Bree: I'm pre-recording this so mom and I can go to Vegas.
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Bree: I'be recently turned 21 and it's time to celebrate.
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Bree: Hang on all you nerds out there, sharpen your pencils and put on your thinking caps.
The fate of this video rest in my fathers hands.
Gary: Thanks Bree and Shelly.
They left me the computer and video gear.
So, let's see what kind of trouble can we get into.
Gary: If you've been following us for the last five years, you've noticed, we haven't
spent a lot of time little time on all the math and calculations.
It isn't just circles, there are squares and things that need to be calculated, like stairs
and roofs, all kinds of stuff.
Today, I would like to focus primarily on what we do for foundations, getting things
started, how do we lay out to get things going.
Gary: When started to make decisions, about what we wanted to have, we looked at...earthbag
was the last thing...we looked at all kinds of things.
We started with straw bale, steel, and greenblock.
It's a foam that you fill concrete.
We looked all kinds of structures, cob and other things.
So, finally settled on earthbags.
Gary: When anyone sets out to do a structure, consider where the structure is going on the
property.
Ten acres, hey, you got a lot space.
You can put a lot of these things around.
But if you have a small area, a one acre plot, how far away is it from the neighbors?
How far from the fence line?
How far from the pig farm that smells really bad right down the street?
Also too, which way are you allowed to put structure in?
You may have to have that front door pointing towards the street.
That's the kinds of things you have to consider when you are plotting for your placement of
your structure on your property.
Gary: Also too, you want to consider the kinds of materials you may have around your property.
Things you have that are right there.
If your dirt is really good, it has some clay or caliche like what we have in ours, or what's
calcium...or may some rock or something that is fairly tough that you are able to build
with...great.
If not, you may have to haul that type of material in.
Which means, dump trucks and things that you can fill bags.
Gary: As we lay out the ground, we have to think all the way through the roof.
You think though the roof in areas like you may need a post or may need some support in
a particular area.
Like, we use around our doors, we put in post.
So we know we might be coming up to those post with our bags as we go around in the
circle.
So, I have to plan for that.
Also too, we like to put in cleats, what we call cleats that connect.
So, we can go up a few rows and come up to a window or door we have to place that cleat
in.
And we have to remember to do those things.
So, it is nice to sit back and take a look at your spot think through that all the way
through the roof...what are the next steps.
Gary: We have found that circles work best with structures.
It's kind of an appealing thing.
It's how you feel when you are inside of a circle...I guess...
Shae: I think sometimes to have square rooms, there're nice and they have an almost neat
and tidy feel to them.
It seems like with the "roundery" rooms, it's more of a creative environment.
It is easier to think of a good and creative ideas in a "roundy" rooms, I think.
Bryson: To have a round room, it's really unique and a lot more fun.
You look up at the round ceiling and you know like...every morning...you awake and open
your eyes and look at the round ceiling.
It's pretty cool.
Gary: It's very relaxing for us...to be in a circle room where there aren't these sharp
edges . I don't know what it is...organic or something.
Wait.
Are my ears getting pointy?
Am I growing hair on the tops of my feet?
Gary: Now I'm not looking for a geometry lesson here on circles, but I want to cover some
main points.
Circles are two dimensional shapes that are circular in there fashion.
Like a ball, like the sun or like the earth in a two missionary plane.
It's just round.
Gary: They have a center to a circle.
Radius.
Which is half of the circle.
That means that the distance from the outside of the circle to the inside of the circle
is the same in all directions.
Gary: A twelve foot circle in diameter is from edge to edge, from outside to outside,
as it passes through the center.
That's the diameter.
Gary: The circumference is the lineal feet of the outside of the circle.
And why it's important to us as earth baggers, that we want to determine how much bag we
need to create one of our structures.
Calculating the circumference is really no big secret.
Just go to the Internet websites.
There's just plenty of calculators out there.
Gary: We use like 12 foot, 14 foot circles.
Those are the ones we typically make the earth bag bedrooms that we make out here.
Gary: Making a circle with earth bags is really easy.
First you drive that stake in to the ground, leave it high enough to tie a rope or string
on the top of that.
Go have of that distance.
If it's a 12 foot room for example it's a 6 foot radius.
You tie one end to the post and one end to a stick and travel all the way around the
stake with a taught circle drawing on the ground.
Gary: Now when we fill our bags, we fill our bags to about 4 inches thick.
So , you have about 4 times 3, which is 3 rows, 3 rows of bags equals a foot.
So that now you can calculate how tall it is.
Says we want to go 8 feet in the air, you know it is going to be 24 rows of bags.
Gary: If there are professionals in your area, please consult them if you are not a professional
yourself.
It is just so important to have safety first and nobody gets hurt and you are always doing
the right things when you are building everybody's safe.
Bree: I'm still not back yet.
I'm glad you survived this videos mathematical madness.
I think dad is planning more of these sessions.
So, if you want more, looks like you'll get it.
Have a great weekend and I will report back to you on how me and mom did in Vegas.
I'm really, how much fun can you really have there anyway.
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All: Thank you!
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Shae: Our family moved from the city to country.
Thanks for taking part in our adventure.
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Shae: We have new videos every Friday evening.
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