Owen Geiger recently posted this small cabin design on his Earthbag House Plans website. It’s only 283 square feet and features a bathroom, kitchen, living space, and a sleeping loft. This may also be one of the designs to appear in Owen’s future coming house plans book.
3 thoughts on “Wilderness Earthbag Cabin”
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The picture gives the impression that this cabin would be raised off the ground on concrete pedestals or piles (plan originally intended for wood-framed construction). Construction in colder climates would require a foundation system that goes below frost or something like Frank Lloyd Wright’s rubble trench foundation. It can be done but to carry the weight of earthbags will require more extensive foundation work and it may not end up an economical nor a “green” solution. Rich
Actually, there are two versions — this one for straw bales, and one on grade for earthbags. (But let’s not forget the option of lightweight earthbags filled with scoria, etc.)
I prefer to build on grade on rubble trenches, but also I’m trying to offer other alternatives, such as building in wilderness areas on rough/sloping terrain.
Many readers probably don’t realize my plans can be used for strawbale, earthbag, stone, cob, adobe, cordwood and other building systems with 18″ thick walls. Also, you can use a combination of building materials — ex: earthbag, stone or urbanite foundation and walls of straw bale, cob, bale/cob, earthbags, etc. Use what makes most sense in your area. No one building method is perfect for all applications.