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  • Bree: I'm pre-recording this so mom and I can go to Vegas.

  • (Music)

  • Bree: I'be recently turned 21 and it's time to celebrate.

  • (Music)

  • 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.

  • (Music)

  • All: Thank you!

  • (Music)

  • Shae: Our family moved from the city to country.

  • Thanks for taking part in our adventure.

  • (Music)

  • Shae: We have new videos every Friday evening.

  • If you would like to help us out, you can like this video, share it, subscribe, or support

  • us on Patreon.

  • See the links in the description.

Bree: I'm pre-recording this so mom and I can go to Vegas.

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