Enviro Earthbag Dome
Specifications: 20’ interior DIA main dome = 314 sq. ft., 16’ interior DIA bedroom = 201 sq. ft., 44 sq. ft. bath, plus 223 sq. ft. loft space, total = 782 sq. ft., Footprint: 23′ x 42′ plus buttresses
Description: An ideal starter home, this plan is easy to extend or even create large dome clusters. Compact, but highly livable, the Enviro dome has everything you need. Two lofts add 235 sq. ft. extra space for sleeping, home office, living or storage. Additional storage options include space inside benches, a cedar chest at the foot of the bed, and an armoire north of the bed. The Enviro dome is perfect for the beginner do-it-yourselfer who wants to build their eco-friendly home at the lowest possible cost.
Enviro Earthbag Dome South Elevation
while this isn’t my ideal there is a lot to like about this plan. I am having a little trouble visualizing the elevation, especially the lofts. would the one over the bedroom in fact be a good size to sleep in? doing so would have the advantage of putting a little more distance between the bedroom and the bath. better feng shui. I know it is really hard to keep the toilet from being too close either to the bed or the kitchen (if not both) in little houses. maybe being under the loft gives a sense of separation? this could be enhanced with curtains or even a sliding closet door, which would also be nice when there are guests over, or if the house is filled to capacity, with people sleeping in the bedroom and loft(s).
the other big question mark: is this building to be grassed over like the photo at the top of the page?
I guess somehow that front face is important to me in forming an impression of a building. I may or may not be typical in this, but I think it might be pretty common, especially for people considering alternative/innovative housing where you can’t assume a triangle over a square like a crayon drawing defines the elevation and the only question is that the front or the side. maybe being earthbags I am supposed to know that these are those candy drop shaped domes and not hemispheres, but even just describing the height/shape would be something to latch onto. though a concept sketch of how the outside could look would be great.
The small loft above the bed is 11 feet in diameter, for about 89 sq. ft. To visualize this, draw an 11 foot circle on the ground and use a rope etc. to represent the 60 degree dome angle. (The walls are closing in at about 60 degrees.) This is plenty big enough for a sleeping loft plus storage.
The large loft is 16 feet in diameter, minus an area on the south to let light and air pass, for a living area about 134 sq. ft.
No living roof on this one. Living roofs require a lower pitch, otherwise water will run off too quickly. It has a typical plastered earthbag dome roof.
Visualizing the exterior: From the front, you will see two domes — the right one a little larger than the other. Buttresses fan out like open arms, which hold back earth berming/grass. The buttresses also create a somewhat sheltered area for sitting outside. The bathroom could be made visible from the front, or not. I like the idea of a small, somewhat pointed dome over the bathroom, sort of a playful contrast to the two larger domes.
I love domes, but I’ve never really cared for the corbelled dome shape.
Would it be possible to build a circular building with straight walls up to about shoulder height, and then place an inexpensive steel geodesic dome framework on top?
My thought is that you could use perlite filled bags to cover the geodesic dome framework. Would it be strong enough to support the bags?
That would be a more aesthetically pleasing appearance to me.
That’s an excellent idea. However, covering it with bags seems awkward and you would lose the crisp geometric shape. I would look into insulating it with panels. Soy-based foam board is entering the market. I’ll give this more thought. Thanks.
Owen
My husband and I would like to build a simple standard earthbag dome home. We need some plans that would make the home about 400 sq. ft.
We are reading Doni and Kaki’s book “Earthbag Building” to learn more about this process.
We are a bit concerned about how to plumb the house at this time and we are thinking 15 feet is really as high as we need to go.
If you could email me some of the finished projects you have worked on and maybe some plans that might suit our purpose that would be great. Or if you would like to contact us by phone feel free to do so at 360-909-4460.
My Email is roxieb5@juno.com
Thanks so much for your time. Roxanne
[…] I’m not sure when I’ll get around to drawing the exterior elevation view. But it’s easy to imagine since the design is similar to my other 2-story Roundhouse and Enviro Dome. […]
From Uma: Your floorplan (16′ plus a 20′ with a 5’bath)…. connects without the little bubbles like Cal-earth does. How will your type of design function in earthquake prone areas?
Owen: Domes are inherently the strongest shape in nature. Earthbag structures (especially domes), if properly built, are one of the strongest types of buildings. In addition, my design uses three concentric shapes that support or buttress each other, just as three legs hold up a stool or three points make up a single plane. Add earthbag benches around the perimeter, buttresses and proper detailing (provided when you order a plan) then you have incredibly safe and strong design.
