One of the best things about earthbag houses is that they require very little equipment to build. With a basic tool kit and a manual tamper, you can successfully build a small home. However, there are tools that will make the process easier, faster, and more uniform.
It is important that you know how to use any tools you rent, for your safety and to prevent damage to your future home and the tools. For this reason, it is usually better to hire a professional to operate heavy machinery from companies like LAX Equipment Rental such as backhoes and other earth moving equipment. But with some lessons, there are three pieces of equipment you can easily learn how to use.
Plate Compactor Or Jumping Jack
Tamping is a key part of building with earth. The pressure creates a solid form that will withstand pressure over time. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time to tamp each row of your home by hand. To make the process go faster, you can use a plate compactor or jumping jack.
To safely use either of these devices, you will need to tamp your bags on the ground. Using them directly on your wall would be dangerous and difficult. To use them on the ground, you will need to make a small form out of concrete or wood that is the size of one full bag. Then, you will bury the form flush with the ground, place a filled bag in it, and thoroughly compact it. Once the bag is compacted, you can lift it out of the form and place it in position on your wall. You may want to use a hand tamper to make sure the bag sits well on the previous row, but it is not necessary.
Once you are done with the walls, the plate compactor or jumping jack can be used to make beautiful rammed earth floors.
Cement Mixer
Although building with earthbags may seem simple, you need a very specific type of dirt to make a stable structure. The recommended ratio is 1.5-2 parts sand to 1 part clay. The mixture should not have any big clumps or rocks and it should be moist enough to hold its shape when it is compacted. All of this means that even if you have the perfect soil for earthbag construction at your building site, you will still be doing quite a bit of mixing.
If you use a cement mixer for mixing your dirt, you can create large batches that will give all of your bags a similar look and feel, making construction much easier. Also, if you end up not having enough clay on site, you can easily mix in some cement to help bind your soil. If you use cement in your earthbag mixture, it should be 5-10% of the mixture.
Concrete Chainsaw
Although it is easiest to build windows and doors around wooden forms, at some point it is likely you will have to adjust your structure. Having a cement chainsaw allows you to quickly cut through many layers of partially cured bags to create an opening. You may prefer this method for window construction if you are tamping your bags on the ground because you will not have to use several partial bags around the window.
Earthbag houses can be simple or complex, depending on your creativity, experience building, and budget. Similarly, you can stick to your everyday tool set and create an adequate structure. However, if you want to build more quickly or have more elaborate plans in mind, you will want to bolster your building with some better equipment.
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