Im looking into earthbags myself. How hard is the labor compared to strawbale?
As far as the labor of building with earthbags compared to strawbales goes, I imagine that a strawbale wall would go up faster, but then you are stuck with using other materials to make the roof. With earthbags, you have the flexibility of being able to create curved forms, including the roof, if you want. Both systems require an exterior and interior plaster, which would probably take about the same amount of labor. Straw bales are quite heavy, and must be lifted into place. Earthbags can be filled in place, so the lifting can be minimal. Also, if the bags are filled with crushed volcanic rock, as I did, then they are relatively light (about 35 lbs) and can be lifted easily.