I admit I really like the suggestion of topping circular designs with the geodesic dome. Have to do some research. I wonder if there are panel designs that could be built with lumber scavenged from pallets? There are generally 3 2x4s plus the slats. How well do concrete covered and paint sealed earthbags tolerate high rain levels? Moisture in a bermed construction?
You can make geodesic domes from plans or buy and assemble pre-built units. This is a good to build roofs for round structures.
Domes work best in dry climates, where they originated. But you can add roofs to domes with overhangs and/or eyebrows over door and window openings. Example: Build the geodesic dome larger than the walls by 3 feet or so and this overhang will protect your walls.
Earthbags are perfect for bermed designs, since they’re designed to resist moisture.
Hi, thanks so much for all your excellent work and information here, I know how much time it takes to put so much up.
My wife and I are excited about building a cluster of interconnected (partly truncated similar to eco-dome) earthbag domes similar to your enviro cluster, only more involved, with perhaps a central living area that is cylindrical, with a conical roof, because we want something around 24 ft or so in inside diameter, which seems to be beyond the limit of the Cal-Earth style of building.
I don’t want to use concrete, so will keep researching to see if others have tackled larger domes. I saw Kelly Harts papercrete structure but didn’t care for the rectilinear aesthetic of the central section.
Probably our biggest challenge though is we hope to build in rural western Mass. but have no idea all the things needed to protect against freezing winters and ground freezing, humid summers, drainage etc.
I’m thinking a french drain around the entire perimeter, and gravel courses, buried three feet into the earth underneath the first course of bags, are a good starting off place but nobody seems to have built out here that I can find so far.
I also need to get clearer on why I need insulation outside of and possibly inside for this climate…why won’t a simple thermal mass like earth, properly protected from the weather, work?
Also, what if any are the advantages, structurally and aesthetically, of individual bags over cal-earth style long tubes? Seems like the tubes give you the chance, with good workmanship, to make a much smoother, easier-plastering, structure, but this is all conjecture as I’ve only read about it so far.
And one more question (sorry!) about insulation: are there negative issues re two concentric rings of bags, i.e. insulation layer outside, earth inside? I’ve seen suggestions of sewing a tube down the middle, maybe on your site in fact, but even cal-earth’s biggest bag at 27″ diameter might not give me the structural strength I want, however I guess I’d have to play with it to evaluate. Could be easier than two separate courses of bags/tubes.
Anyway, lots to learn, sorry for the long question, keep up the great work and I appreciate any answers to any of these “newbie” questions…although I guess most of us are newbies at this stage, eh?
Many thanks
Jim
The first thing to do is to check on building codes in your area. It’s very difficult or even impossible to gain code approval in highly populated areas. That’s why we regularly post about choosing rural areas with few or no building codes. Hopefully things will get easier as more earthbag testing is done.
Tubes or bags? This is personal preference. There are advantages to both. But tubes are more difficult to fill, cost more and are more difficult to obtain.
An insulation layer on the outside will greatly improve the thermal performance by isolating the thermal mass from the exterior environment. My first choice would be to build with scoria or pumice. You can search for articles I’ve written on cold climate earthbag houses on Google or by searching our Articles page at http://www.EarthbagBuilding.com.
The rubble trench method is my recommendation for a low cost foundation.
Thank you Owen for your speedy response.
Would bags full of nothing but rice hulls, scoria or perlite for example not settle under the increasing weight of rings of bags? Or is the tamping down sufficient to compress them fully?
And would the resultant structure be strong? Do you need a thicker layer of plaster or for example papercrete a la Kelly Hart to give it strength?
We live in the country of upstate NY and western Mass. where some hay bale houses have been built, so I’m hoping that will give me a leg up on the building codes.
Would a good strategy be to go in to the building dept. with plans, elevations and drawings as well as all the technical data I can muster and start to wear them down now, a year + before we can begin to build?
Might you know where I could find successful strategies other people have found for dealing with building code people?
This is America. I’m sure with enough determination a person ought to be able to build the house he wants, unless it’s a hazard to his (distant) neighbors or an awful eyesore, though I realize many might consider non-rectilinear structures by their nature to be an eyesore.
Also, you suggest vermiculite on one of your pages as a possible insulator, but I’ve just read that one big mine in Montana that supplied until very recently knowlingly produced it for years though it was contaminated with asbestos, and several hundred health cases have resulted from the town it’s produced in alone. Don’t know if you’d heard that, it’s on Wikipedia under vermiculite.
have you heard whether this situation still prevails?
Scoria is definitely strong enough. That’s how Kelly Hart built his house in Colorado: http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/projects/hart.htm
Rice hulls, perlite and vermiculite are experimental. Test out the concept on a storage shed and share your results with others.
