100 EARTHBAG BUILDING
Install velcro plates every 3 - 4 rows
tamped earthen floor base bottom plate studded with nails at opposing angles provides a key-in to anchor frame into a poured adobe floor. 7.7: Intersecting stud frame wall lag-screwed to strip anchors.
wall stud
materials like wood. The following are a couple of techniques for attaching intersecting stud frame walls to earthbag walls: • Strip anchors set into the earthbag wall with a stud frame wall bolted to it with lag screws (Fig. 7.7). • A square plate with a washer and bolt attached to it. Make sure the square plate is large enough to span at least half of the width of the bags below and above the bolt (Fig. 7.8). • Our preference is to use narrower bags or tubes for interior walls, or hand sculpt walls out of cob or wattle and daub. The possibilities for alternatives to building with wood are limitless, while there are limits to the availability of wood. If an entire wall is to contain several large closely-spaced windows to take advantage of solar gain, it is better to build this wall of wood.
Shelving, Cabinets, and Stair Attachments
1/2 “ min. dia. all-thread rod nut/washer 6”X6” metal plate washer/nut placed every fourth row or 20” max. to next bolt 7.8: Stud frame wall attached with all-thread and bolted through an earthbag wall.
2” X 10” or 2” X 12” board Velcroed directly into a curved wall to create a shelf. Pay attention during installation to assure maintenance of level
Plan where counters, cabinets, stairs, and shelving will go. As the walls go up, so too will the Velcro plates and strip anchors for anchoring this built-in furniture. An assortment of Velcro plates with two-by-four blocking attached to them in various configurations are needed for attaching cabinets flush against the wall. Set the Velcro plates or strip anchors before installing the next row of barbed wire. Nail the barbed wire over the Velcro plate and continue the run along the rest of the wall. “U-nails,” used for attaching wire to wooden fence posts, work great for attaching barbed wire onto Velcro plates. To put a straight shelf in a curved wall, Velcro large, 2- by-12-inch (5 cm by 30 cm) or wider, rough sawn dimensional lum-
7.9
7.10: Strip anchors follow the contour of a curved wall for later attachment of cabinets.