Posted in Rectangular/Square, tagged cordwood, cordwood house plan, cordwood plan, earthbag, earthbag house plan, earthbag plan, home design, home plan, two bedroom on June 22, 2012| 12 Comments »
This cordwood house could be built with earthbags, straw bales or other sustainable materials. (click to enlarge)
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)
Posted in Round, tagged earthbag, earthbag building, earthbag house, ecoresort, green building, home plan, house plan, rental unit, resort, resort design, resort plan, sustainable on March 31, 2012| 7 Comments »
This ecoresort design joins two earthbag roundhouses with private baths between. (click to enlarge)
Description: This ecoresort design joins two earthbag roundhouses with private baths between. The roof extends over the porch to create a shaded area with benches for relaxing. Windows on all sides provide optimum ventilation and thermal comfort (15 degrees F or 8 degrees C cooler inside than out). Glass block and bottle walls add a splash of color and fun. Thatch could be used, although metal roofing is more durable and fire resistant, requires less maintenance and allows for roofwater collection. With just a little modification, the two units could be joined to create a home by enclosing the porch as a passageway, converting one bathroom into a laundry room, and deleting one kitchen.
Double Unit Ecoresort floorplan. (click to enlarge)
That’s one reason I’ve created designs such as Two Roundhouses with Greenhouse, Three Roundhouses Design, my Hobbit designs, as well as numerous other roundhouse designs at Earthbag House Plans. (You can easily browse all roundhouse plans by selecting ‘Round’ in the Category menu on the right side of the page.) Note — most people end up modifying these basic designs to meet their needs, which can easily be done for a modest fee.
Each step of construction is explained in this Earthbag Roundhouse Instructable.
All plans are available through Dream Green Homes. Not all plans are shown. Just ask if there’s something you don’t see.
Posted in Over 1000 sq. ft., Rectangular/Square, tagged 3 bedroom, earthbag, earthbag house, earthbag plan, energy efficient, green, green home, home plan, house plan, straw bale, straw bale house, straw bale plan, sustainable on March 23, 2012| 29 Comments »
Custom Crow (click to enlarge)
Description: One of my favorites, this design has a cathedral ceiling over the main living space, wood stove, passive solar design and large porch on the west to block the hot afternoon sun. There is a large loft over the bedrooms and bath. This new version has three bedrooms. The original Crow house design has two bedrooms.
Custom Crow floorplan (click to enlarge)
Posted in Over 1000 sq. ft., Round, tagged earthbag, earthbag apartment, earthbag building, earthbag construction, earthbag roundhouse, earthbag tower, home design, home plan, house plan, roundhouse plan, tower plan on January 22, 2012| 18 Comments »
Rainwater Towers Apartments (click to enlarge)
Description: This three-story, triple roundhouse tower apartment complex is designed to provide affordable housing in urban areas. The towers are primarily earthen construction. Made with earthbag tubes filled with earth and tamped solid, very few manufactured/processed materials are required. This greatly reduces construction costs. The apartment name comes from the fact rainwater is captured on the roof and directed to underground cisterns, which reduces demand on city water supplies. Each apartment is accessible by a spiral staircase in the front tower. Features include spacious 201 sq. ft. bedroom with large closet, modern kitchen and comfortable living room. All rooms are round to create an embracing, inviting ambience. The round towers are naturally stable and form a visually striking exterior.
Rainwater Towers Apartments floorplan (click to enlarge)
Posted in Free shelter designs, Rectangular/Square, tagged affordable, disaster resistant, earthbag, earthbag building, earthbag house, earthquake resistant, flood resistant, free plan, green, Haiti, home plan, house plan, hurricane resistant, low cost, sustainable on January 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »
HNC Earthbag House (click to enlarge)
Haiti needs more housing stock. For the individual Haitian, owning a home and building equity in it is a way to better oneself financially. HNC is working with folks who have minimal income. HNC encourages them to build wealth which helps the country build a stronger economy. That leads to more jobs, more children getting educated, better health care, etc. To have value in the housing market, they need a house that is modern (plumbing and electricity), durable (earthquake and hurricane resistant) and of course, affordable. With a modern and durable house as collateral you can borrow money to start a small business. Lack of access to capital is a major barrier in the third world to individuals lifting themselves out of poverty. Earthbag houses are perfect. Hands on learning how to build an earthbag house will be an important part of the HNC training. The trainees will learn, and they will in turn train others in earthbag building. Modifications can be made in the field in response to local feedback.
Dr. Owen Geiger took my basic ideas, enhanced them greatly and developed an attractive plan. It is a durable and leak proof ‘core house’ with a multipurpose room (kitchen and living room), bathroom and bedroom. There is a covered, raised, and railed front porch for Haitian style outdoor living and for social gathering. Also, Dr. Geiger designed the walls a bit higher than 8’, dropped the ceiling slightly and put two ladder accessible lofts above. There are covered porches around the entire house that can serve as outdoor cooking, food preparation and work areas. They can also be easily converted into additional rooms. HNC and I are happy with this earthbag house plan that offers so much flexibility. The owners will have several options for sleeping, storage and work areas. While the disaster resistant core house remains the same, the lofts and porches allow each family to set up the house just the way they like it in order to meet their specific needs.”
