House made from earth with your own hands. Advantages of earthmoving technology

They do not occupy the last place from the earth. They often acquire the status of respectable homes. Swiss Peter Wetsch ( Peter Vetsch), an architect-designer, built up his homeland with houses, using the concept Earth House. Modern Swiss dugouts are very similar in appearance to snow-white Ukrainian huts. However, the basis is not clay, but earth. It perfectly retains heat, protects from precipitation, wind and other weather disasters. In the southwestern United States, many modern houses built from blocks formed from earth, clay and straw: the main structural elements of buildings.

For such buildings, soil is used, where clay particles act as binder. Technology for compacting low-moisture bulk materials, which allows the production building blocks for the construction of buildings, has already been introduced in Russia.

Drive the wave

The principle of operation of the technology is based on the equipment reproducing the natural effect of self-compaction of a granular medium. It can be clearly observed on a sandy beach, when the wave at the edge of the water forms a dense path. In manufacturing, the process of producing a monolithic product by constantly adding material to an open mold is called a “flowing wedge.”

Excavation work is underway

There are two types of equipment operating using the described technology. This zone injection machine for molding building blocks in large volumes and molding kit .

With construction skills, you can build a house from soil wall blocks self-made. For this, a zone injection machine is needed (it can also be used to produce foundation blocks). The equipment is easy to maintain and does not require a special foundation. During the construction season it is installed at the construction site. Soil extracted from the foundation pit is suitable as a raw material for making blocks. The main thing is to determine the clay content in it, since it affects the properties of the blocks, ensuring the adhesion of soil particles to each other. For the correct geometric shape of the blocks, clear edges, absence of cracks, high strength with minimal cement consumption, the soil must contain from 8 to 30% clay. In the middle zone, cement as an additive to soil blocks is necessary due to heavy rainfall and frost. True, its amount is small (about 1:10 depending on the brand). Sawdust, crushed expanded clay gravel, and ash and slag mixture can be used as light fillers.

Before the beginning industrial production blocks, laboratory soil analysis is required. To determine its quality on a site for individual housing construction, a preliminary analysis (for smell, shine, rolling) without special instruments and personnel is sufficient.

Smell

Wet soil with a musty odor is unsuitable for block production.

Shine

Rub a small piece of soil with your fingernail to determine the main component: if it is sand or silt, the surface of the soil remains matte. After rubbing with a fingernail, soil with clay shines and has a smooth surface.

Rolling out

Water is added to a small amount of soil so that the sample can be easily kneaded with your hands and does not stick to your fingers. It is then rolled out flat clean surface palm or fingers.

The amount of clay in it is determined by the ability of the soil to roll out:

• rolls into a long sausage with a diameter of 1-3 mm - contains a lot of clay;
• the sausage breaks into pieces when the thickness is more than 3 mm - it contains clay in an amount close to optimal;
• does not roll into a sausage, crumbles under your hand - there is too little clay.

When making soil-cement blocks, it is prohibited to use saline soils and saline soils, fertile soils, peat bogs, waterlogged soils, and acidic soils.

One plank, two plank

Another type of equipment is a molding kit (includes a molding injection attachment for an electric drill, a low-speed electric drill, a universal mold and a thrust bracket). It produces smaller volumes, but is convenient to use for the manufacture of products various forms and sizes from local raw materials. For example, sand is useful for making concrete products, loam for wall blocks, peat for insulation.

The molding kit will allow you to realize a variety of original ideas for improvement of a summer cottage, garden or landscape design. You can make decorative elements for a building, facade facing tiles with the desired color and texture, build a fence from shaped stones, make elements of garden architecture - retaining walls, stairs, paths, water drains. Wedge bricks are excellent for window arches and doorways, reinforced concrete window lintels, window sill slabs, paving slabs of different thicknesses (20-65 mm), paving stones, curb and lawn stones, water drainage trays, closed drainage elements. Products can be made to suit every taste and in different styles: from classic to avant-garde.

Self-production of all of the above elements allows you to save significantly. Required composition for the mixture is located on your site: sand, loam, sawdust, peat. You only need to buy a binder - cement or lime. The molding kit costs approximately 30 thousand rubles, it will pay for itself when producing 200 m paving slabs(two and a half weeks of operation of the kit). And if you create exclusive products not only for yourself, but also to order, you can reduce the payback period to several days.

