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Earthbags
....

It's becoming a cliché to say that earthbags are well established as a unique alternative building material. If you're here, chances are you already know that.

When lowly bags of dirt are laid flat atop one another and solidly tamped into place, they serve as a variation of "rammed earth" construction (which has a long tradition here in New Mexico) and can achieve a strength & stability equal to adobe bricks or concrete blocks. They've earned a reputation internationally as a low-tech building material & method that's accessible to anyone, and continues to rise in both popularity & reputability.

While the idea isn't new (think of the sandbag trenches & fortifications from World War I), their application as an alternative building material can be largely credited to Iranian architect and humanitarian Nader Khalili, who recognized that people left homeless in war zones and disaster areas around the world often have (if little else!) abundant access to three things; sandbags, barbed wire, and dirt.

The beauty of earthbags, especially in contrast to more conventional, rigid, mass-produced material (like cinder blocks), lies in their simplicity, their ease of handling, and their ability to be laid in curves...

perfect for bordering sinuous walkways, garden beds, terracing, erosion control, building arches, serving as foundations for cob or straw-bale constructions, or more ambitious projects!

   Advantages :

   Aesthetic - easily smoothed over with plaster or stucco
   Non-toxic - no fumes or allergens
   Versatile, graceful, and easy to work with
   Low-tech, requiring a minimum of tools or experience
   12" thick walls provide superb insulation
   Stable; excellent earthquake resistance
   Perfect for managing erosion, rain runoff, and flooding


   Making your own:

   With the basic materials (bags, clay-rich soil, and a tamper), anyone can make their
   own, and you'll find information & resources on these pages to help you get started.
   
   But there are some people who lack the sifted dirt to fill their own bags, or
   simply don't want to deal with the hassle, the time, and the mess. For those
   of you interested in trying their hands at earthbag construction, either on a
   small or trial basis (a garden wall, for example) or on a grander scale (check
   out our links), we offer filled earthbags.


   Our simplest filled earthbags, when solidly tamped, weigh in at about 25 lbs
   each & flatten out to an average measurement of 12" wide by 16" long by 3" high.
   These come in your choice of:

      · Sturdy white unlabeled polypropylene
          (tear and puncture resistant, UVI protected) .......... starting at $2.00 each *

      · Biodegradable brown jute
          burlap bags (10 oz weave)........................................... starting at $2.50 each *


   Empty bags?  We can supply those for you, too.
 
    Polypropylene bags are available in lots of 100 for $50.00;
    Burlap bags (lots of 50) are $65.00.

   Bags in either material are available (by special order) in a variety of other sizes,
   up to 3 feet long and beyond. We can also supply poly bags in a range of colors.
 

   Delivery of our earthbags is an option,with prices starting at $3.00 each
   for polypropylene, and $3.50 each for burlap. Delivery prices are based on
   your location and on the quantity of your order. Large orders may qualify
   for discounted rates. Contact us
for details.


   After building, you'll need to cover your structure. Popular materials
   include lime, cob, adobe mud, papercrete, stucco, and earthen plasters.
   Typically, you'll want to add one or more rough basecoats, and then a finish
   coat that will add color, texture, durability, and weatherproofing.
   See our products and our plastering/rendering pages (in progress!).


* New Mexico residents, please add NM gross receipts tax of 6.75% to all orders.

Check out the
USDA's NRCS
Web Soil Survey
mapping engine

to see
what kind of soil
is in your backyard!


link to products page

Order information link

books link

NM Bldg Code link

ABQ code button

contact us link

link to Juli's website

link to Stark Raven Studios



Why

earthbags,
when
cinder blocks
are
so much
cheaper?

Click
here
to find out!





this
space
for
hire!

dirtbag wall with arched window
outdoor bench for garden or patio
earthbag dome construction
multiple earthbag domes before plastering
beehive domes after plastering
earthbag wall with window - Haiti
dirtbag home interior after plastering

New Mexico Dirtbags                     Albuquerque, NM 87106                      505.750.3478 (DIRT)                      design by Stark Raven Studios © 2010