Home Sweet Home

I think I know how I am going to build my home. I am going to make my home using the rammed earth method. Sounds kinda crazy but it fits into my plan. Basically it is made out of dirt, compacted to make a kind of sandstone.

The dirt has to contain approximately 30 percent clay and 70 percent sand, with a small amount of cement. You add just enough water to make it damp. You don't want to make it to soggy. You know you made a good mixture if you grab some of the dirt and it clumps in your hand but brakes if dropped. You make a box and fill with dirt, only 3 to 6 in at a time. Then start pounding it down. When the box is full let it dry, move the box up and keep going. You can make unique openings for doors and windows. It makes a good mixture between modern and rustic.

It makes a nice pattern on your walls and will last forever because its stone. The result of this is a modern home that you made yourself. It is cheap in materials. All it requires is work and for something that comes out like this is worth the work that you put into it.

There are a lot of videos online about how to do this. I have had fun today looking and getting different ideas on how I want to do my house. One thing I want to try is using Masonite to make curved walls or rounded corners. As I look I find more and more things I want to do.

I think I will start with a storage shed. I want to practice getting the mixture right. By the time I am done on my shed I can begin on my house. I want to do this on other parts of my land too. Like making small walls and stuff. The nice thing about it is you can reuse your frame over and over. So what do you think should I make my house out of dirt?