It's all in the mix

Products can be molded from various powdered materials with a moisture content of 6-14%. For example, from fine-grained concrete mixtures with a cement to sand ratio of 1:2.5 to 1:6. Sawdust, sandy loam, loam, and peat can be added as an organic filler. The choice of materials depends on the purpose of the future product. As for strength, the products can withstand more than 1000 cycles of alternating freezing and thawing and have high bending resistance.

The hardening time of the product also depends on the composition of the mixture. Loam gives high formwork strength, so blocks using it can be laid in the wall immediately after production, which cannot be said about concrete mixtures, requiring a long time to harden.

For those who want to build a house from earth without using special equipment, we can recommend the technology of building an adobe house. Adobe is a mixture of earth, water, straw, clay and sand. The term "adobe" refers to the material, the house made from it, and the construction method (without the use of a frame, bricks and other usual building material). True, construction will take a lot of time and is suitable for the southern regions, but anyone can build such a house. A lightly set mixture of sand, clay, earth and straw is laid on the foundation base. The average volume of clay is no less than 3% and no more than 20%. Lay the mixture with pitchforks, shovels or simply with your hands, trampling on top. Approximately half a meter per day. When the fresh layer is completely dry, lay out the next one. The walls are cleaned and leveled, but their thickness must be at least 60 cm. The height and shape of the house can be any. They plaster it after six months or a year.

We thank Intellect-Capital LLC for the provided photographic material.

Where: Switzerland, Dietikon
What: “The Hobbit Village”
Nine house-holes from eco-architect Peter Wetsch are not just a landmark of the Swiss Alps, but a real world celebrity. Behind the scenes, the complex was nicknamed “a hobbit village” - houses with an area of ​​60 to 200 sq.m. have practically grown into the ground. It would seem, where to dig deeper? However, there was where: underground parking is located under each building. Another feature of the premises is that there is not a single right angle, even the windows here are round or arched. In patio- an artificial pond, and green grass on the roofs.

The design of this underground dwelling is based on concrete steel frame. It can withstand a three-meter layer of earth, which serves as thermal insulation. Recycled glass was used for waterproofing - another plus in favor of environmental friendliness. The walls inside the dwellings are lined with clay, so the humidity in the room is regulated by itself. Light furniture and white walls, soft shapes and light from voluminous windows do not give the interior any chance of looking like a gloomy den.
Over forty years in architecture, Peter Wech built about a hundred underground houses. All of them are inscribed in the landscape of the area as creations of nature itself.

Where: UK, Wales
What:« House of Teletubbies»
Projects of underground (semi-underground) houses do not always involve going deep into the ground. Sometimes this is simply not necessary - it is enough to use the terrain features.
The Malator house from the Future Systems bureau can compete in popularity with the Swiss “hobbit village”. Built into the landscape national park it is not visible either from the earth or from the sky. Only a small chimney on the hill gives away the location of the underground dwelling. Bob Marshall-Andrews, a former member of the British Parliament, and his wife Jill live here.

“The House of Teletubbies,” as Malator was dubbed by wits, grew up on the site of an old army barracks in a security zone with a strict ban on almost any construction. The architects had no choice but to hide the house with two bedrooms and a living room underground without disturbing the wildlife. First they dug a pit, then concreted the foundation and load-bearing wall, then they installed steel beams that support the roof and covered everything with earth.

On the opposite side of the hill from the park, hidden from prying eyes, a crescent-shaped glass façade overlooking the ocean. Inside the building - light and bright space in natural colors. Particularly pleasing to the eye is the life-affirming green kitchen underground miracle house.

Where: USA, Big Sur
What: Invisible House
Another home that can only be seen from the ocean is the Dani Ridge House in Big Sur, California. Its other half has grown into the mountain range, and the roof, overgrown with local grass, has been leveled to the ground. Architectural bureau Carver + Schicketanz designed the 175 sq.m building made of stone, wood and glass. Everything about the home's amenities, including the 5,000-gallon (approximately 23 cubic meters) water tank, is hidden underground so as not to detract from the surrounding landscape.

