5. Earthbags
You may have seen pictures of flood barriers and military bunkers created out of stacked sandbags. With their ability to hold back rushing waters and protect soldiers, you can see how sandbags are inherently strong. Earthbag homes, which are made of polypropylene or burlap bags stuffed with dirt and stacked like bricks, are similarly strong.
But how do a bunch of dirt bags form a home? The dirt in the bags presses down after each layer is placed, and this compression makes the dirt into a kind of self-supporting brick. Barbed wire serves as the mortar between the layers, and the compression makes the dirt bricks so sturdy that even a stray hole won't affect the wall's durability. The walls are plastered to add to their durability. These homes usually have domed roofs, which are formed by stepping in the bags gradually until the bags come together to close the dome. Structural tests have shown earthbags to be seismically sound and able to withstand the elements.
If you happen to have a bunch of old car tires littering your landscape, you'll definitely be interested in the next natural building material we'll discuss.
