Rammed Earth : You won’t Believe How They Build This!

Join Matt as he travels to see a Rammed Earth House being built in the High Desert of West Texas.
Architecture by - www.lakeflato.com
Construction by - www.pilgrimbuilding.com
/ lakeflato
/ pilgrimbuildingcompany
/ enableraustin
Huge thanks to our Show sponsors Polywall, Huber, Dorken Delta, Prosoco, Rockwool & Viewrail for helping to make these videos possible! These are all trusted companies that Matt has worked with for years and trusts their products in the homes he builds. We would highly encourage you to check out their websites for more info.
www.Poly-Wall.com
www.Dorken.com
www.Huberwood.com
www.Prosoco.com
www.Viewrail.com
www.Rockwool.com

[@jameskniskern2261]

As a natural builder, I enjoyed watching this video. I have a small quibble of a point. The Rammed Earth shown in the video is called "cement stabilized rammed earth". Not to be confused with rammed earth which has no cement added. Rammed earth walls have been used for thousands of years by many peoples around the globe. The Chinese used the method to build much of the Great Wall, and saved the stone for facing the walls to protect them from weathering. Rammed earth is a technique that can be done by an individual, and most soil types (except sand) can be used. It is most efficient to use the on-site subsoil, preferably dug from the foundation area, and future pond excavations. Cement stabilized rammed earth has a much higher carbon footprint, due to use of Portland cement, which is amazingly high in embodied energy use. And cement is often not needed if the design of the rammed earth structure has good "hat and boots", i.e. roof overhangs and stem walls. Another advantage of both rammed earth and cement stabilized rammed earth, is they are impervious to insect damage. Unlike wood, or other cellulosic structures, termites and ants (and other crawlies) do no damage to the walls. Anyway, thanks for showing us this alternative building method.

[@adnanmalik6244]

Is rammed earth building good for hot climate passive house?

[@georgeidarraga5047]

Adnan Malik I’m pretty sure that is one of the best uses for it.

[@wbwills2]

James Kniskern ,you seem to know your stuff .not just building but some other really neat things. I believe I’m your 4th subscriber.im a bigshot you tuber too..scrolled through your videos.every one looked interesting.let me know if you see this .my daughter & I have a spot in NC Sandhills that we’re going to pass on down the line one day & it’s been whispering “use what’s here to build “.getting louder every day. A lot of variety & the lay of the land & everything just feels right .like to make it nice for generations too enjoy.a good start anyway . your comment struck a chord.a couple things in particular. It’s late. better go.Id like to know if you could point me in the right direction or at least a direction.a good book,contact .anything would be helpful.not sure where you reside so...but if you would let me know what you think I’d appreciate it. So much misinformation online .mind-boggling amount of good & bad. Good evening , Burke Wills

[@nofurtherwest3474]

I was thinking, this isn't that different than just using cement blocks, it seems. You could use cement blocks then use a form and concrete to get a architectual looks on the wall exteriors.

[@jameskniskern2261]

@@wbwills2 I'm in KY. Have a strawbale house my wife designed. We know a few things. 😁Our house is a hybrid of ancient and modern building techniques. Some we used for efficiency, some for esthetics.

[@douglasgault2578]

I talked my parents into building rammed earth over Adobe in Tucson AZ back in 1990. Their home was impressive and silent inside. Wall 2' thick, was so massive that the swamp cooler was only run evey 4 days and a single load of fire wood would keep the insides toasty for days. Power wise the house electrical only cost 15-20 a month.

[@GregJoshuaW]

I'll bet a couple gaming computers running would be enough to heat it.

[@MTerrance]

@calavante swamp coolers work in Arizona because the air is so dry. They don't work in the midwest where the summer heat of 90 degrees is accompanied by 90 percent humidity!

[@91156]

calavante We can’t help it that you don’t get out much. LOL!!!

