building a sandbag house - the owner builder botha.pdf · building a sandbag house building a house...

42 THE OWNER BUILDER � 195 June / July 2016 � © www.theownerbuilder.com.au

Building a sandbag house

Building a house for our mother in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa

Wow. So many things to think about simultaneously; how to build the scullery roof, put in the lintels above the windows and doors, insert pipes for plumbing and electrics, and it all seems to have to happen now.

One thought has crossed my mind a few times – for all the years and years and hours and hours that I have spent in houses – I can’t believe how I have never paid attention or thought more about how you build a house!

Squaring door frames

Supposedly you should measure the distance from the left-bottom corner of your door frame to the top-right corner. This distance should be exactly the same distance as the line from the right-bottom to the top-left corner. If the distance is not the same – well, then your beautiful French doors will not fi t into the frame.

First frame in. Level? No. Distance equal? No. Adjust, remeasure, tinker, tap.

Level? No. Distance equal? No. Repeat procedure. At this rate, we will do one frame a day. Did I mention that there are fi ve more door frames to go?

I want to run away. What was I thinking? Build a house? Where do I get ideas like this from? I can’t run away.

No one day is ever the same

I arrive at site and fi nd uncle Louis there. A builder. I explain the door frame obstacle. He says I need a level, a square and a tape measure. I provide. He throws the level away in disgust. I get him the longest level in the shop.

In 20 minutes the fi rst frame is level and square and we measure the distance of the cross. Unbelievable – 2560mm on the one side, 2560mm on the other side. A little smile creeps in. By lunch time all the door frames are in, and properly so. Uncle Louis leaves, he thinks I’ve got it now.

So how to do it? Buy yourself a state of the art level – the longest one you can fi nd. Place it on the bottom of the frame. If it is not level, lift the frame on the one side. And when I say not level, I mean if the bubble is not exactly in the middle of the two little lines. When you move

‘We hope that this journey inspires and

motivates others to participate in our

project, and even better, inspires others

to start their own.’

This is an abridged extract from the diary blog Susan kept during the build.

January 2011Building a house

It’s raining. A million people are supposed to arrive on site today to start putting up the frames. Should we continue or postpone? I drive to the site. It is raining a lot now. Sounds easy to postpone – but I have never built a house before and today some people are available to help that know how to switch on a drill and measure stuff – there is some valuable skill right there. One of them is my sister’s boyfriend, Fritz, and he is leaving in a few days. The weather forecast predicts rain for the next few days… sigh. We postpone.

The rain fi nally abates and we get to work. Things are happening so quickly; I can’t believe the frames are up and we are packing bags into the walls.

BY SUSAN BOTHAPHOTOS BY LYNDA WILSON

From Susan’s mom ‘Dear God, what are we going to do? I retire one of these days, and I do not have a place of

my own.’ That is how I started believing in something that at the time sounded impossible.

When the fi rst bit of the soil of the footing was picked up, I almost burst into tears. I

cannot describe to anyone how happy and comfortable I am in my home. It was not easy.

A big thank you to my children, Anneke, Susan and Jakkie, who were incredible. I could

only stare, in disbelief, at what they could do with drills, hammers, levels, nails, screws,

etc. To this day I do not know where they gained the skills. I watched, incredulous, how

Susan kept doing research and her exact way of implementing it. She remained focused

and determined to complete the project successfully, which she achieved, despite the

scepticism of so many people. In many aspects I have learned much more from my

children than I ever could teach them. Thank you to the three of you, I love you so much.

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THE OWNER BUILDER � 195 June / July 2016 � © www.theownerbuilder.com.au 43

it up, sometimes you only need a few millimetres. So don’t stick a little plank in there and hope for the best; split the plank in two if you have to, use a nail instead… precision, precision and patience.

Our roof person swings by. I tell him about the story of my door frames. He says he measured my house for the roof; I was out 5mm on the one corner and 8mm on the other corner. ‘I’m telling you your house is pretty much square, and better than 90% of the houses I’ve measured.’ Oh, I say. Maybe things will be okay. Maybe this was not such a crazy idea after all.

March 2011

The higher the walls go up, the more gratitude I feel towards the many, many people who have contributed towards this project. I can go on and on (and I do on the blog!). I am starting to understand the meaning of Ubuntu – ‘I am, because of you.’

