Earthbags, woohoo! Another earthquake resistant build!

Just before we left in May we dug a small 30cm deep 50cm wide trench and filled it with gravel. The trench wasn't straight though, two centers for two intersecting circumferences. The original shape was scaled up from a small model I made, I only have a video of the model as it did not survive us moving house a few years back.

The gravel trench once filled is all that's needed for the foundation of an earth bag build. We also put in our cess pit and grey water tanks the same time that we dug the trench.

Once we got back and settled after our travels we got back to it. We had to wait a little bit before we started as plans of visitors and a trip to Bali had to be organised. So on 31st July we got the guys together again and started filling bags with dirt.

Here's my design strategy …….. 1. Make a model out of clay, duplicating the bag laying process by making strings of clay and layering them up. 2. Scale the model up to full size on a sloping piece of land with a million big rocks dictating where it goes . 3. Draw another circle in the dirt because Ani asked for a bigger bathroom ……….. that's it. What could possibly go wrong, spoiler alert ….. nothing so far.So six guys filling bags with dirt, which is now being delivered as we ran out pretty quickly because there's not much it between our rocks.

The bags I bought were quite large and we ended up with a 45cm wide wall, googled things and found out the wider the more stable, especially if the wall is curved, so we carry on and after one day of laying I done my 'quantity surveying' and ordered two thousand bags.

Day by day the walls go up fast and I quickly realise I have to get my shit together and start putting door frames in and laying out the plumbing and the wiring conduits, all of that half planned and parts bought so easily accomplished.

Next stage, buy a couple of logs for the roof supports, dig holes between the rocks and install them.

At this stage the roof is still being designed mostly at 2am when I wake up in the night :/ See the next blog for more.