How To Lay A Hyperadobe Earthbag Step By Step
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- In today’s episode we are going to show you how to lay a hyperadobe earthbag step by step!
We are Douglas and Keri and we recently quit our jobs, sold everything, and in September of 2022, after a lot of prayer and research, we took a leap of faith and moved to our off grid homestead property in the high desert of Cochise County, Arizona. Follow along with us as we build our off grid homestead property from scratch with our two rebels, Willow & Zoey and our 16 y/o kitty, Boo, and our newest additions Luna and Ursa!
(UPDATE 7/21/2023: Get our FREE EBook "9 Steps To Getting Off The Grid" at www.TwoRebelsO... Having been off grid for a year now, we think these 9 steps are CRITICAL before you start your off grid journey!)
Having just finished course, or layer, number five, we found some ways to shave off a little time and know that we can now do 2 courses, or layers, in a typical day of work. Laying down hyperadobe earthbags is actually quite physical and can be especially tough on your low back. It's definitely slow going and important that you be patient with the process. This type of construction is very heavy on labor, but it is extremely economical and once it's built, it's incredibly solid…like concrete! Hyperadobe is weatherproof, rodent proof, pest proof, easy to maintain, and is efficient with heating and cooling because of the thermal mass effect of the walls. Some people living in hyperadobe in hot climates do not need air conditioning and they retain heat in the winter.
Using the tractor to do the heavy lifting makes a huge difference and it also speeds up the process significantly. Let's go ahead and break down step by step how we fill a hyper Adobe Earth bag.
1. We start by sifting our dirt for large rocks, jagged rocks, and organic material like twigs or leaves. You don't want organic material in your earthbags because as it rots and breaks down, it will leave air gaps inside of the bags. This could cause a loss of structural Integrity in those areas.
2. Next, we add 9 shovelfuls of the sifted dirt into the cement mixer and then add 3 more shovels of dirt or 3 shovels of lime.
3. Now, we add water to it as it's mixing. You don't want your mixture to be too wet because if it is, it will not hold its shape when you go to tamp it into place. Also, if the mixture is too dry, it will also not hold its shape correctly. You're going to want the consistency of a graham cracker crust mix. When you squeeze a fist of it, it should stick together decently, but you should not be able to squeeze water out of it.
4. We can fit 3 cement mixer full batches into our tractor bucket and we lift the bucket to the height we are working…it's much less tough on your back this way!
5. We tie the end of the bag off with a rebar tie and pulled the bag and all the slack up over the bucket. We secure the bag around the bucket with a big exercise band and this will keep the bag from sliding down as we fill it.
6. At this point, we fill the bucket almost to the top with the prepped soil before moving it. Once the bucket is full, you will pull the bucket along and prepare to fill it with the sifted soil again.
7. When you get to the end of your bag length, you'll tie it off We like rebar ties because they are cheap, the right length and they are really easy to work with.
8. Now you're going to tamp the bag flat and then tamp the sides square. Don't wait too long to tamp your bags, if they dry, they will be difficult to tamp or hardened into place. If this happens, you can easily wet the bag down until it's slightly damp again and then tamp it into place.
9. You will want to spray down each layer after it's been tamped before applying the next layer, or "course". The slightly damp bag will help it to adhere to the next bag that you lay onto it, allowing the clay to naturally "stick" together, which eliminates the need for using barbed wire between your courses. And that's it!
DISCLAIMER: Douglas and Keri are not professional contractors and the information contained in this video is for entertainment purposes only. Please make sure to do your own research!
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Whoa, somebody got a hair cut!. Looks good Doug! You and Keri are Not only Learning, but your Living! Your living by OJT(On the Job Training). and your teaching future REBELS from your mistakes. Awesome, Nobody has handed you guys anything(Especially NOT the Government)Way to Go. You all got some skin in the game, some blood, sweat, and tears. Talley Ho guys...Proud of your accomplishments!!
Hey thank you, it was getting too long. Definitely OJT going on here. We definitely have skin in the game and really appreciate you following along and for the encouragement. Have a good one !
Just when you're on a roll, the weather mucks you around. Same here in Australia. But, eventually Nature gives in and lets the sun smile on all our projects. Yes, the tractor was a wonderful addition to your family. 😊
You’re so right and we’ve decided that when we get a bad weather day, it’s Gods way of making us slow down 😊
this is coming along wonderfully! Love to you two! stay warm!!
Thank you! You too!
Implementation of knowledge opens such vast corridors in experience! I appreciate your raw and honest learning curve videos. You guys are brave beyond words!
We experience similar learning curves with grazing, but I am very precious about cropping out anything that reveals the stresses and strains. Kudos and blessings!!!
They are great. !! I just love Terri and Doug !! Hope their bodies don’t PAY for all this labor down the road !! 😊
You are so right and we are definitely learn by doing types of people! We just want to make sure what we put out serves people and maybe helps them not make the mistakes that we have. It’s such a wonderful process and we are blessed beyond words to get to experiment :) Have a beautiful day!!!