[@TimothyArcher]

@Douglas Gault, Wow, that's awesome! It seems clear that the people who are criticizing this type of construction as overly expensive, are failing to take into account the fact that the cost of occupying and maintaining these types of structures, is very, very low. True, you have a higher cost up front, but these buildings will pay for themselves, over the years, in money saved on heating, cooling, and structural maintenance. And because they are built to such a high standard, they will outlast any conventional stick-built structure, and are going to be worth much more. In my opinion, this is a very smart way to build.

[@dannygillmusic]

Michael Lambert why do they call it a swamp cooler if they only work in the dessert where there are no swamps?? 🤔

[@jimmynam4261]

In Morocco it's traditional to build our houses with earth, we don't use cement only earth with hay, the majority of ancient cities are built like that since centuries

[@tarkanakagunduz6374]

Why the rest of the Great Wall are not rammed Earth. The Chinese see rammed Earth was Bullshit. And Chinese Wall was mixed with Clay. Not only Earth

[@hamidmohattane9766]

Jimmy Nam That means " TABOUT ´´

[@danychris6671]

you are in usa, the government just let them to do that now...and they think they are free...they don`t let them to collect rain water ....in usa that free country...hahahah

[@videowatcher8818]

We do the same thing in our region (Northern Caucasus). Besides straw we also add horse manure and make adobe bricks of desired size.

[@grzegorzbrzeczyszykiewic3338]

in many countries it's very economical to use earthen materials like clay and soil because it's everywhere, and it works as a good insulator. the only problem is that if it rains you will have to repair you're house constantly, which is why you normally find these types of houses in deserts and places where it doesn't rain.

[@Patriot3791]

Matt. I'm watching this for a second time a year later. You should give us an update on this compound the next time you're in the area.

[@Patriot3791]

Still waiting on that update Matt.

[@xinnix363]

I work in the sign industry and once had to hammer drill about 300 1/4" holes into a monument sign, made out of Rammed Earth. 12 bits and 8 hours later, I realized this material and process is no joke. I wouldn't be surprised if it could withstand a nuclear blast.

[@VitorMadeira]

I live in the Algarve (South Portugal) and believe me: Most country houses that were built more that 50 years ago, were built using the very same technique you showed us in there. Great video. A true homage to the ancient human knowledge. Greetings from Portugal.

[@wyattcisco]

Thank You Mr Madeira

[@carl-ok9gn]

this technique is recent and only possible with modern technology... there's a huge difference between mud huts and compressed earth.

[@primovid]

To all the wannabe rammed earth "experts" responding to Victor's comment, I suggest you google "historic rammed earth"

[@carl-ok9gn]

@@methemanization i just want you to know i only read the first line of that. congrats

[@markzalavari1780]

Same greetings from Hungary applying this method for hundreds of years.

[@zanyzoo6767]

Here in the UK, we have "cob" houses, which is a mixture of mud and straw. I think sometimes that mix includes animal dung in it as well . Some of the buildings are still standing today and are over 400 years old .

[@mentalatious]

legit! Quality shows when building this simple, no paint, no patching and done right the first time.

[@genephipps6421]

For the question "When do you know it is compacted enough" it is actually pretty easy to tell as the wall will start "singing" meaning the sound changes very noticeably from a dull thumping to an almost ringing like sound.

[@stephenlittle7534]

I live in a cob built house two foot thick walls on ground floor level. It's always a certain level temperature all year. Cool in summer and OK in winter. I somtimes put a little heater on 2kw but only for a short time or just leave on frost setting. So for 14 years now No central heating used. For real.

[@Baigle1]

nice

[@TiempoNuevo-ew7ty]

wow that is fantastic. I've heard the original old "straw and mud" houses lasted a very long time... some still around today.

[@bullfrogger1208]

@@TiempoNuevo-ew7ty They were using baled rice straw to build houses a few years ago .Talk about thick walls . Came about as a result of restrictions on field burning . Needed a place for their straw . I think it's too much matter and decays too slowly to turn back into the soil each year .

[@ClickLikeAndSubscribe]

1819 earth hut in West Texas - poor man's home. 2019 earth hut compound with heated flooring - rich man's abode.

[@kkknotcool]

I think the Portland cement is the big difference. Those old earth huts just broke down and made everything unstable and dirty. These are more like brick houses then earthen houses.

