Alternative Construction

Like many products on the market today, the average home is built as cheap and fast as possible, and sold for as much as possible. Many homes are built in a single day, and it shows... maybe not on the outside, but the results of such poor construction methods are obvious to those living in these homes. They are expensive, difficult to heat and cool (because walls are often so thin a child could easily kick holes through them), and what little insulation there is makes little difference. Why spend more on a poorly constructed home built from non-renewable building materials when building green homes could cost much less?

Earthen Homes

"Earthen Home" is an umbrella term used for green buildings which are built partially or completely underground, using earthen building materials such as adobe, cob, dirt, mud bricks, rammed earth, straw bales and mud, stone, etc. Such building materials are earth friendly, affordable, readily available, and in many cases stronger and more durable than those used in traditional home construction. Earthen homes can be just as strong as (or stronger than) steel buildings when arch, dome, radial or honeycomb shapes are used for weight bearing purposes, and if built properly earthen structures are highly resistant to natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and earthquakes, especially if built underground. With sufficient drainage, water resistant glazing and firing, earthen homes do not wash away with the rain or floods, most have a much higher R value than traditional homes, and they are well suited for passive solar design, grey water systems and other natural building techniques.

People have been building earthen homes for centuries, most of which have stood up to the tests of time. Cob homes built hundreds of years ago still stand today and even the Great Wall of China, built over two thousand years ago and still standing, is an earthen structure. Earthen homes and other alternative construction methods are certainly not new, only unknown by some and disregarded by others.

Adobe Construction

Adobes are built with bricks made of sand, clay and sometimes sifted straw, which is mixed together with water. Bricks are dried in the sun, then fired and stacked to form walls, using mortar (which is usually made from the same materials as the bricks) to hold them in place. Foundations may be constructed from stones and/or grancrete (the natural, waterproof, earth friendly and stronger version of concrete), and roofs are typically made from wood covered with the same building materials as that used for the bricks and mortar. Roofs do not have to incorporate the use of wood at all however, if bricks for the roof are arranged in the shape of an arch or dome.

Ceramic Dome Homes

Ceramic dome homes are basically the same as adobes, but rather than firing bricks prior to construction, the bricks are allowed to dry and the home is built, then fired. Foundations can be made of stone and/or grancrete, roofs are usually made of bricks and mortar alone and built in the shape of an arch or dome, and salt is often added to the inside and/or outside layer of brick and mortar (prior to firing) as a glaze for additional water proofing.

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