FOUNDATIONS
We design to be able to use as much free materials as are possible. With traditional rammed earth the foundation (footing) must be above grade and high and dry always. With earth sheltered structures this is not desired, as that the walls are earth sheltered, but not below grade. Additionally, permanent tire material forms must be prepared for their use for rammed earth sheltering to be solid, but the least expensive form is the used tire. This has been proven to be the best form material for earth sheltered structures since the time of the CCC and the great depression, when public works projects and homes alike, were formed with tires that were filled with rammed earth. The fact that they are free doesn't hurt your wallet and when used correctly, tires make a perfect form, for earth sheltered structures. For traditional structures, watch some of the videos below to learn more.
2 NEW ARTICLES: 01-2024
WHERE TO BUILD ? http://www.georgiaadobe.com/where-to-build.html
UNDERGROUND OR EARTH SHELTERED ? LEARN MORE HERE> http://www.georgiaadobe.com/earth-sheltered-or-underground-.html
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF EARTHEN CONSTRUCTION AND AN EXAMPLE OF WHY RAMMED EARTH IS BEST
Start your new project with a consultation of just 30 minutes on the phone for free to see how we can help you,
then after the free initial conversation it's just for just $125.
Contact Georgia Adobe, so we can initiate our services for your new project. Dial 706-363-6453
How To Build An Earth Floor That's Sealed with Oil - A Natural Alternative
Hot Link :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSIsEF3nybA
Yes, and the roofs can be built from Earth, when in brick form too !
Egypt, is long known for brick production, and they have the year round weather to dry bricks quickly so they can be used rapidly. Larger structures have been built of brick including the Pyramids . Here's a quick video about that building process, that's not unlike how Georgia Adobe Homes are built. Watch this on here or click the link below.
Georgia AdobeTM Consults for a fee on and Designs Residential Commercial Industrial And Retail Structures Of All Sizes, And Teaches Rammed Earth Construction For Those Building Smaller Structures. We also Design And Supply Energy And Other Systems For Homes & Businesses World Wide.
Call Us ~ It's Free ~ To Discuss Your Project & See If We Can Help You !
By the nature of this kind of work, ( Alternative Construction) There Is Free Educational Info That Is Scattered Throughout our website and though we do not advise the reader to follow our suggestions on anything, it is here and as such all are welcome to read and make of it for your own use, as you can in a noncommercial use. The info is copyrighted to protect our interest. To Protect Both The Innocent & Others As Well, All Client Information &/Or Any Of Their Actual Project Details including images are Kept Totally Confidential - No Exceptions, But In A Private Meeting, We Can Always Show You Examples Of What Your Project Would Look Like And All The Details, Always Fully Answering All Of Your Questions.
The good news is we do the same for you too ! Questions ? CALL Joe Woodall 001-706-363-6453
ARTICLE 1
There's lots of information on the internet and not all of it correct. Here we try to show you what's real. We at Georgia Adobe once built with Adobe Bricks as our name indicates , but today we use Rammed Earth 99% of the time in place of bricks. Why you may ask ? It's simple . Rammed Earth is stronger, quicker, and more build ready with a rapidly finished product both inside and outside, the moment you finish tamping the wall in most cases. Watch the video above and you will see 6 mixes or processes, that have documented as being here on Earth, for almost all of time practically , but Rammed Earth is by far the strongest and easiest, and the least expense to build with.
Mix Descriptions and methods from the above video:
Mix 1
1 clay, 1 sand, ¼ water Uses: rammed earth, earthen-floor subfloor, earth-bag fill, Plus Georgia Adobe's tire forms is easy and inexpensive
Mix 2
1 clay, 1 sand, ½ straw, ½ water Uses: cob
Mix 3
1 clay, 1 sand, ½ straw, ¾ water Uses: adobe, plaster, mortar, earthen-floor finish layer
Mix 4
2 clay, 1 sand, 1½ straw, 1 water Uses: wattle & daub, base-coat plaster
Mix 5
2 clay, 1 sand, 2½ straw, 1¼ water Uses: straw-clay block, base-coat plaster
Mix 6
2 clay, 1 sand, 3½ straw, 1½ water Uses: straw-clay infill, lighter straw-clay blocks Clay mortar: 1 clay, 1½ sand, ¾ water
Start your new project with a consultation of just 30 minutes on the phone for free to see how we can help you,
then after the free initial conversation it's just for just $125.
Contact Georgia Adobe, so we can initiate our services for your new project. Dial 706-363-6453
Shiny Clay Wall Finish Sealed with Oil & Wax polished to a Mirror Finish Burnished Plaster
HOT LINK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTY6arzNs24
ARTICLE 2
Study the drawing above . Many have heard about Earthen Construction just on the internet and as great as it is, the internet if full of bad advice ! The 3 main types of earthen construction are normally what we get questions about. Below is a description of the 3 main types,
Cob, Adobe And Rammed Earth There are also many alternatives in construction and some, BUT some are much better than others.
