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Earthen Building Handbooks

Written entirely by hand from raw, real-world homesteading experience. Learn how we built from a plan and the critical field lessons to build your own affordable home.

Building an Earthbag Roundhouse eBook Cover Look Inside
5.0 out of 5 (Based on reviews)
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Building an Earthbag Roundhouse

A Step-by-Step Earthen Construction Guide by Morgan Caraway

In 2009, Morgan & Mary Jane set out into the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains to build a dream: a 20-foot diameter earthbag roundhouse, built with their own hands. In an industry dominated by desert building guides, they had to engineer site-specific solutions for rain, humidity, and frost.

This book is the raw, unedited blueprint and build of that viral project. Morgan details exactly what materials they used, what worked beautifully, and more importantly—what went wrong (and how they fix it now) so you don't repeat the same mistakes.

$15 $20
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What makes this guide different?

  • Real Blue Ridge Earthen Building: Solves building in wet, high-humidity climates.
  • Zero AI Content: Written 100% by hand based on real construction sweat and joints.
  • The Secret of "Diddling": Master the art of shaping bags for flawless, structural curves.
  • Tamped Course Details: Exact specifications, soil ratios (the Jar Test), and tamping practices.
What is Inside

14 Chapters of Hard-Won Knowledge

Explore the full journey, tools, and technical aspects covered in this 55-page detailed eBook.

Introduction

The Primal Itch

How meeting Mary Jane in Big Sur started a study of alternative building, leading to Blue Ridge homesteading and the viral roundhouse build.

Chapter 1

Design & Site Prep

Understanding passive solar exposure, site drainage, mold prevention, and sketching circular structures on graph paper with a compass.

Chapter 2

Rubble Trench Foundation

Digging the 16" deep trench below the frost line, laying perforated drain pipes with silt socks, and using ballast gravel to avoid concrete energy.

Chapter 3

Posts & Stem Walls

Building the moisture-proof base, placing treated boundary posts, and setting up the pivot arm (compass) for round-wall precision.

Chapter 4

Testing & Diddling

Testing subsoil clay-sand ratios with the Jar Test, avoiding topsoil organic matter, and the secret technique of diddling bag corners.

Chapter 5

Bagging & Walls

Freestanding bagging ergonomics (saving your back), placing strip anchors, running bonds, leveling courses, and placing lintels over windows.

Chapter 6

Roofing & Liners

Erecting the center locust post, framing rafters, EPDM and HDRPE membranes, and the lessons learned from our experimental living roof.

Chapter 7

Earthen Plastering

UV protection for bags, mixing clay/sand ratios with straw binders, trowel vs chinking application, and the tarp-stomp "turdification" test.

Chapter 8

Earthen Floor

Laying a gravel capillary break, applying a 6-mil moisture vapor barrier, adding sheet insulation, and avoiding center pole decay.

Chapters 9 – 11

Specialty Walls

Building stunning bottle walls (diffused light), adding light tubes for internal brightness, and mixing lime wash to seal external plasters.

Chapters 12 – 14

Living Off-Grid

Transitioning hot woodstove pipes through earthen walls, protecting wooden wall-shelves from rain, and reflections on sustainable living.

Want Video Instruction?

Check out our Online Course, documenting the 2019 tiny house build from foundation to roof in high definition video.

View Online Course
Reviews

What the Experts Say

Highly recommended by leading natural building authorities and professionals.

"Morgan and Mary Jane have aced the test. Their earthbag building is about as close as you can get to a perfect first project for a DIY manual for novice builders."

Uncle Mud (Chris McClellan)

Renowned Cob Builder, Mother Earth News Fairs
"I can heartily recommend reading this book."

Kelly Hart

Natural Building Blog, earthbagbuilding.com
"I always tell my classes that my hope is for my buildings to last 1,000 years, and if I fall a few centuries short, I can live with that!"

— Morgan Caraway, Author & Builder

Sustainable Life School Library

Future Publications

Expand your library with our upcoming step-by-step handbooks.

BUILDING AN EARTHBAG TINY HOUSE
Coming Soon

Building an Earthbag Tiny House

The companion book to our online class. This book documents our 2019 earthbag tiny house build, detailing the foundation, framing, earthbag placement, electrical inserts, plumbing pathways, and the diagonal "X Rebar" rafter attachment technique.

Projected Release: Late 2026