How to make a Rammed Earth Wall

[@alapparikh2952]

I am an Architecture student and would like to thank you so very much for explaining the practical aspects of the rammed earth walls thoroughly.

[@farmaanandaa]

You're welcome!

[@archbharat]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJraZoqNormbl9E

[@jamesmatheson5115]

Rammed Earth houses were popular here in Australia 20 years ago, not sure about now, as costs were high.

[@00007chirag]

Where are you from sir?

[@bec5250]

Another amazing Indian woman bringing valuable knowledge to the world. Love it. I'm going to try this.

[@farmaanandaa]

Thank you!

[@fbsfarm9910]

Thank you for this valuable information. My grandparents from both sides lived in houses made from earth here in Cyprus 100 years ago and the walls are still standing!

[@farmaanandaa]

So assuring to hear that!

[@fbsfarm9910]

@@farmaanandaa I will try and take some photos to show you.

[@ogathingo8885]

Good to rediscover ancient building resources and methods that are appreciate again…indeed ancient tribal knowledges have wisdom that we slowly are respecting…

[@farmaanandaa]

Well said!

[@kamugishaarthur2765]

Good work but do you use concrete in foundation?

[@farmaanandaa]

The foundation is made with stone and lime. But there is a plinth beam which is made of steel & concrete, on which the shuttering is anchored and wall is built.

[@thandimichelle]

Thank you for your clear breakdown and instructions. This is one of the best videos I've heard on the subject.

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nayan4121]

Kindly make a video about ratio of material for various types soil ie sticky ,sandy.. And haw can established the wooden frame of door, window and ventilator ,

[@farmaanandaa]

We have covered the door fixing in this video itself, but will try to make a video in more detail.

[@nikodimosbiruk2243]

Thank you very much, Miss. I am from Ethiopia this morning i was sick of many mud houses in Addis Ababa , was , disracted and excavated inorder to nake the city modern. Due to this 100s if thousands of people were evacuated from the center of the city. We all were sorry, some friends etc. Actually the govt. Replenished 50 percent of evacuees with condo houses but at last it was not enough to support all. So eventhough i am not engeener i was always design, study and choose dif. Low vost materials for the needs. Today i saw a nice madam lecturing what i need. Thank you.

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad to hear that

[@pateljipatel4856]

The Best Solution for tropical areas houses on Westrn side for thermal Protection n in garden for for soft plants 🙏🇮🇳🙏💐

[@agrippanyagwaya2308]

Thank you for this beautiful unique technology I'm gonna venture into this project in Zimbabwe Africa

[@farmaanandaa]

Awesome! All the best!

[@varshau88]

Do we need to moisten the soil gravel and lime mixture before use?

[@farmaanandaa]

Yes the mixture is moistened with water.

[@farmaanandaa]

Yes the mixture is moistened with water.

[@aniketpatel2589]

Nice to see jitesh malik, he took one class for us on insulation art.

[@shaileshlute8059]

Can one hammer nail or screws in these walls ?

[@farmaanandaa]

Yes you can

[@johnhoward2337]

Can you place a metal pipe in the walls for electrical lines. Ram the soil. Then pull the metal pipe out? Perhaps coat the pipe with oil or powder to retrieve easy? So that no plastic pipe is needed for electrical cables?

[@farmaanandaa]

That would be risky.

[@krishnaagrawal9984]

Hi. Is it possible to construct a rammed earth wall in an outward inclination of about 2 mtrs. for a height of about 18-20 mtrs. ?

[@farmaanandaa]

What do you mean by outward inclination? As long as you can erect a form work which does not collapse under the weight of the ramming, you should be able to build.

[@krishnaagrawal9984]

I mean a wall not erected straight upwards but is inclined at one side.. although the form can be erected with the help of temporary supporting structures. But will the final wall sustain without eaves in a climate type of central India?

[@best1onearth]

If your serious about building a rammed earth house. Get David Easton's book on rammed earth. Follow his formwork, plans etc. Buy a skid steer, get a mixing bucket from Ritchie auctions. I use a Stanley ta 55 tamper, it is a hydraulic tamper so runs off the ports on the skid steer. Start small, build a small wall or sitting area first. And please be safe, don't rammed in sandals, use a hard hat, gloves, safety glasses also.

[@farmaanandaa]

Thanks - none of those things are available in India!

[@atulbhagwat8043]

Very good information. Thanks for that. Are your rammed earth wall acting as panel walls? As i see RCC columns in between probably to take roof load

[@farmaanandaa]

The walls are load bearing. The pillars are just connectors between the plinth beam and ring beam and staple the entire structure together

[@muhammadmubeenislam]

Hey nice work. What kind of lime did you use? Is it slacked lime or any other form?