Cob is made with materials sometimes available from the property that one builds upon is often described as a hobbyist’s process, as both common soils, varying amounts of sand and some clay are mixed together to form a mud. Sometimes silts or other variable contents including Portland cement is added to the mix in less than laboratory conditions, plus always some wheatstraw is added, then hand mixed into small batches of Cob, ( or sometimes this is all foot mixed ) , but it’s all made very wet, hopefully with clean water, for the ease of the mixing and then shoveled or hand lifted , onto a wall section with a slight hand tamp forming added ( perhaps with a big stick) to control shapes. No actual compaction is possible, due to the mix being very wet ( this is called the slump ) .
It must be further air dried, for between 30 days (in arid conditions), to upwards of 365 days in many places ( or sometimes longer ), all of which depending upon the walls thickness and other factors too, before it is actually safe to rely upon and useful as a load bearing material. The sticky, very wet mud, and thereby high moisture content used with Cob, can make for a much slower overall building process, with very uncertain final results, due to the variable conditions and many home spun ad-mixes used, so this all keeps the process from ever becoming an approved and codified method, of construction. After fully drying, foam insulation can be added to the structure outside, if properly safeguarded from fire dangers and this will keep thermal mass and it‘s energy inside for use and not so easily lost but one looses the natural effect of the Cob outside..
Adobe Bricks are normallyhand made and 4 inches by 10 to 12 inches in finished size, with all the materials required are sometimes all available from the property that one builds upon and Adobe Brick Construction is actually listed in the International Building Code ( IBC) as an approved method of construction, with a traditional mix of, specifically graduated sand sizes ( at 70% content ), and 30% of the total volume of Clay, mixed into the sand fully and with some form of stratified and well intermixed and finely chopped wheat straw {or even with the use of modern Fiberglas concrete fiber} and potable water making a wet mix that is easily placed into a brick form. Sometimes mix-moisture stabilization is required and is attained from a 5% replacement of an equal portion of the above noted clay, and a Portland cement is a common replacement due to its common availability, (or perhaps with 10% of hydrated lime, or also with perhaps with other products, such as asphalt, bitumen, etc), but this may not be needed , on some projects.
The creation process of an Adobe Brick, is at the least a 30 day process, to allow for a full drying of the brick, while during this process a complete turning over of the brick is needed to ensure a full dryness throughout, and prior to any construction use. Then after transporting these bricks to the building site for a Masons laying to wall goes up at about 6+ courses a day, or after full mortar drying, in more arid conditions. Mortar mud for the Adobe Brick construction, can be the same ingredients, as the Brick mixture was made from and more thickly laid than vainer bricks are on modern building sites thereby allowing less skilled labors to lay bricks and work out levelness between courses. Lastly, Insulation can be added internally or externally ( if shielded against fire ) to allow conservation of energy and to maximize thermal masses energy for the structure. Wall height and window sizes can be greater with Adobe Brick than with Cob, including the construction of multistory structures with Adobe Brick is possible.
Rammed Earth - R/E (OUR FAVORITE) is when constructed in a properly sized and thick wall, is the best of all the above methodologies, as it too is a natural building materials process with materials sometimes taken from the property one builds upon, but it has truly instantly finished results, when built right and thereby the construction project overall, becomes safer and much more rapid than the above methods. This is a solid wall when compacted even for a building novice, as it becomes a “manmade stone“. The technique of proper mixing , placement into forms, and construction, can be taught to most adult unskilled laypersons, and even to children and when from all educational backgrounds, the Rammed Earth wall has basically the same ending results, all across most of the tested individuals, educational backgrounds.
Rammed Earth has the 2 same ingredients as an Adobe Brick 70% Sand 30% Clay, , but it has no fibers required internally to the mix, as this is mixed mostly dry ( to slightly moist ) then just shoveled or hand placed into a form and then fully compacted, either by heavy hand tools called tamps or machine driven tamps, into the form. After construction of the wall , (all the way to the top of a form ) that section is considered finished. Wall height and window sizes can be greater with Rammed Earth than either of the above methods, including with Rammed Earth the easier construction of multistory structures is possible.
In traditional R/E Construction, the forms can often be removed for the builders reuse, upon the next construction section, and the newly revealed walls, are considered completed then, since the wall is dry, fully stabilized from its compaction, and the proper mixes and thickness. Lastly, Insulation can be added internally or externally ( if shielded against fire ) to allow conservation of energy and to maximize thermal masses energy for the structure. Unlike Adobe construction, where the creation and building process time is long, with R/E one just mixes, compacts, and moves on to the next wall at almost lightning speeds in comparison to all the above methods.
