Rammed Earth

Rammed earth walls are built by tamping a mixture of soil, 3% portland cement and a 6-10% moisture content. With a skid loader the soil is dumped into the forms. It is put in lifts of 7″ – 8″  and is tamped down to 4″- 5″ with pneumatic tampers. The forms can be stripped as tamping is complete. As each day passes, the walls become stronger. “Think of rammed earth as a sort of “instant rock.” The natural process of creating sedimentary rock occurs over a span of thousands and millions of years.” A rammed earth wall, on the other hand, is created it in a matter of minutes. If your quest in coming to our site is to learn more about rammed earth in itself we recommend that you read David Easton’s book The Rammed Earth House.  He chronicles the history as well as the logistics of building a rammed earth home.

“Rammed earth construction is a step forward into a sustainable future, when homes will combine pleasing aesthetics and intense practicality with a powerful sense of place. Rammed Earth homes are built entirely on-site, using basic elements — earth, water, and little cement. The solid masonry walls permit design flexibility while providing year-round comfort and minimal use of energy.”

“The builder and resident of a rammed earth house will experience the deep satisfaction of creating permanence in a world dominated by the disposable. “

More history of rammed earth

Interested in seeing a video of a rammed earth wall being constructed?

Ten Really Good Reasons to Build a Rammed Earth Home:

1.   Environmentally friendly, creates very little construction waste during constructing of walls
2.   Energy savings & low maintenance
3.   Compression strength can be up to 625 pounds per square inch
4.   Durability of walls (Great Wall of China is more than 2,000 years old)
5.   Extremely fire, rodent, and insect resistant
6.   Air quality of house
7.   Noise reduction inside and outside
8.   Thermal Mass heat storage and absorption
9.   Thermal flywheel effect (thermal mass will absorb heat when the surroundings are warmer than the mass, and give heat back when the surroundings are cooler)
10.  The distinct  feeling when stepping into a rammed earth house on a warm summer day or a cold winter day–the quiet, incredibly solid feeling that emulate from the walls