[@farmaanandaa]

Slaked lime

[@alecsherman]

Thank you for the excellent practical details like "tamping until you hear a metallic sound". Your video was so informational I've taken notes and sending to my contractor. This year I'm planning on building a rammed earth construction home and will definitely use some of these tips! I'm subscribing to your channel now...

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad it was helpful! And thank you for subscribing!

[@ulkapawar952]

Huge work you are doing by spreading on site knowledge! i=could you throw more light on what is the foundation used here and also, the costing of these walls. thanks a lot!

[@farmaanandaa]

Thank you! Will do!

[@wreay2240]

This is a video of my thoughts the last couple days about rammed earth. Thank you

[@arjun10able]

Hello i am from Nepal.🙏I remember my grandparents house built from mud, Bamboo n bricks which was more comfortable in summer n winter. In future i am planning to build new house with rammed earth wall. Mud house is comfy n cosy effective

[@farmaanandaa]

Thanks for sharing!

[@greeshmaanand7635]

Do the walls require 'curing' and if yes, for how long?

[@farmaanandaa]

No, the walls do not require any curing. The shuttering is removed after a day, and the walls are ready!

[@abubakarmohd6064]

Can we build commercial building like apartments

[@farmaanandaa]

A few stories for sure. Not sure about high rises.

[@sajidrafique375]

That's lovely Info . I saw one video of pakistani villagers doing exactly the same thing .

[@rockstar81812]

Can you please let us know , how do you waterproof you walls

[@farmaanandaa]

Rammed earth walls don't really need waterproofing. But to prevent dust from falling off continuously, you can put a thin coat of silicone which can be sprayed or brushed into the wall

[@sumitakundu8052]

Thanks Manisha , you are actually showing us the way to follow our dreams, and hope will get to contact PPL who can help build our dreams.

[@DittoK18]

Wow very informative.

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad you think so!

[@ThoneJones]

I really love the idea of this type of construction. It’s so much better than the typical 2X4 construction. Of course getting it approved by the building inspector in the USA would be a big challenge.

[@jiteshmalik3606]

You could still try non-load bearing walls, i assume....I understand, getting permissions within the urban areas in India, specially for Load bearing Walls is next to impossible....the Building Codes need to be updated with research and documentation; A group of us architects in Chandigarh area are pursuing with the administration...with our experiments at Aanandaa, we are a step closer! There is Sirewall in Canada who are building Rammed earth walls, you might be able to get specifications etc. from them for the approval process in the US.

[@Batmicheal]

That’s an issue here, getting approved for non conventional construction. Can do anything for non residential construction like sheds, barns, cellars, etc but commercial building are typically steel and concrete and residential dwellings are typically stick framed but have known of cement block construction approved for residential construction, and some areas have a method of approving log homes. There are areas that have no building codes and no code enforcement for building but I don’t live in one.

[@jamesmatheson5115]

They passed construction requirements here in Australia so America should be easy.

[@namelessanonymous5216]

Works well even without rcc columns. 6'x2'x3 i.e. (length breadth height) block at a time. One layer/level of huge blocks is laid n left to dry for 24hrs & then another row is made over it. That's how ppl are building farm boundary walls in rural Punjab.

[@farmaanandaa]

Yes sure it can be done. We wanted to be 100% earthquake proof as these walls are carrying the weight of the roofs too

[@kiransingh9756]

Superb explanation

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad you liked it

[@irina.gamulina]

Thank you do much for this kind of detailed explanation 🙏🏼

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad it was helpful!

[@yalealy]

Thank you Manisha. The information you provide is very valuable.

[@Iam.com.c]

Wow thank you that is such a good teaching on how to build basic 😮

[@mintsanesta]

Thank you for your video, I would love to build my house using, I found some lime slurry , it has paint consistency can I use it as stabilizer? I can't wait to read you

[@farmaanandaa]

I believe you should strain it and add the thicker lime left in the strainer

[@mintsanesta]

Thank you , please would you guide us?what is the mix ratio earth/lime?

[@farmaanandaa]

Watch the other video on this playlist where Ashumi explains the details of the mix

[@mintsanesta]

@@farmaanandaa I can't find it

[@Appu219]

Hello sir Thanks a lot for the informative video. Have there been any examples of rammed earth wall constructions in coastal regions that are susceptible to torrential rains and high winds? Can these walls sustain such weathers easily?

[@farmaanandaa]

They can provided you make a large overhanging roof so that the rainwater does not hit against the walls.

