Sweet Spot 2 Earthbag House
[Note: this plan has been updated and converted to computer renderings, and is now published toward the front of the website. I’m leaving this post here primarily to maintain the comments section. — Owen]
Specifications: 792 sq. ft. interior, Footprint: 25′ x 39′
Description: This is a modified version of Sweet Spot. It adds two extra bedrooms and more living space. Two roof options are available: 1. gable roof with optional porch roof; 2. clerestory roof.
Sweet Spot 2 Earthbag House East Elevation
Here are a few comments for clarification:
You will need to plan ahead if you want to build this addition onto the south side of the Sweet Spot, otherwise it will entail extra work.
Here are some changes to consider if you plan to add the addition: add a window to the north wall of the NE bedroom, convert the window in the living area to a back door, extend the cabinets to the left and add a full-sized stove.
Other possible changes: use 30″ windows in the bedrooms that currently show 24″, maybe extend the whole design one extra foot so the rooms on the east side are slightly larger (this makes the plan 40′ long).
This is terrific. I’ve been bouncing back and forth between the Sweet Spot 1, the Economizer, the Sweet Spot 2 and the Breeze Way…
What the old pioneers used to do was build a small shack, then progressively build larger additions to it. In a generation or two they had a big mansion where the shack used to be…
How difficult woud it be to build an addition to an existing earthbag shelter? Could you tie a new earthbag wall into an existing wall by pounding in some rebar or something?
Glad you like it. And you are correct about how old timers added on lots of additions. This is a very practical way of building a larger house without going into debt. Here’s another plan designed exactly for this: Earthbag Country Guesthouse. It can be a guesthouse or it can be the core house you describe that is added onto later.
Plan ahead if you intend to add additions later. The most difficult part is dealing with doorways and windows. One technique is to frame a window as a door by extending the wood or metal frame (rough buck) down to the floor. Then if you want to turn that window into a door all you have to do is remove the bags below the window. This is much easier than tearing the wall apart. New walls can be joined to old walls with rebar pins and/or strips of expanded metal lath. This lath can be bent into an L shape and pinned to the new and old walls.
Hi Owen,
I’ve been working hard on some ideas for a flat roof for the sweet spot 2. I’m getting some inspiration from the Auroville website with their u-shaped ferrocement channels…
To test out my design, I’m going to build another clay model based on your Sweet-Spot 2 design. I don’t know if I will do all the interior stuff this time (maybe I will). It would be nice to make the roof removable too…
When will the Sweet Spot 2 plans be available for sale?
If the SweetSpot 1 was built first (celestory roof plan), would it be the side with the higher wall first, or the lower wall? (Sorry if that is not a very clear question).
I really like the idea of framiing a dorway into a window opening.
Kelly told me yesterday the plans would be posted soon. Keep checking back.
I designed it so Sweet Spot 1 is on the north. It is the main half of the house with the kitchen and bath. The roof slopes north. It can be higher than the other half, thus creating a clerestory roof. Or it can be the same pitch to make a gable roof.
This plan is now available in AutoCAD.
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