Facade with panoramic glazing overlooks the Pacific Ocean - there are beautiful views from the living room, kitchen and three bedrooms. Smoothly curved roof-ceiling - spectacular detail warm and cozy interior, in which wood predominates, with the same stone and glass. The design is a mixture of modern and rustic styles.

Where: Netherlands, Dutch Hills
What: House in an artificial hill
To two-storey house could merge with nature, the architects from Denieuwegeneratie had to build an artificial hill. Outside, only two high-tech glass facades remain. And all concrete surfaces buried in the ground - securely and warmly. The frame of the house is made of iron, the roof itself “shakes off” the snow in winter thanks to its cunning design. The facades face strictly south, making the interior light and warm. The energy produced by solar modules is enough for all household needs.

The interior of the house in the hill is a union of wood, glass and concrete. The design is minimalist, with loft, ethnic and retro elements. As for the layout, you can create any miracles with a space of 19x12 meters thanks to movable partitions.

Where: Spain, Costa Brava
What: House like a concrete rock
Architect Oscar Velez built this house, half sunk into the ground, for a couple with four children in the picturesque town of Begur, where there are no buildings taller than five meters. For the sake of spacious living space, Oscar hid part of the first floor underground. The site itself is sloped, so I had to tinker with the foundation. But in the end it worked out two-story cottage area of ​​288 sq.m. with swimming pool and terrace. On ground floor- two bedrooms and an office with a bathroom, on the top there is a living room, kitchen and dining room. Corner façade with panoramic window 21 meters long offers views of the sea.

The house was built from concrete for utilitarian purposes: easy to maintain and strong as a rock. This is especially important considering that the predecessor of this building was washed away by a powerful rainstorm three days after construction was completed.

The exterior design of the building is quite strict, as is the interior, where stone and Melis pine with a long-lasting resin aroma reign. The rooms flow smoothly into one another - without corridors or doors. Designer furniture: butterfly chair, sofa from Vitra. underground house- this is the second residence of the owners.

Where: Switzerland, Vals
What: Alpine cave
Another pearl of Swiss architecture is Villa Waltz with an area of ​​225 sq.m. It was immured into an alpine mountainside by Björn Mastenbroek from SeARCH and Christian Müller from the SMA studio. You can only get here through an underground tunnel. Hidden inside is a three-level dwelling with four bedrooms, a library and a kitchen-living room. The terrace is the only thing open space overlooking the mountains.

The interior is modern, in Scandinavian style with a traditional Dutch accent: massive wooden furniture, striped textiles. Stone is also used in the decoration. There is a lot of light in the room - thanks to the windows assembled on the facade, the sun penetrates into all rooms. The cave attracts not only its unusual appearance, but also its proximity to thermal springs. It can be rented, the cost per week is about 3,000 euros.

Where: Australia, Waverton
What: House in the Rock
As it turns out, a house with an underground floor can be built not only into a slope or hill, but also into a real rock. Architect Richard Cole from Australia designed just such a home in New South Wales for his retired parents. The result is a half-cave for centuries - one side of the building is adjacent to the mountain, the other is turned towards the world (more precisely, towards the valley of red eucalyptus trees).

Below, underground, there is a cellar, an office and a bathroom for guests, and rock acts as a “feature” of the interior. Richard's parents initially objected to such a bold step, fearing humidity and cold in the bathroom, but a well-thought-out drainage system solved this problem. On the upper level there is a living room, dining room, master bedroom with bathroom and dressing room. The interior is relaxed, with a lot of wood and a touch of nostalgia. For example, the Artek breakfast table and chairs are replicas of those that were popular in the 1960s.

Where: Spain, o. Lanzarote
What: House in volcanic bubbles
The idea to build a house in solidified volcanic rock came to the mind of the architect Cesar Manrique. He lived in such a cave with his family for 20 years, and now there is a museum in the architect’s house.
It all started with a fig - the miraculously sprouted tree was the only living creature among the gloomy landscape, frozen after many years of volcanic eruptions in the 18th century. The architect noticed it when he was looking for a place for his home in his homeland, returning from New York in 1968. A house was formed around the tree.

