfsustainably supporting the earthbag/cob movement. Any ideas where specifically I can build and who could assist me for 3K?

[AMilitantAgnostic]

@IamDemetri00 here is an Idea... go get a job... buy some land... and take care of yourself.

[IamDemetri00]

@AMilitantAgnostic Thanks so much! You are o incredibly wise kind sir

[AMilitantAgnostic]

@IamDemetri00 Sometimes when ppl are acting incredibly ignorant - (and acting like beggars) a harsh word tends to snap them out of their selfishness and sloth.

A job, and a few years of humility and self-sacrifice will get you what you want. YOU should and can do this, and so much more, on your own.

Begging on YouTube makes you sound pathetic.

The "movement" towards self-sustainability is hampered by the incredible numbers of the lazy, not willing to do the work for themselves.

[Alavistaven2012]

Where is this located? And what a pleasure to document this.

[packymck]

Hey @Alavistaven2012

The house is in the backwoods of Georgia, USA.

thanks for the comment

[hippycouple2]

Love it but be careful on that ladder!!!!!

[jotapedro10]

uma solução para area em decrive!

[jmg1957]

nice.

[trailkeeper]

At the rediculous cost of morgage and rent (about that of owning your a home) you can build something like this and save your money for things you need, or help others. At least you have something, when you pay rent you own nothing, and get hassled from one thing or another. The only problem for me on this one is I don't have any land etc, or even know of people who let others use their land.

[trailkeeper]

@trailkeeper Probably alot of these types of structures can pass "safety code" is if you only make them one story high.

[userxo1]

first congrats on home ownership , not bank ownership lol

if the owner of the house likes it its great but not exactly to my liking. as far as code banter with idiots .. codes are there for micro management and safety papercrete/rammed earth/cob wont "burn" but by god that ladder is a death trap

[ChristineCreature]

definitely true, packymck! :) i'm so happy to find such pages as this. it gives me and surely many others inspiration. green living is the way towards a happier planet. anyone can do it, rich or poor. i was at a discussion last week raising awareness about buying local and living organic. there were newbies there who were unsure walking in and after left with a new perspective, gained knowledge, positive solutions, :) and smiles knowing they can feel better about their newly adopted choices.

[ChristineCreature]

if more people were as kind to our planet as this woman is, we would have a much healthier one.

[packymck]

@ChristineCreature

Thank goodness there are people who follow their dreams and live as sustainable as possible. You don't have to build an earthen house to do that tho.  Living as green as you can helps.

[taytaysurbaby]

@packymck Don't kid yourself buddy. We'll all be living in houses like these soon. Those left at least.

[CzeciStan1]

I see you have taken some ideas from the garbage warrior concept, very nice.

[lorileeslove]

to packymck...

a-thangk-u...

you know you'd love off the grid living!!

[lorileeslove]

just suck it! someone out there sees the value in making a "green" "recycled" affordable, livable, unique home, and people just piss all over it....

your all just pissy because they did it cheaper and it's more cozy than lots of big expensive homes!

CUDOS to the imaginations that dreamed this up!

maybe if MORE people out there were content with this type of living, there would be LESS waist, LESS polution, JUST LESS... PRAISE JESUS! GLORY TO GOD!!

[packymck]

...you go girl! I like what you said.

[OregonAlleyCat]

@lorileeslove Less praising Jesus? I'm all for that!

Ok, seriously, awesome house. I'm hoping to build something along these lines someday. I just havent settled on what kind of home (cob, rammed earth, stone, or a combo of these or other kinds) it will be.

[istarianjinsama]

@lorileeslove I agree, we must be content with what we ourselves can build, and waste less. Want a house? BUILD IT. Then I can lose this waist.

[zappbrannigan420]

Your building code argument makes my penis soft.

[lorileeslove]

i like it, made me smile!

[titanrain1]

@zappbrannigan420 Your obvious show of sub-par intelligence makes me want to stomp your puppy to death.

[deezynar]

Building codes are for 2 purposes. Banks want a house that'll resell easily if the borrower defaults.

Then there's us, the outraged public who scream when we see shoddily made houses burn so fast the occupants can't get out.

Safety items & resale items may seem easy to tell apart, but it's not always obvious.

Before you start designing, I suggest you talk to someone who knows the code & understands the whys of it & not just the whats. You want your home to protect you, not kill you.

[packymck]

I agree. Building Codes are very important. This home has no electricity and is heated with a rocket stove. The only way this home would burn is by a forest fire, which would also consume all the stick built houses near by.

[deezynar]

@packymck

Codes regulate far more than fire hazard issues. For instance, stairs; If they're too steep people have a hard time using them. Someone you want to be able to get up & down your stairs is a paramedic or fireman who's there to help you. Irregular stairs are a trip hazard.

Jury-rigged heating equipment can leak & kill you w/ CO2.

Codes respond to real accidents that people have had in buildings.

I don't like every nit-picky thing in them myself, but I don't just blow them off.

[packymck]

Most Natural building sites have sections that deal with codes and their effort to have their practices adopted by code. Like Straw bale, rammed earth, cordwood, or adobe has done. Natural Builders try to build per code even though they usually live in areas that don't enforce codes (like me). We'll all be happier when codes are updated to include earthen construction and not stay traped in the stone age.