[@raagamadhu]

Hello mam, Very inspiring to see the amount of changes you have adapted to lead a sustainable life. Only few can do this. As I am not as capable as you are, I am just supporting a campaign know as "Conscious plant" headed by Sadhguru to save soil. I couldn't imagine anyone except you who can understand this better.If people like you support this, the momentum that it gathers is huge. This is my small request to you to support this as much as you can 🙏🙏🙏

[@imayank9]

thanks manisha for nice video

[@Wild1Banana]

India is probably the worlds best resource for Rammed earth natural home construction with modern plumbing wiring etc and my biggest questions about rammed earth is not the walls but the engineering of wall to roof structures and materials for a well insulated natural material roof and the roof water proofing without synthetic materials etc .

[@HarshSuryawanshi]

That’s the best video someone ever made on rammed earth. Great

[@farmaanandaa]

Wow thats great to hear!

[@HarshSuryawanshi]

@@farmaanandaa it will good if you can put detailed information on how to fix corner and end panels of shuttering, electric and plumbing working, fixing doors and windows and closing top of rammed earth wall. Basically if you have proper documentation of construction then by watching all these videos one shall easily able to understand the process and start planning his/her rammed earth adobe. Thanks

[@sara31786]

What a ram fine woman 😍

[@farmaanandaa]

Haha

[@sara31786]

@@farmaanandaa Only a person who truly understands the subject can explain it simply.......doing so with the voice and tone of an angel whilst looking flawless well, very compressive

[@Lukavichiano]

Wonderful video. Well explained and presented. Thank you.

[@saladin333]

Great video with full of information. Thank you! A question wil remain: how to protect the wall from rain?

[@farmaanandaa]

The wall doesn't really need any protection from rain. It will hold its own. However you can coat it with a silicon waterproofing solution to prevent it from dusting off

[@hexdef6423]

On the topic of binders what about aluminum zinc powders that later could be fired after compaction? On the topic of pipes doors and windows is there a reason aside from supplies that a corrundum bit or sets of bits shouldn't be used to cut the holes? Obviously the doors or windows you should plan but while labor intensive could be done with the above method.

[@farmaanandaa]

Your questions are too technical for me! I am just a home owner, not an architect or builder.

[@hexdef6423]

@@farmaanandaa and that's totally fair. The nice thing about the internet though is its ability to foster communication in the most unlikely of places. Maybe no one else will see this comment and reply or maybe I'll get a dozen architects telling me why this won't work. At the end of the day though, hopefully it sparks conversation and breathes new life into this ancient building method that has become abandoned in many parts of the world.

[@a.s.562]

Thanks for good explanation video. Is column is necessary for this technique, will earth compress and more compact with time and wont crack will appear between different material (concrete column). May you make video review of very old houses, with/withiut columns. Namaste

[@farmaanandaa]

The walls are load bearing so columns are not really needed. But we have added some columns to connect the plinth beam and ring beam and staple the structure together. This is because we are in an Earthquake prone zone.

[@a.s.562]

@@farmaanandaa thanks for quick ans useful reply, I'm also from earthquake risk place. Namaste

[@hometube788]

really helpful video. thankyou for sharing

[@rajeevrawat6863]

Thank you so much for the derailed explanation 🙏

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad it was helpful!

[@vinaymk2002]

Please make more videos we are glad to watch and i started to do your things in my farm

[@farmaanandaa]

Awesome!

[@kimgboy1]

Excellent i love your techniques i look forward to Learning more

[@farmaanandaa]

Awesome, thank you!

[@namelessanonymous5216]

Excellent 👍 superb. Future of environment friendly construction. I wish I cud visit the site & take a hands-on training course to DIY construct my own house. M in Lahore, Pakistan.

[@surekadevistudios7217]

Have you built with solar power in mind? Thank You for your video. I will be exploring your channel.

[@farmaanandaa]

Yes I have. Just need to install the plant now. Wondering whether to keep batteries or not. Any thoughts?

[@geraldhorst1]

thank you very much. Please can anyone tell me how you can fix anything to this wall? Like wall cabinets, shelfs, paintings? And what about the little boxes for the electric switches Thank you very much for your answer.

[@farmaanandaa]

Drill a hole. Insert a plastic or wooden plug and tighten a screw in place. The little boxes for electricals are inserted by chiselling out the wall. However electrical pipes are inserted before ramming

[@AmirSaleemShah]

Manisha ! I am still confused about the foundation of the rammed earth. My question is " Do you used Steel in the foundation of the wall or used Steel or cement in the beam beneath the walls " ? Hope you will answer the Q ?

