Theresa:
The earth bags can be used as a base for the perimeter beam {perpendicular to the beam} or you could fill the bags with papercrete and build the entire perimeter walls with them .
If I was going to build a house today I would use the wood frame built of small trees because I live in an area with a samwill on every corner and have lots of trees.
If I was in an area with unstable soil like the Gulf Coast I would use the Rice Hull House method and add a paper-adobe brick wall on the outside and plaster it or a modified slip form where the form was for the outside of the wall and use the outside of the Rice Hull wall as the back of the form.and decorate it with cordwood, glass,etc.
The reason I like the rice hulls is the frame is so strong and since you don't have to worry about the structure you can use less Portland or in many cases none at all.
The Rice Hull frame if you are not familiar with it consist of a bottom truss 12 inches deep and planked with OSB {usually} so it makes a cavity to fill with rice hulls, that is probably overkill . 8 would be more than enough. The walls are 12 inches thick and the ceiling.
The ceiling can be conventional or open where the ceiling and the roof is monolithic and at least 12 inches, 18 would be better as the roof is 80% of the heat load.
The frame adds a bit less than ,05 cents per square foot compared to a 2 x4 wall. . A 2000 foot house would cost about 850.00 - 900.00 more so it is a lot of strength-more than double a 6 " wall- for very little money. Depending on where you can get Rice hulls it may actually be cheaper over all because the Rice hulls will be less than 100.00, the rest is shipping. Insulation is expensive and this gives you approx. an R-40 plus the papercrete.
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Forrest Charnock
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