Underground Earth Bag Construction
Episode 5
Completing the Underground Stairs
Finishing up the Steps
The walls are up in the underground layer and it's time to get serious about getting up and down from ground level to basement level! Also if you'd like to know what Diesel did to our beautiful work then watch the video! Please like, share and comment! And we'll see you next time :D
Laying the Foundation - Episode 1
http://mylittlehomestead.com/underground-earth-bag-bunker-laying-the-foundation.html
Placing the Electrical, Moisture Barrier and Dirt Chute - Episode 2
Building Considerations to Strengthen the Walls - Episode 3
Completing the Underground Walls - Episode 4?
http://mylittlehomestead.com/undergound-earth-bag-construction-completing-the-walls.html
Next Up
http://mylittlehomestead.com/undergound-earth-bag-construction-foundation-for-2nd-story.html
Shae aka Winter_Apple
July 29, 2016
Transcript of Video
Bree: Last Time we completed the walls for the underground earth bag building or what we are now calling our Mus-Art Studio - get it ‘cause it’s going to be an art and a music studio. It’s time to build the stairs that will lead down to the underground recording studio or Mus-Art Studio. After the underground stair walls are built, Dad starts on the threshold.
Gary: The threshold needed to be set at a level so the door would fit inside. We putting in the threshold for the door and that will tell us where the level of the floor level of the stairs will start. That had to go in before the stairs because we needed a level area to begin to set the platform at which starts the first step. So you go to the header, measure down, put the threshold in so the door will fit in.
Bree: Okay, Stop. It’s time for the Where’s Waldo part of the show. Which item from this shot comes from another video? Let’s see if you can find it. This board was used as a platform to paint the nuts and bolts for an exterior door of Bryson’s room. Just a little trivia.
Gary: For our steps here, we have a 4 foot opening going up. If you had to reach for the door knob, would you want to be standing level with the door knob or on a step this high?
Garen: Level.
Gary: Level. So this is really still that floor right here. Our first step actually going up is going to be right there.
Garen: Okay.
Gary: Is that cool?
Garen: Yeah.
Gary: Bryson? Shel? Does that sound
Bryson & Shelly: Yeah.
Gary: Okay, good. And we want to have steps that are going to be about 7 1/2 inches high on the riser and we’re going to pour a 12 inch tread but then we’re going to lay the next step on an inch and a half so we’ll have a 10 1/2 inch tread.
Bryson: We built one frame so that allowed us to use that same frame throughout the entire build.
Gary: Garen, put an inch and a half on top of these in those 3 spots and lift it up off of that so we can really get underneath there and get a nice, flat step.
Garen: Sounds good.
Gary: Okay.
Gary: Love it. Alright good. Let’s try it with this. It doesn’t need to be too sturdy. It’s these that need that need to be fairly sturdy but I think we’re okay.
Gary: Let’s cut them shorter.
Gary: Maybe we measure here. Measure there then try to make the measurements all the same or adjust them or whatever. I don’t know what they really are.
Garen: Yeah. This circle is way, like this circle is pretty close to dead on.
Gary: Good.
Garen: It’s that
Gary: If we but up against this and make it pretty level this way. I think we’ll get ‘er and make sure these are perpendicular. The steps were actually rectangular, however, they needed to go in a spiral going up so you’ll have one side a little smaller and the other side larger. So this overlaps onto the concrete an inch and a half. Look how crooked this is, Garen.
Shelly: Ut oh, he’s going to dump it. Garen! So that’s the first step there huh?
Bryson: Yeah, this is the step we made. We are preparing the next step. One step at a time. Then we’d tear the frame out, and then set our next step, and then put our next step in and then pull the frame out and keep using the same frame all the way up.
Gary: Leveling this out so we can put the next step in. One, two three, four! Four, five, step six.
Bryson: So, we were just doing the steps and suddenly, What? What, the dog! Look at this! If that is not a dog print, I don’t know what is. Can you believe that? Monday, was it you? Was it you Monday? Was it Diesel? Who was it? Who put their paw in this? Man talk about feet prints. I’m gonna put my foot in there.
Gary: The tops of the bags I’m standing on isn’t going to be the top of the floor. What’s going to determine the top of the floor is going to be top of the top step. So, we have to get 2 high, to get to the height of our floor.
Bryson: We’re going to have to add some extra on the end because there were no walls to build against.
Gary: Our top step will be here. Our floor will come level to the top of that and whatever floor covering we put on that, will go over the top of step and the floor together.
Bree: Will the floor be wood?
Gary: Yep.
Shelly: You feeling pretty good today?
Bryson: 100%
Shelly: 100%?
Bryson: So, we went waterskiing and the sun kissed us. And then my muscles wouldn’t work. I couldn’t get myself to haul this big, heavy bottom out of the water.
Gary: I’m a teenager and I couldn’t move.
Bryson: You weren’t the one skiing behind the boat.
Gary: See? Smart. Woohoo! Alright, we’re done! We’re done! We’re done! We’re done! See …done. Incredibly happy with the result.
Bryson: Very happy.
Bree: Stay tuned next time when we begin the foundation for the 2nd story. Thanks for watching and have a fantastic week! It’s time to build the stairs that will lead down to the underground Mus-Art Studio. Ooh, I can’t do that very well. Shae does a really good one she does one like… Do you go all the way down? Do you scrunch and then come up? I need a lesson in good eyebrow movements.
Gary: [mumbles]
Bryson: Rudolf.
Gary: Does it hurt when I touch it? Boop.
Bryson: If you push it too hard, my arms might fall off.
Shae: Our family moved from the city to the country. Thanks for taking part in our adventure. We have new videos every Friday evening. If you’d like to help us out, you can Like this video, Share it, Subscribe or Support us on Patreon. See the links in the description.
Garen: Ohhhh. You filled in Diesel’s foot prints. You were helping with the building huh? Yeah, you’re trying to help. Oh, there is still one. We’re good.
Step by Step - Building of Bry's Earth Bag Room
Full Verion - Building of Bry's Earth Bag Bedroom
Walk Thru Our First Earth Bag Construction Project!
Garen's Earth Bag Interior with Rocket Stove
Garen's Earth Bag Room - the Exterior
Bree's Earth Bag Room
Partners
Resources
www.greenhomebuilding.com/adobe.htm
www.earthbagbuilding.com/articles.htm
www.earthbagplans.wordpress.com
We moved from the city to the country in 2005. Since then, we have been building structures, raising livestock and growing some of our own foods. We are crazy about family, nutrition and want the best for our growing family.
