It seems like there are quite a few of us who simply don't have the resources to go out and buy full blow retreat. I've been trying to think of a way around the most expensive parts of this for a while now. With enough patience and research it looks like it's possible to pick up remote land for $1k an acre or less.

So my question is, has any looked into any of the renewable building techniques as a method of building their own cabin/retreat? I've done some research on strawbale and cob, but I've really been impressed with earthbag building. Seems amazingly cheap, modular, fireproof, termite proof, easy to heat, and (considering you're left with 1-2 ft thick rock walls) extremely secure.

Thoughts? Anyone else pursued this line of thought? Anything I'm missing (other then the fact that I just sort of glossed over the hours of manual labor involved )?