[@DylanBegazo]

It was considered poor man's home because the culture was arrogant and ignorant and prejudice. They think poor people live like savages and don't know anything about quality culturul construction. But these Off grid, or adobe or earthen homes prove that the "poor man" was actually ahead of the game. lol

[@curmudgeon1933]

The good thing about rammed earth houses as built in places like Portugal is that although they don't last forever, but when the surface of the walls start to degrade they can be easily scraped out and reformed with a little water and re-plastered with earth stucco. When these start to break down the cement means they can't be recycled. Adobe houses use a similar principle.

[@scottleft3672]

@@kkknotcool More like brikies mud than brick.

[@megadawg342]

A Hobbit House is EXPENSIVE!

[@dennisf.macintyre117]

In The GM Engine assembly line I worked on, small parts like the oil pan bolts would be delivered to the installer using vibration. I wonder if that could be used to deliver the dirt. Perhaps a combination between a conveyer dirt delivery truck like landscapers use ( also for spreading gravel ) and the vibrator mover to be cheaper than manual shoveling. The operator would stand where he could see where the dirt is to go and by the controls he is wearing on his hips, he is able to operate all the functions of the above said truck to control the amount of dirt placed where it is wanted.

[@robertrusso5525]

I LOVE that desert architecture. Can't wait to see the Lake Flato house you will be building with them. They have a great style.

[@zacm9174]

I'm an HVAC contractor in Canada and I worked on a rammed earth house once. I did the heat loss calculation and it was over 180,000 BTUH for 2500sq ft. When I showed it to the builder and voiced my concerns he just brushed it off and said my heat loss program didn't take into account "the mass" They did have a layer of 3.5" Roxul in the middle of the wall but no perimeter insulation on the radiant slab and huge thermal bridges around every door and window. The first winter they went through $10,000 of propane. I'll have to admit they do look really nice though.

[@realjouster]

Sounds like a bad climate for the material coupled with some poor choices on detailing.

[@user-vo8ss2bm3p]

Who cares about some boring calculations?) Only empiric approach, only hardcore!))

[@werewolf74]

Doesn't concrete also produce CO2 ? Is there a danger of that? You are in a giant Stone box...

[@realjouster]

@@werewolf74 The manufacturing of cement releases a lot of C02, chemically and by burning fossil fuels for heat. Concrete doesn't off-gas significantly after its cured if that's what you were thinking.

[@wildernessfather]

That's terrible to hear, they must have been so disappointed. We have 8" of roxul in the middle and we did put 6 inches under slab and on all perimeters. We even cut the center of our top cap and filled it with foam, so there are zero thermal bridges. Our 2650 sq/ft home with a heat pump costs the same to heat as our 300 ft cabin with baseboards.

[@lostathome2]

Such a gorgeous book - each shed is unique and inspiring, and I love all the tiny details Kotite features to help readers imagine how to create their own She Sheds kzbin.infoUgkxe9yi0sulKgsp0VJJCIrLWWkvVqcU7LFR . The feature on Dinah's Rustic Retreat is like something from a fairy tale. It's really inspiring to see how creative all these ordinary people are in making beautiful and useful spaces on a modest scale.

[@Lilmiket1000]

I find it funny after all this innovation and thousands of years of building shelters we've come back around to dirt rock cave-like structures. I believe that is a good thing. it's healthy and all-natural. And honestly, a structure like that would outlive many generations of people. Especially now when you have brand new houses failing in only 5 years or so.

[@libertypastor1307]

And to think most folks think cave men were primitive dummies!

[@gravityimage5]

Isn't it ironic? the industries go for profit and quick, unsustainable build methods, when the end result will be thus. Such a disappointing Era, when we know.

[@critical-thought]

Thanks for this video. I am prepping designs for a new home, and hope to incorporate a couple rammed earth walls. Seeing this makes me believe it is possible. Great job!

[@stevestelly1086]

You guy are finally doing what the Ancients were doing 10 to 13 thousand years ago.