The volcanic porous lava seemed to have specially created a labyrinth of five cave rooms connected to each other by narrow passages-tunnels. In the center of the living room is the same tree that grows through the ceiling. Another memorable detail of the interior is the window with lava flowing into it and a view of the volcanic hill. Inside, the house does not look cramped and gloomy at all. On the contrary, there is a lot of space, light and air, some of the rooms are under open air or with holes in the ceiling. Glass facade, big windows, White color in the interior - everything is thought out, right down to the furniture, inscribed in the rounded architecture.

Lanzarote - the northernmost of the Canary Islands - thanks to Cesar Manrique, turned out to be a place of attraction for tourists. According to the architect's designs, houses, restaurants and cultural centers were created in the natural environment (lava, mountains and basalt).

Where: USA, Plattsburgh
What: Home - missile silo
To equip the underground dwelling, architect Alexander Michael did not even have to hire an excavator. His house-it is a former intercontinental ballistic missile silo in upstate New York. Several of these mines were built near the Plattsburgh airbase in the early 60s, but after a couple of years they stopped being serviced and were decommissioned. For fifty years the launch mines remained abandoned. Alexander Michael bought one of them. For 160 thousand dollars, he received a spacious cave with a depth of 56 meters and a diameter of 16 meters.

The architect invested another 300 thousand dollars in furnishing the housing, but it was worth it: who else can boast of a concrete apartment that is not afraid of wars or natural disasters? The owner has at his disposal a bedroom, kitchen, living room, all communications and ventilation, a 410 cubic meter water tank and even a room with a rocket control panel (original!). To communicate with the mainland, Michael equipped monitors that display life above, since there are no windows in his house. But he found out that the bunker had excellent acoustics - and decided to set up a small concert hall here.

As a functionalist, Alexander Michael believes that many things in the world are suitable for " reuse" Including missile silos.

Where: UK, Wales
What:« Hobbit House"
It took photographer (and father of two boys) Simon Dale from Wales not only to master an axe, but also to fall into childhood to build his eco-house. The dwelling, partially dug into a hill, was ready in just four months. The estimate for its construction was three thousand pounds sterling. All materials are recycled. The hobbit house receives electricity from solar panels.

The foundation of the building is reinforced with stones, the frame is made of thick branches, the walls are made of wood, clay and stone, and insulated with bales of straw.
On the roof there is a layer of earth with a lawn. This is a typical feature of underground houses. If the roof usually protects a “ground” structure from precipitation, then in an underground structure the roofing “pie”, as a rule, also includes a bulk layer for thermal insulation.

Inside the round house there was space for a hall, a kitchen, children's rooms, a bedroom for the parents and a covered veranda. Natural light enters the burrow through windows and a large skylight. The interior is decorated in the same eco-style: plank floors, wood-burning stove, whitewashed walls and oak stairs.

Where: USA, Montana
What: Hobbit-style hotel
Did you think Simon Dale from Wales was the only one who came up with the idea to implement a Hobbit-style project? No, there are several dozen such projects in the world. For example, Steve Michaels built a mini-hotel for fans of The Lord of the Rings in the forests of Montana, investing $400 thousand in it. The rooms here are, of course, underground: each has a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. The dugouts are well thought out from an architectural point of view. Thanks to the layer of earth, heat is retained in the rooms - you can do without additional heating. The roof is so integrated into the landscape that from time to time grazing deer climb onto it.

Inside - everything is as the great Tolkien bequeathed: even hobbit slippers and Gandalf's hat are included. The decoration is dominated by wood and stone. Bonuses include a fireplace, Internet and cable TV. Renting a dugout costs about $300 per day.

The territory of the fairy-tale village is 4000 sq.m., it has a magic well, a mill, decorative hobbit shelters, and a copy of Bilbo Baggins' house. The hotel's owners, husband-and-wife team Steve and Christina Michaels, live across the street from their Hobbiton.

SEE ALSO…

From the inside, the space seems endless, as it merges with nature: above your head and before your eyes there is only the sky and the forest. Inside, by the way, there is also one solid tree, including decoration (plywood), furniture and wood burning fireplace. You must understand that the earth not only retains heat, but also brings dampness to the walls of the house. If it is underground, the design must take this nuance into account.