HNC Earthbag House floorplan (click to enlarge)
Source: Dr. Jerry Epps Teach Democracy
HNC House website with free plans coming soon
Posted in Round, tagged affordable, earthbag, green home, house design, house plan, roundhouse plan, small, sustainable, two bath, two bedroom, unique on December 25, 2011| 39 Comments »
Two Roundhouses with Greenhouse earthbag house design (click to enlarge)
This is my second plan that’s designed specifically for building roundhouses in stages. As I stated in a previous blog post, I think building roundhouses like this is the simplest, easiest way to build an earthbag home: build in stages, one roundhouse at a time so you can pay with cash and move in right away. It’s far easier to start small and add on later than jump right into building a large home that could take months or even years. Please note, this design illustrates just one of many possible ways to build in stages with an added greenhouse. Many of my clients come up with their own design, often by combining various plans and options of mine. So have fun. Make a simple sketch and send to me at naturalhouses [AT] gmail.com for a free estimate. One easy way to do this is to print the plans from my website and cut out the parts you’re interested in. Rearrange the parts as you wish, glue them to another piece of paper, and draw any remaining parts by hand. Write notes on your sketch if needed. Scan and save as a jpeg file and email to me. This could also be a fun school project and good way to learn about designing houses.
Two Roundhouses with Greenhouse floorplan (click to enlarge)
This unique design combines: – Hobbit House: 471 sq. ft. interior, optional 471 sq. ft. loft, one bedroom, one bath, Footprint: 28′-6″ diameter – Roundhouse Studio (master bedroom in this design): 177 sq. ft. interior, fold-out bed, 1 bath, Footprint: 18′ diameter, plus buttress – Greenhouse for year-round food production: 70 sq. ft. interior Total: 718 sq. ft. interior, Footprint: 38 x 52 ft. Related: Three Roundhouses Design
Posted in Domes, Over 1000 sq. ft., Polygonal (Hexagonal, etc.), tagged 2 bath, 3 bedroom, blueprint, design, dome, dome plan, earth lodge, earthbag, earthbag dome, home design, home plan green home, house plan on December 18, 2011| 66 Comments »
Earthbag Lodge with Domes (click to enlarge)
Earthbag Lodge with Domes (click to enlarge)
Description: A first of its kind earthbag home that captures the timeless and magical appeal of earth sheltering in the round. Based on ancient Native American designs, this modern earth lodge with living roof will keep you cozy and warm even in the harshest climates, because it is compact, earth-sheltered and superinsulated. Heating options include wood heating and/or radiant floor heat. The lodge ceiling is exposed wood poles. South and east-facing windows and skylight over the kitchen ensure ample daylighting in the lodge. Mechanical and bedroom domes are attached with earthbag vaults.
Earthbag Lodge with Domes floorplan (click to enlarge)
Posted in Over 1000 sq. ft., Round, tagged blueprint, earthbag, earthbag building, earthbag house, earthbag plan, earthbag roundhouse, green building, green design, green home, home design, home plan, house plan, round house, round house plan, roundhouse, roundhouse design, roundhouse house plan, sustainable on October 18, 2011| 22 Comments »
Three Roundhouses Design (click to enlarge)
The Three Roundhouses design combines:
– Hobbit House (starter house in this design): 471 sq. ft. interior, optional 471 sq. ft. loft, one bedroom, one bath, Footprint: 27′-6″ diameter
– Roundhouse Studio (master bedroom in this design): 177 sq. ft. interior, fold-out bed, 1 bath, Footprint: 18′ diameter, plus buttress
– 33’ (10m) Roundhouse: 855 sq. ft. interior, 1 bedroom, 1 bath, Footprint: 36′ diameter
Total living space: 1,503 sq. ft. interior
Three Roundhouses Design (click to enlarge)
Posted in Domes, tagged blueprint, catenary dome, disaster resisant, dome design, dome home, dome plan, earthbag, earthbag dome, earthbag dome plan, earthbag plan, hurricane proof, hurricane resistant, tornado proof, tornado resistant on September 19, 2011| 12 Comments »
Disaster Resistant Catenary Dome (click to enlarge)
Description: Catenary arches and domes are among the strongest forms in nature. This catenary dome is designed to withstand repeat hurricanes and other natural disasters. It is similar in construction to the Hemispheric Dome, but the Catenary Dome has a sleeping loft. Tilt-down stairs are shown, although you could make a single bathroom door and add a ladder to one side. This would give you more space in the loft.
Disaster Resistant Catenary Dome (click to enlarge)
Posted in Free shelter designs, Rectangular/Square, tagged arctic, Canada, cold climate, earthbag, earthbag building, earthbag home, earthbag house, free home plan, free house plan, free plan, home plan, house plan, insulated, insulation, subterranean, superinsulated, underground on September 16, 2011| 37 Comments »
Solar Pit House (click to enlarge)
Specifications: 1,127 sq. ft. interior living space, 441 sq. ft. interior greenhouse, total = 1,568 sq. ft. interior, Footprint: 36’x53’
Description: This modern solar pit house is based on the traditional pit house. The construction is much the same. Additional ‘modules’ have been added to create an elongated rectangular design for added living space and windows added on the south for solar gain. Each module is based on wood posts set in geopolymer or concrete footings. Wood beams approximately 10”-12” diameter are joined at the posts with half lap joints and pinned in place with rebar or logging spikes. Smaller poles around the perimeter lean against the beams. 24” wide earthbag walls with a reinforced geopolymer or concrete bond beam rest on rubble trench foundations.
Solar Pit House (click to enlarge)
Solar Pit House Section View (click to enlarge)
Complete drawings available at http://naturalbuildingblog.com/house-plans/free-house-plans/.
More information at our Natural Building Blog:
Solar Pit House Building Details
Evolution of the Pit House
Affordable, Superinsulated Cold Climate Homes
Note to other designers: I’d like to refine this design with input from other design professionals and make all drawings freely available on the Internet. Please email me at strawhouses [at] yahoo.com if you would like to contribute. Or just leave a comment here if you’re short on time.
Earthbag House Plans 