@@karenlara9739 we love you too! We hope not too! So far, it’s just been that “good” Kim’s of sure and we are trying to be mindful of taking breaks :) Have a great day!!! ☀️
Seems like the weather the past few months has been in that way for lots of homesteaders across the country. So glad to see y’all again and love your description of the bags. Be so careful with how ya lift and pull on things while working. Hey Doug…. Love the HAIRCUT!! I do enjoy hearing you two SPEAK… you have way better grammar than what I’m accustomed to hearing around these parts of Southwest Va and Northeast Tn ! Lol. Soooooo refreshing !! Terri… when ya said y’all’s age on this video… I realized you are both younger than my first 2 sons !! They are 54 and 53 !! Lol. My baby boy just turned 37… I know…. What a leap in ages ! Haha!! Had one when I was 18 then the second when I was 19 !!!’ NONE in my 20’s!!! Then again when I was 36 !!! Now I’m TWICE his age (almost 74)!! Can’t believe I’m this old already. My mind isn’t but my body feels 150 yrs old. 😂😂.
Enough babbling. Great to see ya looking well and happy. See ya soon and take care 🥰
Yes and I think there is an assumption that since we are in Arizona, it's nice and sunny all the time, but it's definitely not! Ha ha!! Doug said "thanks" :) Well, thank you, we try! lol Oh wow, that is quite the age spread, but good for you!! Yep, we hear that...most times I feel like I'm in my 20s still, but yep, the body reminds me I am NOT! Really good to hear from you and hope you are having a blessed week so far! Take good care!! D & K
We had a couple of snow days here too. ❄❄⛄..🌞Now the Sun is back.. To stay I hope..🌤
🌵 Nice to see the Red bags rising !! 🟥🟥 I enjoy watching the progress ! 🌵 😊
Hi Olive! Glad to hear the sun is back out for you too :) Seems like the snow/weather days come here right when we need a break 😁 Hope you have a wonderful week!!
@@tworebelsoffgrid It actually started snowing here again today! Unusual for here. It surprised me! 😲
i am glad to hear that things are moving forward and getting done faster. thanks for the update and have a wonderful weekend
Thank you so much! Hope you’re thawing put up there in the north :)
Great video, as usual. Sorry the weather isn't cooperating. Jayman...
Thank you! It’s started to improve yesterday 🎉
Something I've learned as we go along with our earthship build. When you cut and tie your bags, turn that strip inside out. You'll get smooth ends then I place knot to knot.. I ditched the cart very soon after building it 😆
You're making great progress...fun watching it go up from a distance :) Oh yeah, good call on the ends, we may have to try that. Yeah, the cart is probably good if there is only one person working on it, but we've found it's quicker to just use the bucket and do it by hand. Take care!
@@tworebelsoffgrid I call the bags on our place the red wings.. 😆 🤣 I was wondering what it looks like from afar.. Looking forward to watching your place go up!
Nice work. As they say the only way out is forward
Thank you, so true! Have a great day!
😎 The last few weeks we have been helping our son finish up his hyper adobe walls. It's an impressively solid structure! His is almost ready for the roof.
Looking good y'all! 🌞🏜️
Nice and thank you! It’s pretty solid for sure! Does he have a UA-cam channel? We would love to see what he’s doing with his hyperadobe!
@@tworebelsoffgrid He doesn't, but we have been showing occasional updates of his build on our channel. Our next video will show an overview of his build, and the most recent progress.
Hello Doug and Keri. Your bags are interesting. They are different then Jim and Jessica’s. Forgot the channel name. It’s a lot of hard work. Jim bought a tractor too. It is pre owned ah he will brush chop with ours. 💕NonnaGrace 🐓
Hi Nonna Grace! Hope you're having a nice week so far :) Yes, they used the individual style bags where ours are on a continuous roll and we cut to fit. There are definitely benefits and drawbacks to the individual and the continuous bags and we considered both. The continue bags are faster than the individual bags; however, they are a bit more expensive than the individual bags. A benefit to the individual bags is that you do not have to use the barbed wire between the courses (or rows/layers) like you do with the individual bags. It is definitely a lot of work, but boy is this structure solid! A tractor is a great piece of equipment to own...congrats ! Have a wonderful day! Doug & Keri
Thanks for the video update. Seems that you're both finding a pattern to get those rows in. I hope that the weather gets nicer so you can get back to building. ✌️
Hi Paul! Yes, for sure. We are getting into a rhythm and today we are building a more robust sifter to use the tractor instead of hand shoveling. Also hoping that this will speed up the process! Have a great week!
The building is looking great. Love ya'lls foundation.
We ended up building a steel sifter so we can dump directly from the backhoe, it's SUPER helpful vs shoveling twice. Ya'll may be able to do something like that out of 4x4s if you don't have a welder.
Hey thanks! We really enjoy your channel and have gotten some inspiration by some of the stuff you've done...love the creativity!!
Good call on the sifter...we realized after about 4 courses on the chicken coop, that the small sifter we had built was not sturdy enough and the hardware cloth was too small (we were using 1/4" since it's what we had on hand). We found we were sifting out too much, actually! We upgraded to a steel hog panel with 1" hardware overlaid on top and 2 x 4 legs. This is MUCH better because we can dump the load of dirt right from the tractor...cut our time and shoveling in half...gotta like that :) Cheers!