Where: Russia, Leningrad region
What: SPA underground
This chalet house in the Leningrad region is actually the tip of the iceberg. The main space of the building is located underground: a spacious SPA center is hidden on the ground floor.

Once upon a time there was a bathhouse instead of a house. The owners of the site turned to architect Olga Vetosheva and designer Eduard Zakharov with a request to build a space underneath for spa treatments. As a result, the bathhouse was sacrificed for the sake of beauty.
On the ground floor there are two massage rooms for soapy massage and floating, a sauna with a plunge pool, showers, a bathroom and an icebox.

There are two windows in the ceiling of the “dungeon” - this is a connection with the terrace on the street. The floor in the spa area is heated and paved with stone. On the wall there is a waterfall that acts as a kind of screen: images can be projected onto it. LED Strip Light allows you to change the color and intensity of the glow depending on the mood of the owners.

The decoration of the SPA center uses noble materials - teak, oak, porcelain stoneware. The upper floor remains true to the traditional chalet interior: warm shades, wood, fireplace with stone trim, cabinet made of sawn logs. Household appliances and sleeping area hidden.

SEE ALSO…
Other photos of this project

YOUR OPINION…
Are you ready to move into a modern dugout? What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of underground (semi-underground) houses? Share your thoughts in the comments section!

Technology of building houses from the earth in its modern form, which was called Earthships, was developed almost half a century ago and is still being developed today. Soil, as the main participant in such construction, refers to materials taken from natural resources, such as wood, straw, leather, cotton, stones, peat and many others. All of them are neutral or beneficial to human health and do not pollute nature.

The choice of soil for the construction of walls is largely due to the energy intensity of the material, which compared to brick or steel is extremely low and amounts to up to 0.5 GJ/t. Therefore, with the correct orientation of the earthen structure and use solar energy to the maximum it will require minimal heating even in severe frost.

Earthen houses, which are used in various climatic zones, successfully demonstrate their resistance to fires, floods and even magnitude 7 earthquakes. Thanks to thermal inertia, thick earthen walls slow down the gain or loss of heat by almost 12 hours. This means that the earth house is cool during the day and warm at night.

Several significant factors speak in favor of using soil as a building material:

• Availability;
• There is no need for transportation, which reduces construction time and costs;
• Environmental Safety wall material, which does not harm the microclimate of the house and the environment;
• Excellent thermal insulation of the material, its plasticity, which allows earth houses to be given different shapes;
• Possibility of dismantling walls and reusing their material.

1. High construction speed. For such buildings, a foundation is usually not required. Therefore, for example, a one-story building in the form of a dome with a base diameter of 6 m can be erected by four people who do not have special skills in a week. Technologies of such construction make it possible to create buildings for various purposes: residential or economic and technical.
2. Low thermal conductivity. The enclosing structures of earthen houses are less susceptible to changes in air temperature outside than buildings made of stone and even wood. The low thermal conductivity of soil as the main material of the roof and walls allows the inhabitants earth house do not feel the effects of bad weather and significantly save on heating in winter, maintaining optimal room temperature.
3. Availability of materials. To build an earthen house, they can be found anywhere, even on own plot- wood and stones, soil and clay. This reduces the cost of delivering them to the construction site. You can decorate the outside of such a building with local plants that will fit perfectly into the overall landscape. The cost of maintaining a house made from earth with your own hands is also minimal. Since the structure is almost entirely covered with soil, it requires very little paint or other material.
4. Fire and environmental safety. Houses made of earth don't burn. For this reason, they can be safely used for a sauna, for example, or a bathhouse. Due to the environmental friendliness of the materials, the debris of the building does not need to be removed during dismantling - several seasons will pass, and they will crumble into pieces on their own. outdoors. Protruding slightly above the ground level, such a house practically does not change the topography of the site, thanks to which the land area is used to the fullest.
5. High reliability. The walls of the finished house are frost-resistant and practically do not shrink. If external structures are dried and then covered with plaster, they will not absorb moisture. Over the long period of their existence, earthen houses have proven their increased resistance to hurricanes, droughts, fires and even earthquakes. The strength of such structures, according to the testimony of soldiers Afghan war, allows you to withstand a hit from a shell fired into an earthen wall from a tank.
6. Long service life. The durability of earthen houses is confirmed by the fact that the oldest of them, discovered in Jericho, are more than 8,000 years old.

