Radon is a naturally occurring, colorless, odorless gas that comes from the soil of the earth. It’s a radioactive noble gas that is formed from the decay of radium. Homes can have high concentrations of Radon, creating a unhealthy air quality. In fact it’s the the number 2 cause of lung cancer in the U.S. If your thinking about new construction plan in installing a Radon mitigation system. It’s relatively inexpensive and easy to do. I’ve discovered a great resource on the EPA website about Building Radon Out [ PDF 5.5 MB], a how-to for contractors or DIY’s. Though I didn’t see a section on earthen floors and radon mitigation it does cover other types of flooring systems.
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My goodness. It’s so funny I can be this giddy about something like this. My new best friend is the local landfill. I’ve been a fan of dumpster diving for a long time. There are so many things people throw away that don’t need to be ‘filling land’. I wanted a old electric water heater, or at least the metal tube inside, for my SolUnit Rocket Stove so I visited the dump. I wanted permission to look around and permission was granted. “May I re-purpose a old electric heater?” “Go ahead.” said the landfill scale operator. “And the wood pallets?” “Have at it.”

Wow. Junk. Treasures. Resources. Free mulch for landscaping, lumber, pallet wood for building or burning ( most pallets, have 3 good 2×4s in ‘em). Brand new plywood with a few screws in them. I can’t believe what people throw away. Don’t even get me started on the metal pile…

I have been so sick of spending money at stores. Paying a premium for everything, plus tax. Forget it! I can be more resourceful than that. And it’s so much more rewarding. If I ever get bored or just want to be outside, I go pull nails and all of the sudden I have dimensional lumber to use. For free. Happy dumpster diving!

Photo by Kelly Hart.

Kelly Hart has created a great slide show that displays earthbag construction and finished projects. He has also published a new web resource at earthbagbuilding.com. I’m a fan of earthbags. Benefits of earthbag construction include less water consumption, flexible earthen material ratio, courses and go up in moments ( no waiting for cob to dry). Bags can be plastered with earth or papercrete as Kelly has done. This type of construction is a form of rammed earth. The bags create a modular flexible form that stays in the wall. The polypropylene bags deteriorate in the sun, so covering them is very important. If you went to the moon, bring polypropylene bags and a shovel and you can build a shelter there… I suppose they would be called moonbags then.

It’s about that time of the year again. The weather is warming up and the mud is almost thawed. Fortunately in the high deserts of New Mexico there is plenty of good dirt around, especially in the mesa, where sometimes there’s too much mud! Plain old mesa dirt mixed with straw creates a delightful earthen plaster.

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Adam Weismann and Katy Bryce, of Cob in Cornwall, have announced their new book today. Using Natural Finishes: Lime and earth based plasters, renders and paints. A Step by Step Guide. The book covers all aspects of the preparation and application of wall finishes made from lime and earth.

It can be ordered at usingnaturalfinishes.com »