Essential Earthbag Construction

Essential Earthbag Construction is an illustrated guide to building with earth-filled polypropylene bags, a low-impact, highly durable method of construction. It includes material specifications, installation, design guidance, foundations, wall plastering, basic utilities, seismic reinforcement, maintenance, and the variety of uses.

Build economical and resilient earthbag structures using simple tools and techniques.

EARTHBAG CONSTRUCTION – building with polypropylene bags usually filled with earthen materials – is a versatile, easy-to-master, low-impact, and highly durable form of building, suitable for structures from houses to root cellars. Essential Earthbag Construction is a fully illustrated, practical guide to this affordable method of building. Going well beyond the scope of other sources, this indispensable manual is packed with all the information you need to determine if it's the right choice for your project, and to start building.

Distilling decades of experience, research, and best practices, it covers:

• Material specifications, performance, and when and where to use it
• Pros and cons of different fills from gravel, to earth and clay, to insulative perlite, rice hulls, and volcanic stone Illustrated, step-by-step guidance for efficient bag filling and installation
• Details for various designs, including domes and arches
• Foundation options and seismic and stability considerations
• Finishing and maintenance techniques
• Tools and materials
• Additional resources.

Essential Earthbag Construction presents the practical guidance and best practices for both the DIYer and professional to design and build high-quality earthbag structures.

Kelly Hart is an earthbag builder, author, and filmmaker, and hosts the widely visited websites greenhomebuilding.com and earthbagbuilding.com. His multi-dome earthbag Colorado residence is chronicled in the video Building with Bags: How We Made Our Experimental Earthbag/Papercrete House. Kelly lives in Silver City, New Mexico.

New Society's Sustainable Building Essentials Series aims to provide the highest quality information on sustainable building methods and materials. Editors Chris Magwood and Jen Feigin have scoured the world of sustainable building to bring you the techniques and systems that deliver measureable benefits in terms of greater energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact. Written by the world's leading sustainable builders, designers, and engineers, these succinct, user-friendly handbooks are indispensable tools for any project.

"Distilling both his own hard-won experience and the combined wisdom of the rapidly-expanding worldwide earthbag network, Hart delivers a thorough, detailed and readable guidebook that tells you everything you need to know for success with this potent technique."
- Michael G. Smith, co-editor, The Art of Natural Building and co-author, The Hand-Sculpted House

"A must-have book…with practical and essential information on this user-friendly method of construction."
- Will Beemer, author, Learn to Timber Frame

"Hart demonstrates that anyone can build a home, so use this book and give it a go!"
- Penny Pickerill author, Eco-Homes: People, Place and Politics

"I wouldn't even attempt it without studying this book thoroughly and referring to it throughout the building process."
- Rob Roy, author, Essential Cordwood Building and Cordwood Building