How to Build a Rice Hull Building

Paul Olivier built his house out of wood and used rice hulls as insulation. This method is still an option. We chose not to go that way, because wood houses are a fire hazard, they attract termites, carpenter ants and other pests, and they do not last very long.

Our Methods

Earthbag buildings last a long time, and they do not burn, so we decided to use them. For building our rice hull tipi, we are mostly following the tutorial by Kelly Hart, with a few exceptions. Obviously, the tipi shape is different than the dome. We are using smaller sandbags than he did for our test building. Because rice hulls weigh so much less than earth and rock, we are using 15 gauge barbed wire instead of 12. We are not using papercrete because of the moisture here in Southern Missouri. Instead, we will be using a lime based stucco. We also use a simpler arch form. We are also incorporating geo-solar heating and cooling. Follow our progress on our photo gallery.

Come Build with Recycled Rice

Get hands on experience building with rice hulls.

Come do an internship at the HeartLand Aramaic Mission in Missouri.

Come Build an Earthbag Tipi with us on the Pine Ridge Reservation

Get hands on experience building with earthbags while helping those in need.

In conjunction with Nature's Compassion, we are planning on building an earthbag tipi and an Eco-dome on the Pine Ridge Reservation beginning June 14, 2009. Come join us.