@@tworebelsoffgrid Awesome! Yeah, we started hiring a neighbor to come out every couple of weeks and help us sift with his backhoe. It get's what we could sift in a week by hand done in about 3-4 hours. Well worth it.
Oh yeah, definitely worth it...such a huge time saver!
You guys are looking spiffy. I love that you are going dirt-only in the bags. QUESTION: don't you need to cover the filled bags, isn't rain a serious enemy during earthbag construction? The courses get soggy...can't dry out... I know it's true for strawbale building, but not for earthbag?
Thank you! That is a great question and honestly, we are not 100% sure. We know people that cover them and people that do not. We had them put in last week’s deluge and they seem unaffected and still very firm. We are thinking that during the plastering process, we will definitely be keeping it covered with tarps.
Hey, I did not get a notification for this video.
Oh no…that’s not good! Appreciate you letting us know!
WOW, I have learned soooooo much watching both of you working on your property. Yeah, that tractor has to be the best purchase of all. I wonder if your tractor can hook up to one of those augers for drilling holes for fence posts? I'm just curious. Can I ask a couple of questions that have nothing to do with earth-bag building? When you moved to AZ, did you just hand the DMV your drivers license, and then they gave you a new AZ one after you passed the eye exam? (I hate taking tests for the record). Does AZ charge you a small fortune to put plates on your vehicle and RV? I guess you have to go through inspections and all of that huh? I ask this just in case my wife and I sell here in Colorado, and move somewhere in AZ. I have really enjoyed watching your videos. Thanks a million for all of the information that you two share with us. Sorry for all of my questions.
Hey there, glad to hear it! Yep, hands down, that tractor is worth every penny! Yep, we handed our licenses over and did take a very simple vision test (the wall chart type) and that was it! We did have to bring proof of residency too and it was, I think $10 per license. You know,I ending the car & our utility trailer was very inexpensive…probably 1/4 of what we were paying in Colorado! Also, the utility trailer registration is actually permanent and you don’t have to keep getting it relicensed every year like you do in Colorado. Property taxes are also a lot less expensive here, but we are only paying for the raw land at this point and don’t have a structure to get taxed yet, but I think in general property taxes in Arizona are much less than Colorado. It’s no problem at all! We are happy to answer questions :) We appreciate you following along and hope you have a great day!!
@@tworebelsoffgrid Thank you so much for telling me all of this. It's very helpful. My wife and I are trying to figure out where we will relocate to. Either Arizona, or Wyoming. We've had enough of this nonsense in Colorado. I'm sure you know what I mean. Thanks again.
@@jimmyrants4342 you’re very welcome and let us know if you have any other questions! Oh yeah, we 100% understand the nonsense you speak of :) We really like Arizona, but the caveat would be to really research the County where you’re considering because that can make a huge difference. Take care!
Lots of work doing earth bags. The cost savings you pay for in using your body. We may do it for small projects, but nothing big.
Yeah, they would make a great small project too!
Very informative video! Shared everywhere I am on social media.....sorry cant say where as youtube deletes my posts for mentioning those social media sites! As for the soreness and stiff muscles Maybe some edibles or lotions where those items are legal
Thanks so much for sharing it out…we really appreciate it! We are doing better with the soreness…seems like it took about 3 or 4 days of shoveling to get acclimated. Also, we wanted to mention the train derailment there in Ohio…really hope you are nowhere near it :(
@@tworebelsoffgrid It was about 5 hours away from me. eastern side of the state. Im around the Toledo Ohio area. You guys make good videos i dont mind sharing them around all of my social media!!
Glad to hear you are not super close to that...it's so sad :( Thank you so much for sharing our channel...we really appreciate it!
Excellent video, Lot to learn. What is your advice to me . I am 60 years old. Can I do myself, i am alone.
Yes, absolutely but I would suggest to keep your home smaller than you think it should be.. we started out with a idea of a house that would have been too much work to build at our age so we have decided to make a small house..also don’t try and build it fast, take your time and enjoy the process. Also look around at facebook groups there are groups that you can join that will help with your projects and you help them out in exchange
Great work! I really like the buttresses you added to the structure. They give it that old cowboy movie look and I'm sure the chickens will be real happy. Have you thought about using a dolly rig to help you move the buckets while you're on the wall? Red-n-April showcased how they're son is doing it, and it certainly looks a little easier on the back. ua-cam.com/video/BUmnIfSt04w/v-deo.html Of course, there's nothing real easy when you're talking about moving that much dirt!
Hey, thank you so much! We love working with the rocks on the property and incorporating them into our builds. Hoping it gives everything a nice, cohesive look :) We will check that out...thanks so much for the link! You're right about the amount of dirt...you should see the hole where we've been getting it from LOL...trying to figure out what to turn that into at some point...thinking about a walipini! Cheers!!
I have a house plan I need help with the blueprint can you help
Maybe I can help.. 😉 if you could please email us the specifics that you need help with and I could at least let you know..have a great evening
Making some great progress 👍🏼
Hey, thank you so much!