Essential Earthbag Construction - (Sustainable Building Essentials) by Kelly Hart (Paperback)

About the Book

Essential Earthbag Construction is an illustrated guide to building with earth-filled polypropylene bags, a low-impact, highly durable method of construction. It includes material specifications, installation, design guidance, foundations, wall plastering, basic utilities, seismic reinforcement, maintenance, and the variety of uses.

Book Synopsis

Build Strong, Affordable, and Resilient Structures with Earthbag Construction

Part of the Sustainable Building Essentials Series, Essential Earthbag Construction is the complete step-by-step guide to building durable, low-impact structures using simple tools and locally available materials. Learn how to create earthquake-resistant, fire-resistant buildings--from homes to root cellars--at a fraction of the cost of conventional construction.

What You'll Learn

• Economical, Low-Impact Building: Use locally sourced earthen fills and minimal industrial materials to reduce cost and environmental impact.


• Strength and Resilience: Design earthbag walls that are naturally fire-resistant, pest-resistant, and well-suited to seismic and extreme climate conditions.


• Material Choices That Matter: Compare gravel, earth, clay, and lightweight insulating fills such as perlite, rice hulls, and volcanic stone.


• Step-by-Step Building Guidance: Clear, illustrated instructions for efficient bag filling, stacking, tamping, and reinforcement.


• Flexible Design Options: Build straight-walled structures, domes, and arches with proven stability and performance.


• Foundations, Finishes, and Longevity: Learn foundation options, finishing techniques, and maintenance best practices for long-lasting results.

With more than 75 photos and illustrations, this guide balances practical building science with hands-on instruction, making it ideal for DIY builders, designers, and professionals alike.

Written by Kelly Hart, a pioneering earthbag builder and widely recognized authority on natural construction, this book draws on decades of real-world experience, research, and teaching to make earthbag building accessible and achievable.

Explore the full Sustainable Building Essentials Series for highly illustrated, practical guidance on natural materials, resilient construction methods, and high-performance building systems.

From the Back Cover

Build economical and resilient earthbag structures using simple tools and techniques.

EARTHBAG CONSTRUCTION - building with polypropylene bags usually filled with earthen materials - is a versatile, easy-to-master, low-impact, and highly durable form of building, suitable for structures from houses to root cellars. Essential Earthbag Construction is a fully illustrated, practical guide to this affordable method of building. Going well beyond the scope of other sources, this indispensable manual is packed with all the information you need to determine if it's the right choice for your project, and to start building.

Distilling decades of experience, research, and best practices, it covers:

• Material specifications, performance, and when and where to use it
• Pros and cons of different fills from gravel, to earth and clay, to insulative perlite, rice hulls, and volcanic stone Illustrated, step-by-step guidance for efficient bag filling and installation
• Details for various designs, including domes and arches
• Foundation options and seismic and stability considerations
• Finishing and maintenance techniques
• Tools and materials
• Additional resources.

Essential Earthbag Construction presents the practical guidance and best practices for both the DIYer and professional to design and build high-quality earthbag structures.

Kelly Hart is an earthbag builder, author, and filmmaker, and hosts the widely visited websites greenhomebuilding.com and earthbagbuilding.com. His multi-dome earthbag Colorado residence is chronicled in the video Building with Bags: How We Made Our Experimental Earthbag/Papercrete House. Kelly lives in Silver City, New Mexico.

New Society's Sustainable Building Essentials Series aims to provide the highest quality information on sustainable building methods and materials. Editors Chris Magwood and Jen Feigin have scoured the world of sustainable building to bring you the techniques and systems that deliver measureable benefits in terms of greater energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact. Written by the world's leading sustainable builders, designers, and engineers, these succinct, user-friendly handbooks are indispensable tools for any project.

"Distilling both his own hard-won experience and the combined wisdom of the rapidly-expanding worldwide earthbag network, Hart delivers a thorough, detailed and readable guidebook that tells you everything you need to know for success with this potent technique."
- Michael G. Smith, co-editor, The Art of Natural Building and co-author, The Hand-Sculpted House

"A must-have book...with practical and essential information on this user-friendly method of construction."
- Will Beemer, author, Learn to Timber Frame

"Hart demonstrates that anyone can build a home, so use this book and give it a go!"
- Penny Pickerill author, Eco-Homes: People, Place and Politics

"I wouldn't even attempt it without studying this book thoroughly and referring to it throughout the building process."
- Rob Roy, author, Essential Cordwood Building and Cordwood Building

About the Author

Kelly Hart is a pioneering earthbag builder, author, and filmmaker. The building of his multi-dome earthbag Colorado residence is chronicled in the video Building with Bags: How We Made Our Experimental Earthbag/Papercrete House. Kelly also founded and hosts the widely visited natural and green building websites greenhomebuilding.com, devoted to all aspects of sustainable architecture and natural building, dreamgreenhomes.com, which features a wide range of ecological home plans for sale by various architects and designers, and earthbagbuilding.com which explores in depth the many possibilities for building with earthbags. Kelly's other publications include Rolling Shelter: Vehicles We Have Called Home, Remodel Green: Make Your Home Serve Your Life, and Earthbag Architecture: Build Your Dream with Bags. Kelly lives in Silver City, New Mexico.