A strong enemy of Earthships technology is the dampness caused by rain. Therefore, if plastering is not done after the house is built from the earth, the structure may slide. In damp regions, equipping such buildings with a waterproof roof is mandatory.

Certain difficulties in the construction of earthen houses may be caused by the psychological attitudes of site owners. Some of them associate life under a layer of earth with imprisonment, poverty and even death.

Putting a finished building into operation is also fraught with difficulties. Supervisory authorities use long-established SNiPs and DBNs, and new environmental standards are at the development stage.

As for mortgages, for earthworks banks assume maximum risk, considering this technology experimental. Therefore, they take a higher percentage according to this risk.

Types of earthen houses

Ground houses include:

• Earthbiting. The walls of such a structure are erected by filling the formwork with soil, or from earthen blocks pre-made using special molds by compaction or by plastic molding. The second method is most widespread in the world, since before laying the strength and shape of the blocks is more stable than in the first case. In addition, when a block wall dries and shrinks, cracks are unlikely to appear.
• Adobe. It refers to composite materials, it is laid manually during construction monolithic walls Houses. Adobe is a mixture consisting of clay, soil, water, sand and straw.
• Earthbags. This is a technology for building walls and creating domes from bags filled with soil. The construction of such houses is now actively underway all over the world. Traditionally, such technology was present in the construction of military fortifications, dugouts, flood control, etc. If you add a little cement to the soil mixture, an earthbag house can last for decades.
• Geocar. This is a house made of peat blocks. The material has properties that allow it to be used both as insulation and in the form structural element when constructing houses up to three floors. Peat blocks are most suitable for natural conditions Non-Black Earth Regions meet all requirements regarding strength and environmental safety standards.

Buried houses include:

1. Atrium house. This is the name of an underground structure in which the atrium is the center of the house, as well as the entrance to it. The concept of “atrium” implies the central space of a building, illuminated through an opening or skylight. Such a house is built on a flat plot and covered with earth. The recess is 2.7 m, and the minimum thickness of the turf present on the roof is at least 0.2 m. All four walls of the atrium are accessible to daylight. The living quarters are located around a courtyard, which is overlooked by glazed openings that provide warmth to the house. sunlight. The atrium has natural ventilation, rises slightly above the ground and practically does not change the landscape, while providing reliable protection from the wind in the winter.
2. protruding house. From the façade it is open to the light, while its other sides and top are covered with earth. The open wall of the house, usually oriented to the south, allows sun rays easily penetrate inside the home, providing heat from the facade to its entire area, including bathrooms. Structural elements the buildings are the cheapest compared to other earthen houses.
3. Penetrating house. In addition to windows and doors, such a structure is completely covered with soil on the sides and top. The advantage of a penetrating house from the ground is the cross natural ventilation and the entry of sunlight from one or more of its sides.

The main goal of creating any of the listed earthen buildings is to maximize energy conservation with the complete absence of harm to human health.

Basic technologies for building a house from earth

• Sliding formwork method. It is designed for the construction of buildings with right angles. Racks are installed on both sides of the walls along the entire perimeter of the future house. Then identical shields are attached to them opposite each other. The resulting formwork is filled with soil mixture. After compacting and setting, the formwork is dismantled and installed in a new area. The finished wall usually consists of 15 cm of compacted soil and a 5-6 cm layer of lime. Due to its high labor intensity, this method is not often used.
• From earth blocks. This method has received more wide use than the previous one. For the production of piece materials, folding molds are used. They are filled with soil mixture, compacted, then removed ready-made bricks and dry them.
• From bags of earth. This method allows you to build buildings that differ in shape and have a unique style. Very popular house options dome-shaped or round walls with an equipped roof.

How to build a dome house?

When the marking of the site is completed, on the resulting circle it is necessary to provide the location of the entrance and determine the dimensions of the doorway. It should be noted that the base of the entrance to domed house a little should go inward so that the door can be installed vertically on an inclined wall.

Then, along the finished circumference, you should dig a trench with a depth of about 40 cm and a width corresponding to the size of the bag. After this, it needs to be covered with crushed stone, which will act as drainage and foundation.