[deezynar]

@packymck,

I appreciate what you're saying, but this house doesn't live up to your claim that the code is being adhered to in spite of it not being required. Most people bristle when someone trys to tell them they can't do what they want, so codes tick off people who want to build. The other side of the coin is when you go to buy a house that someone else built, you want it to be as well built & safe as possible. Since every house is eventually sold, a code defying house is a problem.

[packymck]

Be more specific with what doesn't meet code. No electricity or plumbing, so no code requirements. Heat: rocket stove.

Someone looking tor a house like this, builds it, with the known purpose of letting it go right back into the earth when it's use has been fulfilled. Just like us humans. No one will have to truck the remains to a landfill. Code built hs will cause problems after it's death. A problem is in eye of the beholder. I'll take a natural death over a constructed one every time.

[CzeciStan1]

@packymck I am sure your house will be standing many years after humans have a use for it. By then there will be multitudes of animals that will also benefeit from this beutiful dwelling:)

[ckywill2000]

@packymck I have no idea how building codes work, so I'd like to ask for a little clarification, if you don't mind. Do you mean to say that building codes are only applied towards buildings that have electrical wiring and indoor plumbing? So if you used flashlights and had a privy outside, you could build any home you'd like? Are all states like that with regards to building codes? I'd love to have a home like this woman. Thanks! :)

[packymck]

@ckywill2000

I should clarify: No code requirement for electrical or plumbing because these are not built into the house. Codes cover all areas of building. Roof, walls, floors, insulation, etc.....This house was built in a small county that doesn't

enforce building codes. There are a lot of counties in the US that don't have

the funds for code enforcement. This means some people will build in un-safe ways and others will do better. Always try to be on the better side...

[rmcdaniel423]

deezynar wrote "Since every house is eventually sold, a code defying house is a problem. "

I totally understand where you're coming from....concerning the majority of homes. However this is clearly an exception. This type of home is not for everyone, and the very few buyers that might be interested in it, will not care about codes anyway.

Ultimately, a problem house is the seller's problem, not the buyer's problem. The buyer always has other choices. And inspectors on their side.

[deezynar]

rmcdaniel423,

In this instance, we aren't even speaking of a house. Legally this structure is an accessory building, and can't be lived in by a human being. It doesn't meet the building codes for a habitable residence. Plus, it sits on a piece of land owned by someone else w/ a house on it. The lady who lives in this structure has no legal rights to sell it as a shed, let alone as a house. It's not my intent to rain on this lady's parade, but I do want other folks to know the facts here.

[rmcdaniel423]

I guess some people just value codes and regulations, while other people value their low impact way of life.  The two will likely never see eye to eye.

[deezynar]

rmcdaniel423,

Someone who violates the law while building is not ipso facto a person who cares about the environment. Building codes are designed to keep people safe from the building. Zoning laws are to keep people safe from their neighbors.

It's entirely possible to build a perfectly code & law complying house & have it be low impact. Building codes & zoning laws are not the enemy to society or the environment. In fact, wildcat buildings are more likely to be harmful to all.

[ChristineCreature]

@deezynar well my friends here in canada built a beautiful home after their building code cookie cutter suburbanite home caught on fire and left them with nothing. they chose to do it right this time. they have created a yurt home which is environmentally conscious, solar powered, wind powered and yes, they own their own land which it is situated on.

[deezynar]

@ChristineCreature

I never stuck up for "cooky cutter" houses, but now that you mention it, they allow most people to afford a home. You didn't mention what caused the fire in your friends house. If it was a wiring issue, they have cause w/ the builder because he didn't follow the code. Is their new yurt as well insulated as code requires? If not, it's not as "earth friendly" as it should be.

[ChristineCreature]

@packymck Yay! You tell them.. I think it's great what you're doing and definitely people need to wake up! I have spent my day researching buildings that are abandoned and cities that are abandoned. It's very disturbing. What you do makes so much more sense and it's a pity that humans have become so conditioned and detached from what truly is normal and healthy life choices.

[peoplethought]

Lol at how the sound repeats at the end.

[AcidProblemChild]

Wow! I like your design! Domes are beautiful but not always as space-effective I feel. This is simple yet effective. Is there any plans or pictures of when it was build? Any website I could visit?

I like houses based around one space, it must be that I read Thoreau's Walden at a very important time in my life.

[packymck]

This house was built by my neighbor. She's totally off grid. No power, Composting toilet. Outdoor shower. No other video's or websites:^)

[GazeNtheBlueHaze]

thats really cool! what an cozy little place

[Nabo00o]

Great video, that house looked really warm and welcoming : )

[cafekawaii]

Very nice!! I like the stairs too, but I think u should of put a spiral staircase or made one out of wood. :)

[jwka2001]

cool house, would love to make one of those myself cept maybe a little bigger.

[packymck]

you can always use earthbags as an add-on. That's what I'm doing now. Adding on to what I already have, a mobile home. A summer porch on the front North side and a passive solar south (back) room for thermal mass/heat storage.

