This cordwood house could be built with earthbags, straw bales or other sustainable materials. (click to enlarge)
Specifications: 776 sq. ft. interior, 2 bedroom, 1 bath, Footprint: 30′ x 35′
Description: This simple yet practical home plan is shown with cordwood walls. The same house can be made with earthbags, straw bales, adobe, stone and other materials.
Cordwood house floorplan (click to enlarge)
I’ve always been interested in cordwood building. could you go halfway up w/ earthbags and do the rest with cordwood? will it be structurally sound?
Yes. Combining materials often leads to better results. In this example, you’d have gravel bags on lower courses for better moisture protection, plaster on the lower part for visual contrast and moisture protection, and cordwood on top. Or you could fill lower courses of bags with scoria or pumice for greater insulation and put cordwood on top. There are many options.