To build walls, propylene sugar bags or sleeves made of rot-resistant fabric are suitable. The bags need to be filled with damp soil, leaving 25 cm to the top in each of them. Due to the large weight of such “bricks”, it is recommended to perform this work on the wall of the structure. To prevent the soil from spilling out, the free edges of the bags should be sewn together with wire.

The first layer of bags filled with soil must be laid around the circumference of the house and compacted in any way. The second layer should be placed by analogy with brickwork, bandaging the seams. It should have a smaller circumference relative to the previous layer. This alternation will give the house a domed shape.

Before laying any bag underneath, a piece of synthetic twine should be stretched underneath to tie the next two or three layers of wall together. This will make plastering the house easier in the future. Between the layers of bags of soil, you need to lay two strips of barbed wire, playing in this case the role of reinforcement and fastening mortar.

When laying round wall It is necessary to leave openings for windows and doors from bags of soil. They are often made in the form of arches. After drying, the outside of the house needs to be plastered with cement or clay mortar.

How to build a house from earth - watch the video:

Building a house from earth? To many, such a statement of the problem will seem frivolous. What is this, the new kind dugouts? However, using land, you can build a modern, reliable, “warm” and inexpensive home.

Building a house from earth?

To many, such a statement of the problem will seem frivolous. What is this, a new type of dugout?

However, using land, you can build a modern, reliable, “warm” and inexpensive home.

What is Sirewall technology

Technology modern construction earthen house about 30 years ago was invented and patented under the name Sirewall by the American Meror Kraenhoff. True, initially it was a question of erecting monolithic walls from a mixture various types sand with water and cement, reinforced with a metal frame.

To achieve the required strength and durability, walls must be built with a width of at least 45 cm. The advantages of such walls include good soundproofing characteristics. And the use of different types of sand and sandy loam helps to achieve interesting aesthetic solutions.

There is essentially one drawback, but an important one. Construction of houses using Sirewall technology does not cost much (10-20%), but is more expensive than other frame methods.

Houses made from bags of earth: inexpensive and reliable

The construction of buildings using Sirewall technology is still underway. Moreover, we are talking not only about residential, but also about commercial buildings around the world. But when building private houses, you can reduce costs without compromising structural characteristics.

It may sound a little funny, but this opportunity was provided by the appearance of polypropylene bags. They are cheap, but they are highly durable and moisture resistant. But even more important is the presence of such qualities as: resistance to rotting, resistance to bending, and the ability to withstand cycles of freezing and thawing.

The bags can be filled with a mixture of a variety of materials. Most often, it is the soil that is used, reinforced with crushed stone and cement. Clay and sand are also often added. In general, any material that can either harden over time or increase structural strength will do.

There are no exact requirements for proportions. It is only important that the bags placed in the lower rows of the masonry contain more crushed stone. The bags are then moistened. And thus, they get “blocks” for laying walls.

How can we build an earthen house?

It is quite possible to build a house from the ground with your own hands. True, it is better to practice on a secondary structure first. For example, to carry out an outbuilding on the site. Once you've got your hands full, you can start building your home.

Laying the foundation

First you should draw the outlines of the building on the ground. Note that you can build houses of any shape from bags with soil mixture, but highest reliability round structures are different. A small pit is dug along the contour, 50-70 cm wide and 40-50 cm deep. The pit is filled with a mixture of crushed stone, gravel and cement.

We build the walls of an earthen house

Then a waterproofing membrane is laid and masonry begins. “Blocks” are performed right there, on the spot. A mixture of soil, crushed stone, cement and clay is prepared in advance using a concrete mixer (it can be rented). Then they just fill it and compact it in bags (so that they take a shape close to a rectangle).

Each bag is closed with wire. The seams between the bags are filled with cement-lime or cement-sand mixture. The first two rows of bags after laying are covered metal mesh. It will reinforce the structure. The sections of the mesh are fastened together with staples. The masonry is carried out with a gradual displacement of the seams, by analogy with brick.

During the work, door and window frames are installed. The ceiling is made of beams. And on finished walls A thin layer of cement is used to secure a steel or fiberglass mesh. Then leveling plaster is applied. That's it, the walls are ready.