[baubosophia]

Lovely! You did so much with so little! A wonderful example of the owner-built home. I see from the questions that people aren't really getting the idea here. Forget building permits, hooking to the grid, all of that. Maybe you don't even want a road in, eh? Don't start with the idea of a house in the suburbs and work back from that. Start with a debris hut or a wikiup or something and then design upwards to what you need to be comfortable and sustained.

[packymck]

You are SO correct! It's important that we build JUST what is needed. No more, no less. When the focus is on nature and the environment (sun, stars, earth, water) you find out you don't need as much house to live sustainably. Don't fight it...Live WITH it.

[autiok]

Does that pass inspection?

[packymck]

I doubt it. It has no electricity, no plumbing or any mechanical system to inspect.

[autiok]

Did you get a building permit for that? do you pay taxes on that?

[packymck]

No to both questions. This house was built in a small county that doesn't have a building inspector. It's at the back of someones property and they pay taxes, etc. on their property.

[metrosaves]

to get around things get a property with a septic/well and put a cheap mobile on it and build a small basement home over time... You can switch to solar/well. Use the mobile home as storage landscape the yard as you wish, greenhouse etc just an out of the box thought if you needed.

some laws prohibit stuff but some counties allow other things it's research intensive I would say harder than building any alternative home is the research of everything good luck.

[wrightylaaad]

could you post some new videos of your home , its great , i want to make one myself .

[Laggin6]

That's a really cool house. I want to build something like that too.

[packymck]

go for it! All it takes is time and effort. And maybe a few friends helping...

[packymck]

This house is in the Southern USA. A lot of rain. What you call porches, is a four foot overhang that goes all the way 'round the house. It's to protect the papercrete walls. There's NO sheet rock anywhere in the house. Everything is hand made.

[1212121212121212212]

I am really thinking about doing something like this. I think you can mix a high production value with low cost. Sort of the general thrust of what is see is a lot of porches and internal structure and sheet rock that would take away from the feeling of a 'playhouse.'

[saacbe]

well , it is defeneteli a nice house, congratulations.

[shellback963]

That is because they are snobs, The trick is to find people who have working man skills and trade skill for skill. Plumber, Welder, Nurse, Dentist, Carpenter, Mechanic, Gardner/farmer, Builder, Barber etc. Then you have a community that truely shares resources not just golf stories. The Gov has truly conquered and divided this country. Now, nobody is willing to trade skill without first seeing the Almightly Dollar. When all one really needs is Water, Shelter, Clothing and Food. Such a Pitty.

[ninyae]

Shellback, I love!! your comment!

[packymck]

I agree! But one of the things I LOVE about the internet is that you can go around what's blocking you. Google: Barter and see all the choices you have...

[StarryRendezvous]

Well said.

[S0XF0X]

Amen to that. My husband and I want to build something like this, and once we learn how, we're definately excited to try and share with it as many people as possible. I think it's time for us to really go back to basics and try to actually COHABITATE with nature, not just try to dominate it.

[AMilitantAgnostic]

@shellback963 not to sure about you but healthcare, education, art, nature, security and protection from tyrants and criminals, justice, and freedom are just a few things the individual may need help with... Simplicity has it's dangers.

[myway43]

@shellback963 I guess I never really thought about it like that. Interesting.

[johny1time]

that is a great house. alot better than the eathbag/papaercrete house im working on.

[packymck]

Lets see some pictures of your place.

[saacbe]

hey man, i wanna make a house too, but i know shit about it, do you have like a guide step by step of how doing it? by the way, dou you have a video of your house being built?

[S0XF0X]

You could probably find some books on amazon for it. Try googling earth homes and see what you can find.

[VeiledGlory]

What are the tires in the center for? Is it a thermal mass chimney of some sort?

[packymck]

Yes, you are correct. The center support is rock, gravel, and dirt, with tire tread screwed together for support. The flue for the wood stove and rocket stove is also routed thru this to store heat and for thermal mass.

[PeaceChannel711]

Very nice, but the smell of the rubber tires would make me ill. The chemicals give off toxic fumes. The design is otherwise really cool!

[packymck]

the tire tread she used have been siting around for years. They don't off-gas at all. Many a fire has been built and you don't smell tires.

I'd have to agree with you tho. I'm not sure why the tread was used. In my opinion, It wasn't necessary.

[atnekn]

that out of my imagination range.

I cant believe that has two HUGE floors.

Where do you live?

I want cheap land

[packymck]

The way the economy is going, you should be able to find cheap land in most rural areas of any state in the USA..:^)

The total square footage of the house is around 560 sq. ft.

[atnekn]

How long did it take and how many people built it?

Im researching now and does 3 weeks for 2 people sound reasonable?

Do you live in a communal area where everyone shares resources or does your niebohr just bulid cool houses (is the area dedicated toward sustainable housing is what Im asking)

I know there is one of those kind of places in South Carolina but it is sooo expensive to even join their community.

[MerryChicky]

What a neat house. Love the windows in the loft that open to the green roof, and the brick floor is beautiful!

[packymck]

thanks Merry, this is my neighbors house. She does wonderful stone work.