Above and right: Behind the sheltering fence – a delightful house and garden.

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I’m an average statistic

Mostly when people talk about building a house there are some general trends in their stories you can be sure of; it took longer than expected, it cost more than expected and stuff went wrong. But it will not happen to me. Yeah right!

You expect things to be done by a certain time, and when it is not, stress sets in. But it really is taking long now. Our walls were done nearly three weeks ago. I arrived on site and there was some excitement – soon we will plaster. That was until I climbed up to the second level and saw that the walls had gone skew. For real. Then I climbed down to notice that the lintels are buckling. For real.

And then I look up at the second level fl oor. I have been levelling the fl oor every day for at least four to fi ve days now; the fl oor was laid straight onto the bags, and the bags compact.

I decide on breaking down the wall and start the process of gathering a lot of advice. Mike, my partner, appears; he has been on site, climbed up the wall, and he has a plan. Something about a string…

See Wall straightening sidebar opposite for details.

June 2011The most beautiful gable wall

We have a roof, it is up. A beautiful gable wall arose. It includes a little inlet for a free-standing wood fi re stove that will be placed in afterwards, lined with brick to protect the bags from the heat. Above it was placed a sleeper and even further up a round window. And it looks lovely!

We have used – and fi lled – around 20,000 geotextile bags, each taking around 7.5kg of sand. Wow.

The walls are pretty much plastered inside and rendered outside with the fi rst layer of cob, which consists of earth, cow dung, straw and sand. On the external walls, we added wire mesh fi xed to the sandbags before rendering.

The earth we used was obtained from an area that they are clearing for new houses. With some negotiations, the tip truck delivered the earth to our site, instead of taking it to be dumped.

Uncle Jeff arrives one day. He is 70% blind, I’m dubious. He steps in like a warrior from another planet, here to save us. And he does, time and again. When his

main bedroom

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bath

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kitchen

scullery/laundry

dining

lounge

stoep (verandah)

study

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cpd

cpd

cpd

LOFT OVER (2 bedrooms plus bathroom)

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Arrow letters refer to photos

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authority is questioned by the labourers he proclaims, ‘I am the captain of this ship.’ They look at me, waiting for me to deny this claim; to their disappointment, I affi rm Uncle Jeff’s claim. What a relief – someone has my back. So we move on – little by little.

June 2012Natural flooring

We are busy putting the natural fl oor down. The fi rst layer is compacted rock and cobbles followed by a layer of cob,

which took some time to dry, and then two layers of lime (around 25mm thick).

We added colour to the fi rst layer of lime using a combination of two different earths, one a very deep red and the other a cream yellow. This gave us a light brown fi nish, since the lime does bleach out the colour.

The surprising factor was the lime cracking that occurred. We have now done various experiments to see how we can minimise the cracking. One involves adding prickly pear juice, which works well as a water repellent and we used

this to seal the walls after they were plastered. Another experiment that is working well is to cover the plaster with plastic; this allows the plaster to dry slower, which minimizes cracking.

The fi nal lime layer of our natural fl oor has been put down. Once the last layer of lime dried, we sealed it with a combination of linseed oil, turpentine and natural fl oor wax. The end result is beautiful. So far the fl oor is holding up well, it does not dust and is fairly waterproof. It is really easy to clean, just sweeping up dust and washing with water.

Wall straightening

A stringline is set up as a guide to help determine which way each skew section needs to be adjusted. Wire rope is then attached to the top of the vertical Eco-Beam (post) on the side that needs pulling outwards, secured at ground level and then tensioned to pull the framework and bags into place.

That night, I tell a friend of all the drama. She cheers me up by painting my toenails and directing me to some builders. Between them and the engineer I design a new fl oor, which will also help keep the walls straight. The fl oor is done. It is much better. Lucky that the walls pulled skew, really, otherwise we would have had a fl imsy fl oor.