The hazardous vermiculite you’re referring to was material from just one mine that since has been closed down. This is not a concern, in my opinion. But wear a dust mask to avoid breathing the dust.
Thanks very much. Wish I still lived in the SW, I’m sure scoria is all over the four corners area. Up here in eastern upstate NY…? Nothing so far. Time to start networking.
I think I’ll build something this summer to try it out.
Was thinking of flying out to LA for their (CAL Earth) workshop but it’s expensive, looking for others. You’ve got references to folks closer such as Kentucky, still a fur piece from here but I’ll keep googling.
Much obliged.
JIm
Hi Jim,
I’ve been reading your posts and am excited about the prospect of an Earthbag pioneer in upstate / Western MA! I grew up in Upstate New York and would ultimately like to settle in Western, MA. If you get started on anything this summer and would like some free labor, I’d love the chance to learn more about Earthbag construction.
Thanks,
Nick
We’re planning ongoing projects in Thailand, offering both workshops and internships. It’s not free, but the cost is very reasonable and you would get vital hands-on experience. https://earthbagplans.wordpress.com/workshops/
Hi Nick, thanks, let’s stay on touch. I’ll ne taking some kind of workshop this summer , maybe the cal earth one for 6 days in May. After that will decide what to do next. We’re looking a year down the road but may build a practice structure to tru things out meanwhile, and would be happy to have you join the exploration.
There’s also a three day workshop here in Nassau, just next door, can’t remember link but google earthbag building Nassau ny and you’ll find it.
Hi Owen,
I would like to purchase an enviro dome to built a country cottage. I live in Quebec, where we get a lot of snow and it goes to minus 20 degrees celcius. I would like to have it insulated but I might only use it 3 seasons out of the year for the first years.
My questions are:
1- what happens if we get a hot days in the winter and the snow turns to water then to ice in the middle of the 3 domes? My worries are that expansion of the freezing water could crack the structure of the domes.
2- What kind of insulation would you recommend, since there is no rice hull in my area.
3- Could it be possible to add a greenhouse where the outside bench is located, accessible from the inside of the domes.
4-if I wanted to add a third dome in a few years, could I re-use the smaller dome plan to build the addition
Thank you,
Amélie
hi again,
Just wondering if the enviro dome fits in with the canadian bulding/construction codes
thanks
There’s no place for moisture to get trapped and expand. The perspective drawing is just an artistic rendering and doesn’t show every detail. In reality, the bathroom dome slopes down to the vault that joins the two main domes.
Rice hulls are too experimental. My first choice would be scoria or pumice, followed by perlite or vermiculite, depending on what’s most affordable in your area.
Yes, you can add a greenhouse in front. And yes, build another bedroom dome on the east. It could be used for any purpose, of course.
Researching code issues is the homeowners responsibility. It’s impossible for me to know all the codes in every country, state and county. The smart approach is to search out remote, sparsely populated regions where codes are lax or nonexistent. There are many places that fit this description.
I need a floor plan and land to build a geodesic home. We also need the list of material needed. And all the details of how I build this house. Through the Internet to discover this project and I fell in love. The house must have two bedrooms, one bedroom with private bathroom and one bathroom, American style kitchen and laundry area with laundry room, living room and dining room and a balcony or a project with about 70m ². I’m from Brazil and my name is Ana, thank you very much and I await a response. A big hug.
Hi Ana. The closest plan I have is the Enviro Dome: https://earthbagplans.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/enviro-earthbag-dome/
You could buy one plan, but add another bedroom, bath, etc. as big as you want. Or you can order a custom plan and I put everything together the way you want.
Plans are available through Dream Green Homes: http://www.dreamgreenhomes.com/plans/enviro-dome.htm
From Jack:
i was wondering what you thought about an earthbag structure in extremely cold weather, and if a dome designed as such could withstand heavy snow loads?
From Owen:
Earthbag domes such as the Enviro Dome are perfect for cold weather if you use insulation for fill material. Scoria (lava rock) is perfect. That’s how Kelly Hart built his house high in the mountains of Colorado where’s it’s extremely cold: http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/projects/hart.htm
He has free plans at: http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/articles/riceland.htm that show exactly how to build this way.
No worries about snow load. I dumped about 15-20 truck loads of soil on my dome and it didn’t budge. Domes are the strongest form in nature. http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/projects/mendome.htm
Despite all these advantages, building codes are set up to promote the status quo — the banks, insurance companies, realtors, timber and steel industries, etc. It’s a huge racket.
We have an engineer working with us who may be able to help, but you’ll make it much easier on yourself if you choose a remote, rural area with few or no building codes. Check with your local code officials and see what is required.