• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
DIY & Crafts
  • Home
  • Repurpose
  • Crafts
    • Cricut
    • Kids
    • Paper
    • Winter
  • Holidays
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Halloween
    • Christmas
  • Fashion
    • Sewing
    • Beauty
    • Hairstyles
  • Gifts
    • Baby Shower
    • Father's Day
    • Mother's Day
  • Homemade
  • Home
    • Furniture Makeovers
    • Lifehacks
    • Decorating
    • Organization
    • Parenting
    • Gardening
    • Health
  • Food
    • Recipes
  • Knitting & Crocheting
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Decor
  • Repurpose
  • Paper
  • Crafts
  • Kids
  • Cricut
  • Fall
  • Fashion
  • Father's Day
  • Baby Shower
  • Food
  • Beauty
  • Recipes
  • Furniture Makeovers
  • Gifts
  • Hairstyles
  • Health
  • Holidays
  • Christmas
  • Easter
  • Halloween
  • Home
  • Gardening
  • Parenting
  • Homemade
  • Kids Crafts
  • Knitting & Crocheting
  • Lifehacks
  • Mother's Day
  • Organization
  • Party
  • Sewing
  • Spring
  • Upcycling
  • Valentine's Day
  • Videos
  • Wedding
  • Winter
  • Woodworking
search icon
Homepage link
  • Decor
  • Repurpose
  • Paper
  • Crafts
  • Kids
  • Cricut
  • Fall
  • Fashion
  • Father's Day
  • Baby Shower
  • Food
  • Beauty
  • Recipes
  • Furniture Makeovers
  • Gifts
  • Hairstyles
  • Health
  • Holidays
  • Christmas
  • Easter
  • Halloween
  • Home
  • Gardening
  • Parenting
  • Homemade
  • Kids Crafts
  • Knitting & Crocheting
  • Lifehacks
  • Mother's Day
  • Organization
  • Party
  • Sewing
  • Spring
  • Upcycling
  • Valentine's Day
  • Videos
  • Wedding
  • Winter
  • Woodworking
×
Home » Home

How to Build a Multipurpose, Low-Cost, Enchanting Earthbag Dome

Modified: Apr 8, 2025 by Elisabeth Kruger · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

How to Build a Multipurpose, Low-Cost, Enchanting Earthbag Dome...
How to Build a Multipurpose, Low-Cost, Enchanting Earthbag Dome...
Jump to:
  • Short video description

I was totally amazed when I first saw this earthbag dome; isn’t it just fascinating? It looks like a little hobbit house! So, an earthbag is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a bag filled with earth (ground); these are then stacked just like bricks, but each row is inset from the previous one, thus creating the dome shape.

These structures are versatile little things: thanks to the main material (earth), they are cool in summer and warm in winter. So apart from having a nice little place to relax, these domes are typically used as studios, chicken coops, storage sheds, above-ground pantries (thanks to the cool temperature), root cellars, and even below-ground storm shelters.

What really appeals to me is how the dome actually blends into the landscape – it isn’t some cold, hard structure that’s been dumped in nature – it’s inspired by nature, and it’s part of nature. You also don’t have to be a builder in order to make your own, you just need a great plan like this one, and some proper dedication and time. And with some good planning and a bit of scrounging around, it can be built for around $300 to $400!

Make sure to find out about building permits! You may not need one since this is below the minimum size required by most building codes for uninhabited, unattached structures, but details may vary from region to region.

Materials to buy:

  • 500 polypropylene bags
  • 45 cubic yards. road base
  • 3 tons gravel
  • barbed wire
  • yds. plaster mesh
  • 7 bags lime plaster/sand
  • Door, frame, and hardware
  • nails
  • ft. 6 mil plastic 12x32ft.
  • 1 quart bitumen sealer

Materials that you may already have or can be salvaged at a low cost:

  • 2 tires (28in. to 30in.)
  • Boards and plywood to support tires
  • 7 3x32in. rot-resistant wood poles
  • 2 heavy duty 2gal. buckets
  • 1 4gal. plastic bucket
  • #10 cans optional
  • 1 pound 4d common nails
  • 1 pound 1 ½ in. galvanized roofing nails
  • 2 string lines (one at 9 ½ ft. and one at 48in.)
  • 2 wood stakes with screw eyes
  • tamping board
  • tamping rod (tree branch)
  • Salvaged rebar for 28in. pins
  • A small amount of wire
  • square of galvanized window screen
  • Old fishing net
  • Rot-resistant 1in. saplings
  • Sod (or native grass)
  • Flower seeds and plants as desired

Tools needed:

  • Tamper(s)
  • Round-nose shovel(s)
  • Hoe/digging tool
  • sheet-metal slider (or old cookie sheet)
  • Knife
  • Hammer
  • Level
  • 2x4 leveling board
  • Tape measure
  • Fencing pliers
  • Handsaw
  • Trowel
  • Garden hose with spray nozzle
  • Stepladder (6ft. or 8ft.)

Short video description


For detailed step-by-step instructions, have a look at Instructables so that you can build your very own nature dome!

More Home

  • 11 Best Beneficial Insects for the Garden
  • 4 DIY Pom Pom Stool and Seat Ideas
    20 DIY Pom Pom Stool and Seat Ideas
  • 4 DIY Closet Doors
    43 DIY Closet Doors Ideas
  • 4 DIY Patio Coolers
    27 DIY Patio Cooler Ideas and Plans
5.3K shares

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

DIY n Crafts Avatar

Hi, I'm Leah! I started DIYnCrafts long ago to spread crafts and happiness. Currently, we have thousands of easy crafts and tutorials, making us the biggest crafty site on the internet.

More about the team → and me

Recent:

  • woman in pink sweater holding stork decoration
    Adorable Stork Baby Shower Decor
  • 4 Barbie Doll Dresses
    19 Barbie Doll Sewing Patterns
  • 4 DIY Steampunk Crafts
    35 DIY Steampunk Crafts
  • 4 Crochet Edgings
    38 Crochet Edging Patterns

Pages:

  • About Us
  • Be Featured
  • Contact Us
  • Email and Push Notification Subscriber Settings.
  • Privacy Policy

Categories

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 DIYnCrafts LLC.

5.3K shares
  • 1.3K