DIY Rammed Earth Manual, How to build with DIRT
Michael Thompson at rammed-earth.org shared a copy of his new book with me, it’s called DIY Rammed Earth Manual, How to build with DIRT! I was really happy to find it packed with real DIY information. The first section covers all the basics you’ll need to know to build a rammed earth home including the tools you’ll need, how to build formers, lay your foundation, and test soil for suitability. The next covers the building of a small earthen building from start to finish.
If you dream of building a tiny house on a trailer dirt won’t work, but if you dream of a tiny homestead dirt may be the way to go. Rammed earth is the process of compacting dirt to form walls. It’s slower going than framing a house with lumber but the thermal mass an earthen wall provides can help you get a comfortable quiet home the old-fashion way. For over the last 200,000 years humans have been creating different ways of building with earth. Here are just a few of the most common methods.
- Earthbag – Bag filled with dirt and tamped into place.
- Adobe – Dry mud blocks stacked into walls.
- Cob – Wet mud blobs stacked into walls.
- Rammed Earth – Walls formed in place by tamping it into a reusable form.
- Compressed Earth Block – A cross between adobe and rammed earth.
- Wattle and daub – Mud filled woven lattice.
Michael’s book is available in print an as an ebook. He also teaches workshops in Europe. Visit his site to learn more about DIY Rammed Earth Manual, How to build with DIRT.
How to build a Tumbleweed Tiny House
Jay Shafer and the team at the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company have just put the finishing touches on a great video that shows the construction of a Tumbleweed Fencl. I especially liked seeing details like how they connect the house to the trailer and all the details about the interior paneling and exterior siding installation.
Now here’s the video showing the building of the Fencl. Learn more about buying a set of Tumbleweed Fencl Plans.
It’s also worth mentioning that Jay will be teaching his building & design workshops in seven different cities in 2010.
- Austin, TX – January 16-17, 2010 (just missed it)
- Durham, NC – March 20-21, 2010
- Boston, MA – May 22-23, 2010
- Toronto, Canada – July 17-18, 2010
- Portland, OR – August 7-8, 2010
- Boulder, CO – September 18-19, 2010
- Sebastopol, CA – November 6-7, 2010
You might also be interested to know that many of his plans have been reduced a little in price. Be sure to take a fresh look at the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company website.
World Hands Project – Pallet Houses in Mexico
While the World Hands Project is currently going through internal re-organization I was happy to find that during past workshops they’ve helped people down in Mexico build some simple homes from shipping pallets.
Instead of using some kind of manufactured insulation they’ve actually been packing the pallet cavities with a cob like mixture. I imagine that this doesn’t add much structural strength but it would add some thermal mass and insulation qualities to the walls.
I’m not sure I would recommend this approach (mixing structural wood and dirt) since it might invite termites or rot over time but it does seem like a novel way to approach pallet house construction. I’m curious to know how these homes hold up over time. (Update: See the comments for more info on using pallets and cob and wood together)
To learn more about the World Hands Project and potential future workshops visit their website. World Hands Project
