Cost: How much do earthbag houses cost? Well, it depends on the size, features, construction details and how much work you are willing to do (versus paying contractors). The short answer is it can cost as much or as little as you want. A small, simple house made of natural building materials could be built by a DIY builder for about $10/sq.ft. This assumes doing most everything yourself and using the low-tech building ideas that I advocate. And just to be clear, $10/sq.ft. doesn't include things like land, building permits and utility hookups. Note: it's much easier to build this way in rural areas with minimal building codes.

A typical 300-800 sq.ft. house made of natural building materials could be built by a DIY builder for about $3,000-$10,000 (about $10/sq.ft.) and have the following features:
- gravel-filled bags on a rubble trench foundation (with insulating fill material such as perlite or scoria in cold climates)
- earthbag walls filled with soil or insulation, such as perlite, volcanic rock or rice hulls
- earth-berming for improved energy performance
- earth, stone or recycled brick floors
- earth or lime plaster
- affordable roof options such as domes, spiral (reciprocal) roofs, green roofs, poles, pallet trusses, metal roofing for collecting rainwater, thatch, etc.
- R-45 roof insulation (cellulose, wool, cotton, rice hulls…)
- small diameter, sustainably harvested wood
- non-toxic finishes and materials for cabinets, etc.
- wood stove
- energy-efficient windows, doors and appliances, such as solar or on-demand water heating, etc.
- passive solar design
- recycled materials throughout (sinks, tubs, hardware, tile, shelving, etc.)

Floors: I recommend floors made of earth, stone or recycled brick. You can save a lot of money and resources this way in comparison to wood framed floors. Tamped earth floors are my favorite. Here's a good article on tamped earth floors by Frank Meyers.

Plaster: Most people use earth or lime plaster on earthbag houses. Some use cement plaster, but it's best to use plaster that allows moisture vapor to pass through the wall. Use wide roof overhangs if you live in a rainy climate.

Windows: All windows are standard sizes. Most windows are 24”, 36” and 48” – the most readily available sizes – and which are often on sale. Be careful using recycled windows. Most older windows are not energy efficient and could cost you more in the long run. You'll notice window and door openings are curved. This creates beautiful openings that enhance views and allow maximum light to enter. Square openings are easier to build, but they result in primitive “tunnel” openings that look crude in comparison.

Doors: Exterior doors are all 36” wide. Most interior doors are 28” or 30”. It's easy to adjust these sizes slightly to meet standard metric sizes. Some plans show curtains rather than doors. This is another way to save money and resources, and speed the construction process. If you do use curtains, I encourage people to build standard sized openings to make it easy to add wood doors at a later date. Also note, always use wood doors on closets with water heaters to reduce risk of fire (and meet code, of course).

The Plans for Sale

These plans are only available as digital PDF files and are offered by Dr. Owen Geiger as complete and ready to build from. They include necessary elevations, floorplans, cross section details, and other significant construction details; they don't show every view, every detail -- just enough to build. They do not include electrical and plumbing details. The section view and building details document explain how everything goes together; these two documents should answer your questions about materials. The plans are either scaled or dimensioned, or both. Owen can add extra drawings for a small additional fee. It is the buyer's responsibility to find out special requirements, such as what alternative building is allowed in your county or what do you have to do to get houses permitted. Are there special requirements for foundations, etc.? Do they require an engineer or architect to stamp the plans? It might be a good idea to know these things before ordering plans.

Owen has developed this plan to the point that you can see here; some of the final details still need to be completed before they are ready to build from. For instance some buttressing, posts and porches are not shown due to differing customer needs. At the time that you place an order you will be asked to provide some specific information about your requirements regarding codes, etc. This means that to some extent you will be buying a custom plan for the price of a stock plan.

We are taking orders on a provisional basis, where Owen will guarantee that he completes all of the necessary drawings and specifications within three weeks of your order (often sooner). In the meantime your money will be held in the DreamGreenHomes PayPal account until the plans have been sent to you. There is a non-refundable deposit of $50 for all orders, to cover processing and other contingencies. If for some unlikely reason (like an emergency) Owen is not able to produce the plans on schedule, then you can arrange a new date with him or get a refund of what you have paid (minus the stated deposit).

Owen is willing to make custom changes to these plans for a fee. If you are interested in this service, Owen can be queried for a quote for his fee to make any changes you desire.