my dirt bag cabin

[MasterBlaster]

 

[Bodean]

Beauty....great thread, Jaimie.

 

[Al Smith]

This is one alternative building method I've never seen .The traditional rammed earth method is usually something practiced in dry areas such as Arizona or New Mexico .

Of course there were the "soddys " of the Kansas praires .I think what all of them share in common is a large thermal mass .You could about heat that thing with a candle once it's done .

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Sweet thread, ya dirtbag!

 

[Porkbrick]

so, the wet weather has put the bag filling on hold for a while (spring probably). but that gives me a chance to work on the masonry facing around the base of the building. this is to both protect the plastic waterproofing where it overlaps the wall above ground and to protect the outside plaster from rain splashing off the ground. all made out of "urbanite" or busted up sidewalks and driveways if you prefer.

under plastic for the winter...


rebar tied into the bags. i hammered threaded rod all the way through and cranked big washers tight too the bags, in between the rods is rebar hammered into the bags at opposing angles every 2' or so.


mortaring the chunks together. the top of the facing is sloped slightly away from the wall for drainage.

 

[Porkbrick]

more. progress from this weekend.

wrapping around the corner...


working our way up the slope...


one side off the front wall laid up ready for pointing...


we got a little more than half way up the side wall slope.

 

[woodworkingboy]

A guy I know visited my shop recently, he falls trees now and then, among various other chores, mostly carpentry, he does working for a holistic retreat up in the woods. I was surprised to learn that he has built a dirt bag structure up there as well, seeming to be of similar methods. He expressed concern about how the structure he made would respond to an earthquake. I haven't been up there to see what he built. I might wait until after one of our quakes comes along.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Too bad you couldn't finish the bag filling. That's gonna be one tough dwelling!

 

[Porkbrick]

ya, Butch i would have loved to get all the bags done, but i knew this would be a year plus project from the beginning. besides, working slow gives me time to really think through each stage of the build. speaking of earthquakes, we had 3 or 4 small ones a month or so ago, and the walls are still up

 

[rskybiz]

Coming along nicely. Like the used sidewalk wall. Should be plenty of that to go all the way up over time then the bags would always be dry heat or cooling mass. I like

 

[MasterBlaster]

Tremors probably just help it all to settle and become more secure.

 

[canadiantreeman]

Cool, Jamie!

 

[woodworkingboy]

If I was concerned about quakes, I think I might opt for a more substantial rigid foundation. Tremors move the earth in different directions.

 

[Porkbrick]

i went back and forth on that point Jay. i seems logical that a more rigid foundation would be better, but i dont think that is necessarily true. just look at the difference between a wood framed building and one made of masonry. the wood allows the building to flex without breaking, while the rigid masonry will crack and crumble. the style of foundation im using should, in theory, allow the building to shift a little because of its non-rigid nature thereby reducing some of the stresses on the rest of the building. plus, having part of the building under ground should keep it from wandering off. this is an experiment tho, so we shall see

 

[woodworkingboy]

You could very well be right, Jaime. Flexibility engineered in seems to be the trend in earthquake prone areas. Better yet, I hope your theory never gets tested.

 

[Porkbrick]

cheers to that.

 

[Poleframer]

Cool build Jamie. And howdy all. Not to hijack, here's a couple shots of the little cabin I've been working on.

 

[Poleframer]

oops, donno how to thumbnail those. Dindnt want to be a non posting slacker.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Those are just fine. Man, that's some nice work!!!

 

[Porkbrick]

that is beautiful. are you building it for yourself?

 

[woodworkingboy]

That is something! I guess you would have to call it labor intensive rustic style. What is the purpose of those wide rounded facets beneath the windows on the octagon rooms?

 

[gf beranek]

There must be some specs on the earthquake/dirt-bag-wall-construction, somewhere I would think. It must be code in a lot of places. But earthquake prone Cali is another thing.

In the Nam our sand bags never rotted out. By UV or fungus. Nada. Though I do recall they were prone to leaking from bullets.

 

[Porkbrick]

there have been some earthquake tests done on earhtbag construction, with good results. im following all the recommendations given by the developers of the technique as such. i do know that there are quite a few permitted buildings in the southwest, and im pretty sure southern cali as well. im not so sure about northern cali. its just not written into the codes yet, so you have to jump through all the hoops to get permissions for an "experimental" building.

im guessing gerry that the bags in nam were burlap or some kind of fiber treated with petroleum based preservatives no? i dont think polypropylene would stand up to those kinds of conditions.

 

[gf beranek]

It was mil-spec. So figure, nasty chemicals.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Really Really nice cabin!