Back in July we wrote about a non-traditional residence being built in St. Charles. That container home is nearing completion and should be featured on a certain cable network soon. But a home under construction in St. Louis City’s Central West End may raise the bar for DIY homebuilding.

The earth bag home at 518 N. Newstead has been under construction for several months, drawing curious neighbors and passersby. Owner Zachary Kraft purchased the former city-owned lot and has spent weekends filling bags and layering up the walls of his soon-to-be home.

Once the structure is complete, the outside appearance will be similar to any stucco covered home. And while rare in Missouri, earth bag homes are more common in other locales where what has become traditional building materials are scarce or prohibitively expensive. Still, regardless of available building materials, earthen homes are known for their energy efficiency and low cost.

The structure of the Newstead home should be completed in a few months, with the exterior stucco finish then being applied. For many, it’s a challenge to envision the completed project, but judging by other examples, the result should be quite different than its current appearance.

You can learn more at earthbagbuilding.com and watch a recent Fox2Now segment here.

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