[@farmaanandaa]

Steel and cement in the beam beneath the wall. The formwork is anchored on that beam and then we start ramming the earth

[@AmirSaleemShah]

@@farmaanandaa Thanks alot . Now I got your point.

[@AmirSaleemShah]

@@farmaanandaa I am going to construct rammed earth walls for my upcoming project. Is used of steel and cement in beams beneath the walls necessary? ( Single storey building )

[@arpitsharma5247]

Had you also explored compressed CsEB bricks vis a vis other natural building techniques? What were the advantages of using Rammed earth in place of CSEB bricks?

[@farmaanandaa]

I think the finish is better with rammed earth. You can leave the wall unplastered

[@arpitsharma5247]

@@farmaanandaa ok. But as far as durability and strength of the wall as well as the labour required and hence the time and cost of construction would be same ?

[@farmaanandaa]

On all counts rammed earth is better. It's faster to make. Does not need the sun. Save huge amount of cost in plastering and finishing. And has a longer life.

[@ಕಾವಲು]

thank you mam, i need learn more about this rammed earth wall, your conducting any class?

[@farmaanandaa]

No classes, sorry!

[@anilbaraik3684]

Great Idea of constructing a Sustainable House. I would like to know when the water is added or completly no water is used to raise the Wall.

[@farmaanandaa]

Very little water is added. More like a sprinkle

[@anilbaraik3684]

When can I join you for trainings. Please send address. Atleast how much time is needed for Basic training? Thanks ANIL Ranchi Jharkhand

[@soltanakouider5922]

thks very informative

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad it was helpful!

[@davidfernandez2652]

Thank you for answering my questions from your previous video!

[@farmaanandaa]

Keep your queries comin!

[@leilatiu9721]

This what I am looking for. Thank you so much ❤

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad!

[@anjaliphogat8491]

Mam jis area mein already termites ho kya hum uss plot mein mud house banaa sakte hain.

[@farmaanandaa]

Haan you can. But to manage termite you must establish an ecosystem. Keep hens there for sometime. They will love to eat the termite

[@vinaytalluri]

But.you have used the RCC pillars and plinth beams right?

[@farmaanandaa]

Yes. We are in an earthquake zone. Unlike auroville, where they build rammed earth walls straight on stone foundations.

[@rogercarroll1663]

Great presentation, thank you very much.

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad it was helpful!

[@satyakithorat3545]

Wonderful, quite helpful video

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad it was helpful!

[@theaisfamily568]

Soil main agar clay parcentage jyada hai to us main red brick choora ya bajarpur (sand) mila sakte hain kya?

[@farmaanandaa]

Zyada clay ya zyada sand ka ek hi ilaj hai. Organic matter badhana

[@walaaali9711]

Will the piping need to be replaced? Will they need any care or will they be protected completely?

[@farmaanandaa]

If you're talking about the pipes within the walls, they will be protected completely

[@haiderimran1]

Lovely piece of work. Respect from lahore and now I’m looking for artisans who can do this for my house ❤

[@farmaanandaa]

Thank you. Am sure you will find some local artisans

[@CEarthling]

I think you guys are Vegan....You adopted that stray cow.I appreciate it.

[@the_seekerslife1027]

Thanks Manisha Ji 🙏🙏🙏 loving your efforts. So inspiring 🙏🙏🙏❤️

[@king000775]

Great work, here i have a question, the rammed earth walls are having great load bearing capabilities then why you using concrete columns?

[@farmaanandaa]

To hold the entire frame together and make it erthquake proof.

[@king000775]

@@farmaanandaa great

[@radhagupta3939]

Super informative, with supporting videos as well!

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad you liked it!

[@nikbivation]

amazing job, keep it up!

[@sirmsjira8114]

How does one learn about this construction tecnique? I'm from kenya and I'd like to have this knowledge and teach more people.

[@farmaanandaa]

Just be reading and researching!

[@durga144]

Main pillar are done using cement and iron rods Can those be replaced as well?

[@farmaanandaa]

Maybe with bamboo and lime mortar. You can try.

[@pathikshah9055]

Hi, Love what your are doing and have been following you since a long time. Need your little help here. We are planing to build a farm house and are very keen on using natural materials to build our farm house. We are from Mumbai and our farm land is near PAWNA damn. This region as you know comes under heavy monsoon belt. My question here is that can Rammed Earth wall sustain in such a harsh monsoon conditions. Your insights would be really appreciated. We are contemplating either mud blocks or Rammed Earth. Thx.

[@jatinjalia8676]

This is simply beautiful

[@keefskibiro]

Thanks for this great content. How do you ensure cracks don't appear on the walls?

