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The Honey House KAKI HUNTER and DONI KIFFMEYER After a hands-on workshop taught by architect Nader Khalili, we returned home inspired to build our first earthbag project. ![]() "Flexible Form Rammed Earth (F.F.R.E.)" is a free-form version of rammed earth construction. ![]() Our personal education began when we adopted the FQSS stamp of approval Fun, Quick, Simple and Solid! ![]() THE BASIC PROCEDURE is simple. The bags or tubes are filled with a suitable pre-moistened dirt right on the foundation, laid in a mason-style "running bond." We use #10 coffee cans for scooping and filling. This eliminates any heavy lifting. ![]() An average of four people working 5-6 hours per day moved 40 tons of earth with coffee cans to complete the "bag work" of the Honey House, ![]() The material we used in our bags is called "reject sand," obtainable from most gravel yards. Reject sand is the by-product of the process that separates sand and "clay fines" from the gravel being produced at these facilities. This reject material often has the best ratio of clay to sand (approximately 25% clay to 75% sand) for rammed earth construction. And... it is dirt cheap! We paid $1.00 per ton plus delivery. The bags we used for our construction are woven polypropylene "misprints." ![]() Exterior and interior finishes of these structures are open to many options suitable to the climate and design of the building. ![]() Thermal performance of earthen structures offer a level of comfort expressed by a long history of world-wide experience. ![]() The merits of "Flexible Form Rammed Earth" are in its use of cost-effective materials, simple construction methods and the durable resistance to the ravages of fires, hurricanes, flooding, termites and, as Nader Khalili has proven in Southern California, earthquakes. This makes this type of architecture capable of surviving as long as its 500-1000 year old rammed earth relatives around the world. Costs for do-it-ourselves construction of the Honey House before windows and doors:
* Tools of the the "dirt bag" trade. To comply with the FQSS theory, we adopted techniques and developed a few specialized tools that enhanced the precision and quality of the construction, Equipped with the latest tools of the "dirt bag trade" a new jargon of bag talk has been born: bag stands, sliders, diddling, tube chutes, full pounders, quarter pounders, sliding compass, fans, halos, chicken-wire cradles, can tossing, contouring, hard-ass bags, and a huge breakthrough in bag technology, "scooching." These simple additions to the repertoire of FFRE construction have turned an awesome job into a friendly task. We are currently involved in documenting material for a "How to" manual and inspirational video on F.F.R.E construction (go ahead, pronounce it free construction!). We offer workshops in design and hands-on construction techniques utilizing Flexible Form Rammed Earth architecture as an aid to creating affordable and earth-friendly housing. For more information, consultation or workshop schedules contact: Kaki Hunter & Doni Kiffmeyer, OK OK OK Productions, 256 East 100 South, Moab UT 84532; okokok@lasal.net. |
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