The walls are a few bags from done. Building a house is relentless. It feels like everyday there is another challenge. Some days I really do not want to go to the site. But quite the opposite, I race there every morning, just observing that it is a feeling.

wire ropes tied around top of horizontal and vertical Eco-Beam frames, taken down to ground and secured, then pulled/pushed to move the frames and therefore the bags into line

vertical Eco-Beam

sandbag

ropes pulled in this direction

horizontal Eco-Beam

Eco-Beam webbing

wall centre line

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Wall in plan view

46 THE OWNER BUILDER � 195 June / July 2016 � © www.theownerbuilder.com.au46 THE OWNER BUILDER � 195 June / July 2016 � © www.theownerbuilder.com.au

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Jan 2013Wooden kitchen cupboards

All of the cupboards in our house have been made from wood. We approached many kitchen cupboard companies to get quotes on using wood. Most conventional companies were reluctant to use wood, stating that it would be too expensive and too diffi cult to work with and strongly advised us to use melamine.

Chris Constanza from Wattle and Daub Carpentry and Joinery put the cupboards in for us; his quote was very reasonable and his workmanship was of the highest standard.

He incorporated the recycled wooden boxes that my mother salvaged from my grandmother’s garage to build a food storage cupboard and pull-out drawers; these wooden boxes were used to deliver paraffi n in and my mother stripped the paint off the boxes to reveal the old ‘advertising emblems’ engraved on the sides of the boxes.

The kitchen tops and doors are made from blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) and karri wood (Eucalyptus diversicolor). These trees are invasive exotics from Australia and using it helps to clear alien vegetation and preserves our indigenous hardwood species.

We used all of our leftover half tins of varnish for treating the interiors of the cupboards and a natural varnish for the exterior.

July 2013House lights with an

artist’s touch

As the house moves towards completion the fi nishing touches are what most people comment on.

Lumin and Chris were perfectly sent with their abundant artistic hands, minds and hearts and a complete appreciation and understanding of my mom’s dream. One by one they crafted each light and mirror fi tting in our house.

Chris’s fi sh made from driftwood collected on the beach, combined with the fi sh’s head made by Lumin in her pottery studio, sits above the staircase and looks magnifi cent.

Clockwise from top L: Recycled boxes make great kitchen drawers; ...and cupboard; main living area; west wall with stone base cladding; wide stoep (verandah) for outdoor living.

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A volunteer’s refl ections

When Susie asked me to help her

build her mom’s sandbag house, I

was excited for the opportunity to

participate in building a house. I was

hoping that working on Susie’s mom’s

house would involve some good hard

work, but also some fun.

After the fi rst day, I was concerned

that my body was going to need to

be stronger to be able to manage

on site. Quite quickly I noticed that I

was coping just fi ne. Although some

activities forced me to use muscles

I hadn’t stretched in awhile, the

activities kept changing, so I didn’t feel

like any activity was a real exertion. We

spent time fi lling sand bags, throwing

the bags and placing them along the

footing lines, fl attening them by hand…

and the cycle continued for most of

the day. With each round, the activity

became more familiar and more fl uid.

It was fascinating to see how quickly

we learn from experience.

It was thrilling to see how much

can be achieved in a day – we literally

watched the house go up bit by bit.

I was also surprised to see what a

difference just two or three extra pairs

of hands can make. After the fi rst

week, the footings were fi nished and

we ended the week with a swim in the

sea – with a whole school of dolphins

swimming past.

I feel so grateful for this time. I have

loved spending the time being active,

talking to inspiring people as we pack

sandbags, eating delicious lunches

and seeing fi rst hand what it takes to

collectively build a sandbag house.

Thank you Susan – you and your

family are a true inspiration – you

make me really believe anything is

possible!

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My mom sourced two sneezewood poles, originally used for fencing, with the holes and even some of the original wire still intact from a generous farmer. Chris made lights out of these, hanging from the ceiling.

To cast light on the kitchen counter, Lumin suggested we take a piece of house framing and fi ll it with recycled wine glass bottoms, that she fi red in her pottery oven as glass panes. To light the working area over the stove, they sourced enamel lids from scrap yards and made a lovely hanging piece.

Oct 2013Moving in

Almost exactly two years to the day after starting to build, we moved into our own home.

We have established vegetable gardens, and the inside of the house is starting to look like a home. The most common response we get from visitors is ‘it feels nice, like you can’t put your fi nger on it exactly, but you want to linger.’ �

You can read the full account on Susan’s blog. She is also fi nalising her sandbag building manual, which will be available there soon. sandbaghouseinjbay.wordpress.com

� archilab

Architecture which is sensitive and sustainable.