Advantages of a house made of earth

The advantages of a house made from earth include the following:

• Availability and prevalence of materials for building construction;
• Low thermal conductivity of structures. This means that home heating costs will be lower compared to brick building similar area;
• Resistant to mechanical impact, including in case of earthquakes;
• Good fire resistance;
• Reduce time and labor costs. As a result, savings during construction.

  " (№7, 2014)

  Did you know?
  For the first time in literature, a description of the technology of building houses from “crushed earth” is found in the book by François Quantero “The School of Village Architecture, or Instructions on how to build durable houses about many dwellings from earth alone, or from other ordinary and cheap materials.” (M.: Univ. typ. in Ridiger and Claudia, 1794).

  Ancient houses made from earth in Europe
  The technology for building houses from earth differed from the methods for building adobe or adobe structures: the walls of earth-brick houses contained no more than half clay in their composition, and they did not use straw as a reinforcing filler. Instead of clay, sticky soils mixed with sand, which should be 50-70% in the mixture, are used to build houses from the earth. The suitability of land for construction in the Middle Ages was determined by the following criteria: the earth should not crumble when rolled between the palms, cakes made of earth should not crumble, and when the earth is soaked in a glass for a day, “stickiness” should sink to the bottom. Suitable land usually had cracks in drought and good hard ruts formed in it from cart wheels. If different types of soil were used, they were first mixed together. Mineral additives were added to the fatty soil (clay): sand, lime and road dust. French architect François Countero wrote:
  All kinds of the earth are good (for the construction of earthen houses), if they are neither lean, nor skinny, nor too fat.
  1) all lands that come from the plant kingdom.
  2) any sticky soil; it is also called clay.
  3) any hard earth mixed with sand is the most capable of excavation work.

  For work, soil was taken from a depth of up to 1 meter. Large stones, roots and other inclusions were sifted out using a rake. Between the teeth of the rake, particles of soil no larger than a nut should pass. The soil for construction should not be too dry or too wet. In the first case it does not combine, in the second it becomes fluid like dough.
  The classical medieval technology of building houses from the earth was known in three versions: layer-by-layer compaction of earthen walls with low adjustable formwork with a vice (boards with twisting, compressing the formwork when twisting the crank), wall compaction of walls with high adjustable formwork with a vice, and compaction of earthen blocks for subsequent laying of walls from them.
  In the first option, for the construction of walls, adjustable formwork 3 meters long and about 80 cm high was used. The walls began to be erected on a foundation made of limestone (it tends to absorb water from the walls) with a height of at least 60 cm. The inner surface of the formwork was doused with lime solution before starting to compact the earth . Afterwards, 7-10 cm layers of earth were poured in. The earth in the formwork was slightly moistened. They compacted the earth first along the perimeter, then in the middle, and then once again across the entire backfill. The layer of earth should have been reduced to one and a half to two times its original height. Then the formwork was moved to the next section of the wall. Apply on top of the layer mortar. The joints of the rammed earth in the walls were arranged with bevels of 30 degrees for better ligation of the rammed areas. In this way, you can build fairly high walls. With a wall height of 3.5 meters, its thickness at the base should have been at least 45 cm, and below - 35 cm.
  With the second construction method, the height of the walls is limited by the height of the formwork. This method was used to construct outbuildings. In this case, the walls turned out to be more uniform - without layers of lime. To connect the walls, unhewn boards were used, which were embedded inside. Also, boards were placed under floor beams and mauerlats.

  In the manufacture of earthen blocks we used wooden molds, in which sticky earth was compacted. This method was closest to the construction of adobe houses.
  Stone or brick was used to frame and secure window and door openings. After completing the filling of the walls, they were treated with turpentine water to make them waterproof and dried for several months, covered with a roof from precipitation. The roof was most often tiled on boards coated with alabaster (this design made the earthen house fireproof). After the walls had dried, they were slightly moistened, notched and coated with lime, a mixture of lime and sand (1 to 2) or a mixture of lime, clay and wool. The inside was plastered with alabaster using nails previously driven into the wall for better connection between the walls and the plaster. After the plaster had dried, the walls were whitewashed with lime.