While R/E is not listed in the actual IBC as an approved process, the materials being specific to those in the IBC , that Adobe Bricks are made from, and with the stone like results being so rapid, this method is preferred by most educated building officials and it’s often more easily permitted as a “alternative method of construction “ than Cob. Additionally, test cylinders can be quickly and easily site fabricated, with laboratory like results, during most of the building process and tested easily by inspectors, as it is a finished product in minutes. Just Getting Started ?
RAMMED EARTH WALLS AND FENCES
YES, using our Rammed Earth mixes, for walls of all kinds , from beautiful homes to beautiful property entrance walls and border fencing too, is quite possible and Georgia Adobe™ will be glad to assist you and design and build your walls locally and or Remodel a Home or Build A New Home. The sheer beauty alone Of Rammed Earth amazes most people when they can see what comes from materials the land provides, in the way of wall and flooring materials.
For location {away from our driving range} we normally are able to find the laborers to assemble most any size project and much training of laborers can be on done the job site, to ensure your project goes well. Thus, in your town or even in another country. Georgia Adobe can always come to most locations, as consultants, or as the builders of our Rammed Earth Homes and walls, providing the project will allow such assistance.
Local codes vary so a local licensed contractor or other professional may be required in some places, which should be discovered before any construction starts. We can also work from the internet, to help you tackle your DIY project. No matter the size of your project, Georgia Adobe is glad to assist, as you need it, often saving our clients many times the cost associated with our fees, travel expenses and the moving of men and equipment. Be sure and ask us about coming to your project when you contact us !
Many of our friends know of our desire to build a Southern National Border Wall, all from Rammed Earth. So Yes, Rammed Earth works quite well, for most all walls, from single family housing to multi story buildings and fencing too, but several steps must be taken in addition, to the wall or fence itself, for complete safety of the project and this is also certainly true, for most other retaining wall work.
For Example, some of those additions are:
Horizontal supports, which must be laid into the banks sometimes with straighter walls over 3 feet tall, but often, but this is just not required for the free standing curvilinear walls, as they maybe thicker or have other engineering ( plus the benefit of being curved ) inside of them which strengthens the wall sections greatly. Some measure of proper moisture protection, with a footer and a top bond beam, is also normally needed for all walls and changes in the shape, from rectilinear to curvilinear is very wise too.
Here below is an example of "The Hakka Earth Tower Apartment Building", a 300 year old ~ unique Chinese residential building in Fujian Province", which shows that even when not very fancy, these buildings last and last !
If curvilinear is not desired, sometimes an elongated "Z" pattern is the next best choice even for fences and, with straight walls being the very last choice for strength, due to the great increases of wall's width that becomes needed to be just a straight wall, in order to maintain correct strength. Always a moisture barrier must be added to and/or a sealer added, (often on a 1-5 year basis), over all exposed Earth Work surfaces, is of paramount importance as well as building with proper mixes and methods.
Start your new project with a consultation of just 30 minutes on the phone for free to see how we can help you, then after the free initial conversation it's just for just $125. Contact Joe Woodall Ecoitect and Founder of Georgia Adobe, so we can initiate our services for your new project. Dial 706-363-6453
Now here's some more videos of this type of construction from history.
Start your new project with a consultation of just 30 minutes on the phone for free to see how we can help you,then after the free initial conversation it's just for just $125.
Contact Joe Woodall Ecoitect and Founder of Georgia Adobe, so we can initiate our services for your new project. Dial 706-363-6453
Presented below and on other pages is FREE how-to info, JUST for those that can't hire us to assist their project. Use it for non-commercial use only, to further your education.
For those that would like to hire us for assistance, start your new project with a consultation of just 30 minutes
on the phone, to see how we can help you for just $125. per half hour. Pay through our PAYPAL account sales@georgiaadobe.com
As soon as we can verify your payment, we will begin your consultation time.
Contact Georgia Adobe, so we can initiate our services for your new project. Dial 706-363-6453
Start your new project with a consultation of just 30 minutes on the phone for free to see how we can help you, then after the free initial conversation it's just for just $125.
Contact Joe Woodall Ecoitect and Founder of Georgia Adobe, so we can initiate our services for your new project. Dial 706-363-6453
NEXT: Rammed Earth & Post & Beam Construction
HOW TO RAMMED EARTH
Passive Solar and Ventilation is a hallmark of our design process. The following video is about some of this from someone else's perspective, but we thought it might be enjoyed by our readers. Rammed Earth and Adobe homes are superior to conventional constructed homes in many ways. Most of all is their ability to keep from having to use electromechanical forced air conditioning and heating because the interior stays the same temps, pretty much year around. Having green space attached to the building, works to keep temp's constant too. Here's a video of one woman's DIY home without thermal mass and how it works in the shoulder seasons. With Insulated Thermal Mass, this works year-round as heating and cooling with passive solar and ventilation added.
One of many ways to Seal, Shiny Lime Plaster here, with Olive Oil Soap