[@farmaanandaa]

The soil composition should have the right mix of clay, silt and sand. Also, ramming should be consistent. Shuttering should be tight. If any pillars are inserted within the wall, there should be enough space around it to ram the earth. 👍

[@lurin971]

Fantastic!

[@villagefoodie5864]

How to select Earth Mud or all the mid may use for those building

[@farmaanandaa]

You will have to test your soil to check if it's suitable for rammed earth construction

[@ravikarpunj608]

I am inspired and wonders if I could ever get a chance to build my own "Rammed Earth" or "Earth Block" house ? Even I don't have a piece of land. But definitely would love to associate with architect near me, to learn the art. Looking forward to get an opportunity to work with.

[@farmaanandaa]

All the best!

[@riethacrafford7375]

what is the mixtures you use of EARTH< LIME etc. please. How wet should mixture be

[@keithc8108]

Amazing architecture! How does it handle the rainy season? Please explain.

[@farmaanandaa]

Nothing happens in the rains as long as the top of the wall is protected. The sides are well rammed and water resistant

[@ajayayyappan2522]

Excellent video! Thank you for sharing. I have enjoyed it.

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@suriyadunya9994]

Awesome video

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@HCEndgame]

You're doing God's work 🙏

[@farmaanandaa]

Thank you so much 🙏

[@msunils]

I am interested in building my own house with rammed earth, could you point me at any workshop conducted anywhere please

[@farmaanandaa]

Hello, we are not aware of any workshops - you can contact the Auroville Earth Institute - they may have some.

[@chan_for]

drilling holes for hanging fixtures & paintings?

[@farmaanandaa]

No issues at all. Our house is filled with art on the walls

[@jagirjosan4521]

Nice, thanks for knowledge

[@farmaanandaa]

Thanks for liking

[@maelneri5495]

Thank you so much for this great presentation. Almost all of my question are answered.

[@farmaanandaa]

Glad!

[@kennethcoutinho4439]

Is this type of construction expensive ..any projects like this in Goa

[@farmaanandaa]

Pls google Clea Chandmal in Goa. She can help you with such projects.

[@prabhuvn]

Self regulating the temperature is interesting...Can we live without air conditioner in hot climate regions?

[@farmaanandaa]

Absolutely. There is no provision for air conditioning in our house

[@prabhuvn]

@@farmaanandaa Awesome...please explain in detail in your future video.Shuting down AC will make us lot more healthier.

[@cflow3914]

Why do you use lime or cement as stabilizer? There are companies who don’t use it. Like Lehm Ton Erde in Austria.

[@farmaanandaa]

It used to probably ensure that the wall hardens sooner. In India most people use cement to stabilise, but we chose lime.

[@durbinito]

Watched two videos. Seems great. Excited to see the finish of the house.

[@dhojookram1225]

I am a great lover of sustainable earthen buildings, but want to know more about the coating of walls and waterproofing.

[@farmaanandaa]

The exterior of the walls is coated with Zycosil - a thin layer of silicon

[@HappyFacts28]

May I ask, will it shrink when the wall dries?

[@farmaanandaa]

No, it does not shrink. IN fact it is a dry mix which is rammed so there is nothing like 'when the wall dries up'

[@bhanuchaudhary3436]

Wow Very Interesting 😊

[@alapparikh2952]

After coping beam, is there any layer of mortar require to join rammed earth with plinth below? Or wall directly rests on beam without any layer/mortar in between?

[@farmaanandaa]

Wall rests directly on the plinth. No layer of mortar or brick required.

[@alapparikh2952]

@@farmaanandaa okay. thanks for the reply

[@biswanathpradhan7549]

In Odisha, mud houses were in huge numbers. Sadly, those are rare now. Mortar is made of mud & sand, first by mixing with a spade and then adding water and using feet to make a good mixture. This mortar is laid on a foundation of stones layer by layer till reaching the desired height. I have seen mud houses of more than 50 years without much maintenance.

[@farmaanandaa]

Thanks for sharing

[@Ab_035]

Do you know mud house can be build in any location or only in dry area? What can be the cost to make for minimum of 400 sqft home?

[@practice1997]

is there any foundation beneath the walls or it's standing on just land

[@farmaanandaa]

There is a stone and lime mortar foundation along with a plinth beam of cement and metal. That is needed if you are in an earthquake prone area like ours.

[@practice1997]

@@farmaanandaa yeah, that's why I asked. Thanks!

[@anjalikohroo7428]

Very good series for earth lovers..nice mam ...thank you for this... 🙏

[@farmaanandaa]

You're welcome. Happy to share!

[@saisuren6488]

Hi akka I saw ur project house it's fantastic akka 🎉