Ordering Info and Blog Address

Sadly, Owen Geiger, the originator of this website, died on November 6th, 2018. Most of  the plans shown here are still available via Dream Green Homes however, so if you have any questions or comments please contact Kelly Hart via the contact form on that site.

Our main blog is now called Natural Building Blog and the new address is http://naturalbuildingblog.com/

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Earthbag Building Guide Now Available!

New Earthbag Building Guide by Owen Geiger is Now Available!

Earthbag Building Guide: Vertical Walls Step-by-Step
By Owen Geiger

Free ebook with all house plan orders! See below.

Much has been learned about earthbag building over the last few decades through research, trial and error, and sharing of information. It is becoming increasingly clear what works best and why. And now with engineer-approved methods for building in code-enforced areas, it is time to pull the most practical ideas together and take this movement to the next level.

This builder’s guide does that by providing simple, clear explanations of each step of construction, from earthbag foundations that don’t require concrete, to complete information on tools and supplies, as well as tips, tricks and advanced earthbag techniques.

All major aspects of building earthbag houses are covered: Planning; $10/sq. ft. dirt cheap building techniques; Building code issues; Electrical and Plumbing; Cost estimating; How to build insulated earthbag houses; How to make earthbag benches, and privacy and retaining walls for next to nothing. It is profusely illustrated with about 185 color photos and detail drawings.

The Earthbag Building Guide by Owen Geiger is now available for $20 as a PDF download. The ebook is available for free with all new house plan orders through Earthbag House Plans and DreamGreenHomes.com.

You will need a recent version of Adobe Reader for the book to display properly. http://get.adobe.com/reader/

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Please Vote for my Designs

$300 CEB House with Bamboo Screening (click to enlarge)

Hello readers. I encourage you to visit the $300 House design contest and vote for my designs. Out of about 200 entries, my three designs have mostly stayed in the top 20. Please take a few minutes to sign up and learn more about this exciting competition. A winning entry will help spread these sustainable and affordable building ideas across the globe. (Earthbag houses have already been built in at least 40 countries!)

Update: Thanks for your support! I won cash prizes for all three designs.

Here are the direct links to my (Owen Geiger) house designs:
Stone Dome
$300 Earthbag House
$300 CEB House (house shown above)

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Engineer-approved Earthbag Plans

We’re very happy to announce what is perhaps the greatest news ever for earthbag building. Nabil Taha, Ph.D., P.E., has developed an earthbag building design to meet building codes. This is a huge step forward for earthbag building and we feel very honored to have Nabil’s support.

Nabil Taha is the President of Precision Structural Engineering, Inc. (PSE) and is licensed in 27 states. PSE is a leader in green engineering and green design, offering services for a wide range of building systems, including earthbag, strawbale, bamboo and rammed earth. See the PSE Earthbag webpage for more information.

More details about this will be on our Earthbag Building Blog.

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Zero Energy Two

Zero Energy Two (click to enlarge)

Specifications: 1,275 sq. ft. interior, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, Footprint: 36′ x 73′ not including cisterns or optional survival shelter.

Description: Zero Energy Two is a two bedroom version Zero Energy home. This revolutionary design features zero net energy use, extremely low ‘near zero’ embodied energy and extremely low cost of around $10/square foot (cost of shell, excluding energy systems). This design is the result of years of research in energy efficiency and low cost, alternative building methods.

Note: If you want extra space for more bedrooms, etc. then I suggest adding a basement. A full basement design is in the works and will be available soon.

Zero Energy Two (click to enlarge)

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New Computer Renderings

Enviro Earthbag Dome

I’m gradually converting my basic hand-drawn plans to AutoCAD and SketchUp, starting with the most popular designs, and making them available at no extra cost. I think you’ll agree there is much improvement. It’s more than just visual effects. Plans are being tweaked based on reader input. The Enviro Dome, for instance, now has a small (optional) pool in front that collects and stores rainwater.

Computer generated plans currently available through Dream Green Homes:
Enviro Dome, Native Spirit, 2 Pod and 3 Pod, U-Shape, Subterranean Survival Shelter, Zero Energy One, Zero Energy Two, Peace Dome, 10 meter Roundhouse, Hexagonal/Roundhouse, Modern Earthbag House, Green House, 2-story Roundhouse, Chonburi, Spiral House, Farmhouse, Garage/Apartment, Barn-style, Roundhouse Studio, 1.5 story Roundhouse, Sweet Spot 2, Farm Guesthouse, Wilderness Cabin, Tinyville, , Mediterranean, Beachcomber , Arc House, Double Wide.

Roundhouse/Dome Cluster should be completed very soon.

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Earthbag Roundhouse Workshop

Date: 7 days, April 19-25, 2010
Cost: $500 includes excellent hotel, shuttle van, breakfasts, dinners, snacks
Location: Sakon Nakhon, Northeast Thailand
Instructor: Owen Geiger
Email: strawhouses [@] yahoo dot com

Note: This is a past workshop from earlier this year, but I’m leaving it here to show the final results. Lots more detailed info is on our Earthbag Building Blog.

Roundhouse information:
Round earthbag office, 15’ interior diameter, 18” walls, earthbag foundation
Wood doors and windows, small bathroom, earthbag benches
Concrete bond beam, steel compression ring
Exposed wood ceiling with peeled eucalyptus saplings and thatch

Roundhouse Studio

General building plan:
Goal: build walls and roof in one week (some parts won’t be completely finished, such as the plaster and roof, but we will do as much as we can so you get at least some experience with each step of construction)
Hard, dirty work will be completed before the workshop (earthwork, digging trenches, peeling poles, etc.) so the focus can remain on learning.
Workshop participants can assist with any or all building activities as they choose (ex: you may or may not want to climb on the roof, that’s okay).
The emphasis is on hands-on learning, although there will be short training periods throughout the day with white board, and question and answer sessions.

More information here.

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Welcome!

Hello and thanks for visiting my site.

A lot has happened in the last year since I started this blog, as you can see. There are now 110 plans to choose from. The next step is to complete the elevation drawings, of which about 50 have been finished so far. The most popular designs are then being turned into AutoCAD plans.

If you are wondering where to purchase these plans, most of my plans are available through Dream Green Homes.

I added a new page on Building Details to better explain my plans and ideas. Hope this helps. And be sure to also read the Introduction to learn how you can build these plans for around $10/sq. ft. (materials only) if you do the work yourself.

All home plans use natural building materials such as earthbags, earth plaster, earth floors, recycled materials, lava rock (scoria) and rice hulls to keep costs to a minimum and reduce our impact on the environment.

Please note: Details like porches, decks, etc. have been deleted for the most part so drawings better fit the limited space on this blog.

Also note, the plans are in no particular order. Some of the best plans are buried on the last (first) pages. You may find it easiest to browse by Categories — Domes, Roundhouses, etc. — by using the menu in the right column.

This site is set up to gather your feedback. I look forward to hearing your comments!

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Earthbag Cistern

Earthbag Cistern

Specifications: 2,000 US gallons, approximately 6′ x 10′ interior, 12′ below grade, 36″ scuttle hole

Description: No off the grid system is complete without adequate water storage. This is the first publicly available earthbag cistern plan that I am aware of. Ideal for storing rainwater from roof catchment systems (rainwater catchment/rainwater harvesting systems). Prevents freezing. Scuttle hole provides access for cleaning. No transfer of hazardous chemicals from plastics.

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