[@walterbrunswick]

yes but now with Ethernet and warm floors😉

[@kirkruiz12]

Think it was much older and we have a way to go

[@RefinerSimilitude]

Matt I appreciate your enthusiasm. Your vids are very pleasant to watch and they are TV quality. Nice drone footage of the wall tops to show how the roof rests. New or not, I've not heard anyone else talk about this.

[@solarwizzo8667]

I am impressed! Working dry, pulvery earth into such solid walls! I have built some earthship-style rammed earth tyre walls, which are very solid as well. But you still need to fill the voids and do lots of plaster work. This is really impressive! Matt, Thanks for sharing this!

[@MetalGearMk3]

Finally Rammed Earth on this channel!!!

[@francisvanderhoven9088]

I was in the Engineers Corp in South Africa an we built Houses same as you did when we where in Namibia in 1978 but we used more concrete and they where amazing our walls where not as wide we use to bolt the outer an inner reusable shuttering on a already cast floor we where a team of 6 we built 1 house a day we used two sets of shuttering one we built and one was being cast into. I was amazed you guys have taken it to the next level....Well Done

[@francisvanderhoven9088]

@@jeta-mariaswanepoel hi Mevrou hoe gaan dit met "U"

[@tsclly2377]

There are examples of this in Australia ,I was in the 1980's, western Australia south of Perth, Mathia's Bay.. great surf there. 18" thick. Remember that there is a ocean breeze there.. also some fire shelters in Victoria..

[@rowea1]

That’s fascinating. You built a whole wall in a day? Did you need water or was the mix all dry?

[@Bryan1483]

This is stuff out of a movie, absolutely beautiful, imagine looking out on them sunsets from within!

[@jasondoust4935]

I love how the acoustics change inside an earth building. Really low reverberation. Big lintels, yep. Consider the mass, as well as compaction forces!

[@johnnymwillis7133]

This is probably the most interesting method of construction I have seen to date. All I can say is WOW!

[@seanmccay6448]

There's a cool project in SA on Eisenhaur Rd that used rammed earth as well as compressed earth blocks. Pretty cool stuff. I'd love to see you cover projects in San Antonio!

[@diegaah]

Beautiful and thank you for sharing this “mouthwatering” video! A must watch! Fantastic work

[@paulcuddy9216]

A crew with true commitment, outstanding guys enjoyed watching.

[@lyfandeth]

Matt, get an old Whole Earth Catalog, the original early ones all had rammed earth construction techniques in them 50+ years ago.

[@thatdutchguy2882]

Go back a few thousand years and native American's did this too.

[@simeon324]

for this guy everything is DAAANG COOOOL WOW

[@mwj5368]

I wonder if they could make a video of the houses made during the Whole Earth Catalog days and what they look like today. I remember that was a great catalog.

[@markdoldon8852]

Yes, until the old hippies got old and got jobs and realized that paying for labor makes it impractical. Those old school homes used nothing but friable clays, so its difficult to pass building code in any place with earthquake or rain issues. High desert is perfect. But importing the crew makes it very expensive.

[@mwj5368]

@@markdoldon8852 Hi Mark! You know construction and materials... so if the old school people had used a percentage of concrete they would have passed code in earthquake and rainy regions? Do you know if any of the old school homes are still standing 50 or more years later? Are the homes presented here with concrete in the mixture... those walls don't deteriorate in the rain or break up in earthquakes and would pass code? I wonder too if the Whole Earth Catalog plan included different mixtures for areas of rain and earthquake too. I read that Germany is now widely using aircrete as the ideal material of the future. It's very easy to make, strong, light weight, waterproof, and a very low cost building material.

[@USMC--me3ig]

The guy explaining everything to you looks like he couldn’t be more excited to talk to you.

[@rorytennes8576]

USMC03-1408. He has a hangover and a large debt to pay. lol.

[@constantinosschinas4503]

lol

[@calorus]

@@rorytennes8576 Nope, it's what happens when you're given a job that engages your brain and you get a chance to explain the decision *you* made.

