Earth bag and papercrete building

Eco Dome Gallery



Paper compression building

Everything Papercrete

The small quick cabin with Stromberg’s Starplate

The quick cabin - most likely the most economical shelter building kit available - with simple pipe or 2x4 or 2x6 lumber you can build a small cabin that will sleep about 6 people, close quarters but with insulation and a small inexpensive wood stove.



The system is quite easy to use and several cabins can be built for the cost of a single pre-built.

The Eco-Cabin blog

Lodge-Tech has even turned it into a geodesic/yurt kit.

Check out the wooded seclusion yurt.

Stromberg’s Starplate systems

The Methane (Biogas) Digester for fuel

An excellent video of a simple, primitive digester made in place.

What is not mentioned is that a black water system could be produced (no grey water) and to burry the system in the ground increased the captured heat so that the digester works in the cold months (too hot and it will also stop working).

The amount of gas produced and flow is surprising, the "hotter" the manure the more methane is produced (but for a shorter time), so human, chicken, pig manure will produce more methane gas than horse, cow, and other grass eaters - the manure can be combined from several sources and with other components such as grass clippings and kitchen scrap garbage.

A more scientific video with more specific information.



In India



More information



Small scale (German)

Tiny houses (minimalist housing) and Off Grid living

If time allows, this is my plan, a patch of land in the mountains a tiny house and release from the debtors prison I am in now.

Wife agrees as long as we have a barn also, no problem.

What I want to do is solar, wind, and methane trapping, all off grid using the "earthship" idea.

I have built small buildings for shops and cabins in the past, I would suggest a floor with 2x8 to 2x12 (or composites) at 12 inch centers with cross supports, you can never go overboard on the flooring!



You can also make your own engineered plywood/OSB composite beams.



Cut a 4x8 OSB into strips with a table saw - in this case 6 inch leaving seven full strips and one odd length.



Strips are glued together, make sure to clamp them or lay them out on a level floor and place weights on top until dry.



Glue and staple support 2x2 or 2x1 strips or even doubled strips of OSB onto the edges to form a beam.



Construct beams as long as needed (length and strength can be calculated, make sure you research this) my maximum would be a three ply beam 18 feet long with strips and support edges staggered.

The support edges can also be produced with 2x4 or larger lumber with the correct width notch routed (table cut notch) into the middle.



Glued beams of this type are stronger than the sum of the parts and far, far stronger than cut wood.