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How Much Does it Cost to Build an Earthbag House?

25/6/2017

26 Comments

 
PictureFeryal and Baykal's earthbag house. Earthbag workshop 2016 Turkey,
How much does it cost to build an earthbag house?
It’s the question I love to hate. But I’m asked it a lot, and I understand. People want a ballpark figure before they decide if such a house is for them. The truth is, you could spend a thousand dollars on an earthbag house, or a hundred thousand. It depends on many many things. So before you zip over to that contact form to ask me, read on.

(A cost breakdown of our last earthbag build in Turkey 2016, is below)




Consider:

1. What type of earthbag house are you building? A ten-bedroom castle, a school, a shed?
2. Are you paying for manual labour? Or do you have volunteers?
3. Which country do you live in? Are materials cheap there? Are skilled workers such as carpenters expensive in your country?
4. Are you a perfectionist? Or are you fine with a few lumps and bumps?
5. What kind of roof are you making? The roof is the most expensive part of the build.
6. Are you building a round house (less expensive and stronger) or a square structure? Post and beam? (The more wood in your build, the more it's probably going to cost).
7. Are you trying to build to code, or are you winging it?

All these factors are going to impact greatly on how much your house will cost. So, the short answer to “How much does it cost to build an earthbag house?” is “I’ve no idea.”

How can you estimate the cost? I decided to publish a breakdown of the cost of the 5.5 m diameter round house plus bathroom, we built in our earthbag building workshop in Turkey last year. (Thanks to Baykal for keeping a record of the figures).

But there are a number of things to take into account.
1. This was Turkey. As you will notice, some things are very inexpensive, others not so much. If you are in the UK the labour is going to look incredibly cheap. If you are in India, it's going to look expensive.
2. We used some of the earth from the site and some with a higher clay content was shipped in (roughly half and half).
3. We used more lime than you are ever likely to due to odd climatic conditions in our region. Thankfully lime is as cheap as chips in Turkey. In fact, now I think about it, per kilogram it's cheaper than chips!
4. At the time of writing, most of the exterior and interior plaster work had been done, but the floor hadn’t been laid and the bathroom was only half completed. The roof will receive a thick layer of clay on it too. So extra costs will certainly occur over time.
5. With the exception of the roof, the house was built almost entirely with volunteers and course participants.

Cost of the earthbag round house without roof.

Picture
Figures in US dollars based on the Turkish lira exchange rate at the time of writing.

Picture
Total house price = approx $ 6250 USD

Note: We estimated that if we had made a simple living roof as on my own mud home without employing a carpenter, such a roof would cost about 1000-1500 USD. In which case the total house price would be nearer to $3000 USD.

Be Prepared!
One thing I’ve learned is this: No matter how much you calculate and research, be prepared for your budget to be blown. For some mysterious reason (quantum physics? The illuminati?) all construction seems to cost twice as much as you estimate. Things take longer than expected. Other things go wrong. It’s just like that. So allow some nice wide margins in your budget. Or end up like me, and have to step back into the daily grind for six months to earn the money to finish.
Picture
Most of Feryal and Baykal's money went on this amazing roof.
Picture
The house with first layer of plaster on.
Many thanks to Baykal for keeping track of the figures for us.

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26 Comments
Tere Schmidt
26/6/2017 06:18:01 pm

I enjoyed your blog about the Earthhouse workshop in Turkey and would really like to read about and see more pictures of the finished house.

Reply
Atulya
26/6/2017 06:20:28 pm

I must finish the last episode, you are right:) I'll try to find photos of that.

Reply
Karen
28/5/2024 11:05:46 am

Oh my goodness!,

I recommend this herbal syrup. .........

Get rid of the Hsv totally,.

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ekin
26/6/2017 08:25:55 pm

Great Jobs thanks for sharing

Reply
Atulya
10/7/2017 12:42:21 am

:)

Reply
Dan Bilodeau
28/6/2017 02:19:07 am

Enjoy your posts VERY enlightening

Reply
Atulya
10/7/2017 12:42:41 am

Merci Dan.

Reply
Sandi Berumen
4/10/2017 03:47:26 am

Interesting on the cost. I have a feeling here in the states it would be about double what it was in Turkey. Will have to do a comparison on the costs now that there is a material list. Prices here in Southern California are a bit high.

Reply
kennis link
22/3/2018 12:00:00 pm

I think cost to build a house is depend on how much of materials and how long the building is have done. Because if the materials is high cost that can make your budget is to much out. using contruction service is the best way, you just need to control it. aandehage.nl/nieuws/

Reply
salomon
20/1/2019 04:11:38 am

Hi,
I wanted to know where did you order your earth bags?
I am located in the Caribbean for your information.

thanks i advance, salomon

Reply
Atulya
22/3/2019 02:28:55 pm

I used Jut Cuval in Istanbul, so that won't be very handy for you. I'd go to your nearest hardware store and ask where they order them from, then make an order.

Reply
Judith
24/3/2019 04:18:56 pm

There is hope!!! <3
I hope to build a mudhouse in Greece.
My hands are itching..... I adore your accuracy and wit in your writing. Keep it coming love!

Reply
Atulya
25/3/2019 01:20:35 pm

Thanks Judith!

Reply
Dante Lumalang
19/3/2020 04:54:36 pm

Where can I buy earth bag? Any recommended supplier?

Reply
Joseph
22/3/2020 10:27:09 pm

How long did it take to build the earthbag portion of the structure (everything but the roof)? I want an idea of labor-hours on a project this size.

Reply
ziekien link
3/12/2020 08:05:35 am

Many thanks have share with as

Reply
B.k.sangeeta
17/1/2021 06:01:27 pm

I am from India...I wand make my house with sand begs .....pls help ...pls give traning pls contact me

Reply
Carol Witt link
23/5/2023 04:28:12 pm

I’m going to be building many Earthbag Learning Centers in Africa… round plan. Our 1st one is starting 1st week in June do you suggest 10 or twelve strong young men to do the labor? And my finish date is 1st of Sept. in time for my Y.E.A. Youth Empowerment program to start… do you think that is enough time to complete our Youth Learning Center?

Reply
atulya
23/5/2023 11:44:09 pm

It depends on the size of the Roundhouse. I advise small, max 5-6m diameter. Yes 10 strong people will help if they are well organised.I think you can finish the structure ( but of course it depends on many things from weather to planning) but the plaster will take longer. You may not complete the plaster by September. Lovely project though!

Reply
Atulya
24/5/2023 01:51:08 pm

Hi Carol I see you're a Mud Sustainer on Patreon, so I'll be answering this question in more detail in the Q and A which comes out on the 4th/5th of the month. If you have more questions, ask before then and I can answer them:)

Reply
Gabi
16/8/2024 04:00:44 pm

Ich bin in Mexico. Ich habe vor ein erdbeutelhaus in den Bergen zu bauen.
Es ist größtenteils heiß, hohe Feuchtigkeit,wenn es regnet dann viel auf einmal. Ich hab viele große Steine, Felsen. Einen Fluss leider unterhalb des Grundstücks nicht oberhalb wegen dem Wasser Druck den ich hätte nutzen können. Leider hab ich noch nicht herausfinden können wo ich die Säcke herbekommen kann. Gibt es vielleicht jemand der in Chiapas, Mexiko der sowas baut oder gebaut hat den ich kontaktieren könnte?

Reply
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  • Home
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