http://www.binscorner.com/pages/1/10-amazing-houses-made-of-dirt-and-straw.html

Looks great!!!!

They look nice, but I doubt they would pass any US building codes.

I bet they would pass in Haiti though. ;-)

Actually, Cobb, Rammed-earth and Straw-bale construction is a growing niche market all across the country.

Bill,
I’m certain my neighbors would object.
I can’t think of anywhere around here you could get a permit to build such a thing.
Nor a bank that would loan for one.
They allow those in DC?

About ten miles from where I grew up were some sod houses. 45 years ago they could have been reshingled, the glass replaced and new floors installed and they would have been livable. Unfortunately cattle were not kept out of the area around these houses and they have fallen to ruin. They had wood lath and plaster ceilings, stucco exterior and as, I remember, some wood frame partitions that were wood lath and plaster and probably added after the houses were built. I suppose these were built in the late 1800's and were stuccoed some years later. On the Great Plains there are probably still a few sod houses that are occupied. I don't know just where you could find them but I think a few exist. Cool in summer, warm in winter. Plaster interiors and stucco exteriors.

I've mentioned the "Oldest Adobe House Still on its Original Foundation in the State of Kansas". It is actually rammed earth. Originally the walls were about two feet thick. The exterior coating is a mixture of sand, clay taken from a shallow pit right on the site and acrylic admixture. It worked about like Portland cement plaster but only dried and did not set. When it was dried and "cured" it was too hard to damage with a thumbnail but could be scratched with a margin trowel. After it was all finished it was treated with a penetrating sealer. I forget the name of the product but I think it was a lot like Thompson's water seal. We applied it with a garden sparayer.

google "Prairie Dog State Park" and Kansas. There might be a picture there.

http://www.lasr.net/travel/state.php?Kansas+Pioneer%2BHistory&AttractionCategory=Pioneer+History&VA=Y&TravelTo=ks

All of them have the same thing in common,size.I live in a house with seven rooms,three we live in,four full of junk.WHY?A lot of wealthy and middle class people live in houses large enough to me motels,and hotels WHY? People spend big bucks to go on vacation and live in tents and campers,and cant live in a modest size house,Why?Im just asking (<;
Modified By Clyde Fleming on 7/25/2010 at 5:27 AM

Clyde,
You and I and others here have made a nice living in the past off people moving up to larger houses of whatever size they want and can afford.

Their not doing that now, resulting in our families and friends having to find a whole other occupation than construction.

Is there a reason I should care why someone wants a larger home if they are willing to work for it?




Modified By steve mathews on 7/25/2010 at 3:22 PM

Balance. Keep money in its place. Survey after survey shows that those who care more about people than they do about money are happier. Some allow greed to throw them off balance. How so? After adequately satisfying their basic needs, they embark on the pursuit of riches. Yet, beyond food, clothing, and shelter, how much does a person really need? No wonder the Bible writer quoted at the beginning of this article also wrote: “Having sustenance and covering, we shall be content with these things.” (1 Timothy 6:8) Cultivating contentment prevents us from developing the love of money and all the problems that come along with it.
Is Money Your Master
or Your Servant?
http://www.watchtower.org/e/200903/article_01.htm

@ Steve "Is there a reason I should care why someone wants a larger home if they are willing to work for it?" No!

Myself on the otherhand,ill side with Jesus's reasoning.

"Nations can succumb to pride and a wrong view of wealth—and so can individuals." "Jesus gave a parable that showed how subtle this snare can be."
Luke 12:16 With that he spoke an illustration to them, saying: “The land of a certain rich man produced well. 17 Consequently he began reasoning within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, now that I have nowhere to gather my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my storehouses and build bigger ones, and there I will gather all my grain and all my good things; 19 and I will say to my soul: “Soul, you have many good things laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, enjoy yourself.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Unreasonable one, this night they are demanding your soul from you. Who, then, is to have the things you stored up?’
Modified By Clyde Fleming on 7/25/2010 at 4:26 PM

Clyde,
Well, you asked “why can’t people just live in a modest size house?”
I would say its all relative.
One mans modest home is another mans mansion.

No, Steve. DC proper probably isn't the environment to find one of these "earthen" homes, but you will find them sprinkled all over New Mexico, Kentucky, parts of Colorado, Arizona, and even central and northern California. I have a contractor friend who specializes in plastering straw-bale homes just north of Santa Barbara. I haven't personally seen any in Texas, but I'd bet there are a lot more than you might think.

The trend nationwide is a return to a more modest living environment. Many people who can afford it will always want as much as they can afford, but many are looking at living a simpler life with less to maintain and lower energy costs. Thinking ahead for my next home, it will be approximately 1/3 smaller and at least 1/3 more efficient than where I currently reside.


Modified By Bill Rogers on 7/25/2010 at 7:45 PM

A modest house or other building is not large or expensive.
a modest building is not large or expensive
They grew up in a relatively modest house in New Jersey.
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/modest
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. realtors define a mansion as a dwelling of over 8000 square feet (740 m2). A traditional European mansion was ...
http://www.charter.net/search/index.php?q=define%20mansion&context=www.charter.net


Well said Bill,wasnt that what I was stating? (<:
A lot of them manisoneers are learning what modest means.They now rent 6,800 sq ft apartments.I have failed at being myself.Im thankfull for a modest wife.We now own what we have.These are excelent examples of modesty.(<:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Hall
Modified By Clyde Fleming on 7/25/2010 at 7:53 PM

Here is what my wife and I did yesterday.I went at 7 am to the farmers market.Had some pretty sweet corn for $3.75 a dozen.I said I want five dozen.Sacks had five dozen,his partner,without my help,haggled it to $17,thats $3.40 a dozen.A JW brother in Hawii said its $4.00 for four.My wife and I shucked a lot of corn.I vacuum sealed and froze it.See how pretty it is.Its very tinder,nearly cut my finger cutting cob.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?pid=710132&id=1674920331

Bill,
Some of them are beautiful homes in their own way.
I wouldn’t mind living in one in the right setting.
In fact, my wife and I looked into building a partly earth covered home when we were about to build our first home about 30 years ago.
That was back right after we all had just gone through the first energy crises, and I was interested because of the energy it would save.
Securing financing for such a project was out of my reach at the time.
But if I had a large piece of land and plenty of cash I would certainly be interested in some of these ideas still.
I’m all for saving energy.

Clyde,
To most of the inhabitants of the world today, the home you currently live in is a mansion.




Modified By steve mathews on 7/25/2010 at 9:46 PM

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Modified By Clyde Fleming on 7/25/2010 at 10:09 PM

Here is a nice one, and its for sale near Sacramento, California:

http://www.strawbale.com/wp-content/uploads/Dusk-V1-MR.jpg