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)
Earthbag House Plans 
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.
love this little plan. just wondering do you vent the dryer through the roof or floor?
Thanks. Go through the roof and vent to the exterior through the soffit.
I absolutely love this design! I was wondering if earthbag homes can be built in wetter climates, such as south eastern Oklahoma?
Oh sure. You can build earthbags in the tropics where it rains all the time. The key is to build a good roof with wide roof overhangs. Raise and slope the site so water drains away in all directions. Include enough windows for good ventilation. Sloped ceilings and roof vents and ceiling fans all improve ventilation. Search our Natural Building Blog for dozens of low cost cooling methods. The search phrase is “passive cooling strategies”. Here’s one link: http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/additional-passive-cooling-strategies-for-hot-climates/
If I built this w/ earthbags all the way up for the walls, would they be stable or need to be supported somehow against horizontal stresses?
Thank you
No problems. Thousands of people are building this way.
About how much would a home built this way cost?
You need to do an accurate cost estimate. Get a library book and see this article: How Much Will My House Cost? http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/how-much-will-my-house-cost/
How would i get the blue prints for this house??
Email me: natural houses [at] gmail dot com.