021 447 8675, www.archilab.co.za

� EarthBagBuilding.com

Promoting earthbag buildingwww.earthbagbuilding.com

� Wattle and Daub

Quality eco-friendly construction.042 294 0080www.wattleanddaub.co.za

� Christian Winkelmann and Lumin

James

Creating beautiful things while being kind to nature.

072 514 8658, Facebook: Pottery by Lumin James Originals

� Eco-Beam

Low cost framing and sandbag system.073 510 5533, www.ecosteps.co.za

� Green Business Guide

For those who wish to tread lightly on this earth, this online publication makes it easy to connect with green companies in South Africa.

www.greenbusinessguide.co.za

Links & resources

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Dec 2015

TOB publisher Lynda Wilson reports on her visit to the Sandbag House

My trip back to my homeland of South Africa was for a special

family occasion, but when I realised we would be spending some

time within a few kilometres of the sandbag house that I had fi rst

spotted online, I knew I had to try to visit – purely for the sake of

TOB readers, of course!

A stand out

Driving along a very suburban street, approaching a large

shopping centre, I wondered if I was lost; surely this was not the

setting for a sandbag house? As I took the last turn, there it was

– the orangey-yellow double storey topped with a corrugated

metal roof making a proud statement ‘Look at me, I’m unique.’

While the house is obviously not your average everyday

McMansion, neither is it radically different; smaller than most

in the area, with clean lines, its standout features now are the

impressive garden that has grown up around it and the roof

mounted solar hot water system, still not a common sight in

South Africa.

Jakkie greeted me warmly and enthusiastically showed me

around the home, which is primarily inhabited by her mother,

also Jakkie, but to which all three sisters Anneke, Susan and

Jakkie return for frequent weekend and holiday visits.

The downstairs layout includes the open plan living area,

incorporating the kitchen and laundry, a guest bathroom with

separate toilet, and a large bedroom with ensuite. Upstairs

there is a large bedroom at each end, with a shared bathroom.

The second fl oor is accessed via a yacht-style alternate step

arrangement with a balustrade of branches, minimising wasted

fl oor space and allowing for a study nook below.

Local materials

For the footing, a crushed stone sub-base was topped with

sandbags, fi lled with 1:9 cement to sand ratio. The sandbag footing

is wider than the walls and sits proud of the surrounding land;

to disguise and protect it, stones were used as a veneer fi nish,

resulting in the appearance that the footing is in fact built of stone.

Structural wood and galvanized sheet latticework framing

from Eco-Beam was used as framing for the outside walls, placed

directly onto the sandbag footings.

The sandbags above the footing and dampproof membrane

did not have cement added. Internal walls were built using

the wattle and daub method, and all wall surfaces have been

fi nished very neatly. If it wasn’t for the ‘sandbag truth window’

above the fi replace, it would be diffi cult to believe this neat and

straight home had such a curvy organic heart.

The use of timber throughout is a wonderful harmonising

feature, and little touches like the built-in laundry baskets in the

bathrooms are a clever touch. The upstairs shower is clad with fl at

dark stones collected, over a long period, from a nearby beach.

All the doors were custom made, and the ones upstairs had

to be shaped to fi t the sloping roofl ine. I really loved the branch

door handles and timber sliding locks.

The natural fl ooring indoors and outdoors on the covered

verandah had no cement added. For the uncovered verandah

section, cement was added to the fl oor mix; however, this has

proved to be the only area that experienced cracking.

Outside show

Externally, window sills have been topped with slate tiles

protruding well out from the wall, allowing water to run off and

fall clear of the plaster.

The shade pergola supports a grapevine which provides

welcome summer shade and then loses its leaves for winter

sunshine.

The love of repurposing is evident everywhere, both inside

and out; fi eld stone raised garden beds, painted metal outdoor

lightshades, huge whale bone stools, fi shing net fl oats, branch

benches and fencing…

Jakkie’s mom is an avid gardener, with a particular love of

succulents. Having outgrown the space available within the

confi nes of the fences, she has spread her planting along the

nature strip and onto an adjoining empty plot of land (with

permission). Stumps, stones, discarded pots, tractor tyres,

bicycle rims – all have been creatively used within the garden,

both functionally and sculpturally.

There is still work to be completed – when is there not in

an owner built house – but the results of countless hours of

research before two years of hard work are plain to see and a

credit to their determination.

building a sandbag house - the owner builder botha.pdf · building a sandbag house building a house...

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