How To Build Rammed Earth Walls
I was contacted recently by Michael Thompson a fellow I follow on Twitter, and a self-taught rammed earth expert. He and I share a passion for low-cost building techniques. He asked me to do him a favor and whip up a 3D drawing of his rammed earth wall former hat will serve as course material for his rammed earth workshops. It only took about an hour to draw it up. It’s amazing how simple the former is and how with some sweat equity dirt from a building site can be transformed into walls.
For £99 you can attend one of his 2-day rammed earth building workshops in Norfolk. You’ll learn about soil suitability, footings, design, ramming techniques, bond beams, window openings, and more. By the end of the class you’ll know what you need to get started on your own rammed earth shed or tiny house. Continue reading to see more views of my drawing, the SketchUp file itself, and a video that shows how it’s used.
For those of you experimenting with Google SketchUp here is my SketchUp drawing of Michael Thompson’s rammed earth former. Below is a video of the former in action.
Michael I'm really impressed where you are going with your google sketch up skills. I completed that one drawing of the Sonoma Shanty and have not gotten back to it and that was about as basic as you can get. You'll be doing contract work for others here shortly.
Insulated Rammed Earth is another option for colder, wetter, more variable climates. A British Columbia, Canada -based inventor and builder has created SIREWALL for even the harshest of climates.
Take a look: http://www.sirewall.com Not for do-it-yourself projects, but beautiful results and walls that will last for generations.
[...] owner-builders. Popular in hot, dry places like Australia and the American Southwest, rammed earth uses compressed dirt blocks as building bricks. The dirt is often from the home site, typically packed into a wood wall former, [...]
[...] owner-builders. Popular in hot, dry places like Australia and the American Southwest, rammed earth uses compressed dirt blocks as building bricks. The dirt is often from the home site, typically packed into a wood wall former, [...]