[@chriswesley594]

I noticed that, but in my view it's because the interviewer's manufactured enthusiasm is actually a little annoying.

[@superbuddyfranklin]

Yeah, they both look like they are losing a lot of money.

[@craigfrasco]

one of the earliest concepts of building modernized. brilliant. I gotta see this first hand

[@debbieboring3422]

This is awesome. I have heard of this but never seen it done. I have seen earth bag houses done where it is hand tamped. It is great to see earth used to keep things comfortable from heat and cold. Thanks I am glad I saw you on YT channel Off the Ranch.

[@samson9428]

Pretty cool. We put the stuff these walls are made of on the ground and pave over top of it, and we call it soil cement.

[@thinkingoutsidethegrid5625]

Absolutely beautiful work! I love the bond beam detail. We live in a Rammed Earth home and we LOVE it!!!

[@thinkingoutsidethegrid5625]

@C J , we are in South East Arizona. It does great here, but we do have a heat source for the winter. I think most people use a ridged insulation when building with rammed Earth in the colder climates.

[@thinkingoutsidethegrid5625]

@C J , it will get to about 80 inside our house when the temps are I'm the high 90's low 100's outside. We typically see a temperature difference of about 20 degrees f. At night it typically drops to the high 60's so we open our windows and it cools everything down for the next day. Once you learn how to manage the thermal mass, it's great.

[@wildernessfather]

@C J I built and live in a rammed earth home in Canada. The biggest difference I noticed was the requirement for vertical rebar, and horizontal rebar through ties, which add a great deal of strength. Snow load requirements make it mandatory here, and somewhat higher percentages of portland cement are likely necessary, depending where you are. In the video I think he mentioned the walls are 1800 psi, ours crushed out to 4000 psi, but they needed to be a minimum of 2600 psi to satisfy the structural engineer. We have a 24" wall, with 8" inner and outer walls, and 8" of insulation in the middle. It is a very high performance home and I would love to see more of them in Canada, but unfortunately the added requirements do make it more expensive up north.

[@wildernessfather]

@C J it is difficult to determine the R value of the walls. On paper they have a static R value of approximately R 30. The dynamic R value is much higher. In our case, with 24" walls and 8" of encapsulated insulation, I would guess a dynamic R value of >R60. Put into perspective, our home has ten times the area of our tiny home we lived in while building, and costs the same to heat. Ranted, they have different heating systems, but a rammed earth home simply stores so much energy that it performs beautifully. It breathes very well, yes. We did not seal the walls, but many people do. Instead, we are relying on the plasticure we added to the dry mix for water repellant.

[@Merliin03]

Ancient tech meets modern age. Dig it!

[@koreycowan1976]

I'm from the south and have never seen this... I AM AMAZED! this is AWESOME! If I lived out there I would definitely have a house like this.

[@koreycowan1976]

I wonder if this is cheaper than standard constructed houses.?.?.?.

[@tjam4229]

I WANT TO SEE THIS PROJECT WHEN IT IS COMPLETE...BEAUTIFUL!! (I live in phoenix. I'm guessing this type of building would work very well here!)

[@adrielrowley]

I dwell in Mesa and have a MSBE from ASU. Would say depends on the location in Phoenix because of the lack of diurnal temperature change due to urban heat island affect in some microclimates. What does work in conditions where insignificant diurnal temperature difference is internal thermal mass. Right now living in a poorly insulated house temporary, so have 30 gallons of water stored inside and have been only needing to turn on the aircon in the evening, though shifting more towards the afternoon with warmer temperatures as Summer comes. Hope this helps.

[@DavGreg]

@@adrielrowley The thermal mass of rammed earth would be similar to that of Adobe, right? The rammed earth used here is compacted dirt with 9% cement added. Most Adobe does not have cement added, otherwise, they are similar as to components.

[@adrielrowley]

@@DavGreg, adobe has the same concern of maintaining the average OA temperature. Both use a bonding agent, one cement and the other clay, differing on strength and stability (adobe is soft and will dissolve in rain). Straw bales have a R value of about 50 with little to no thermal storage, though have not come across too many in the desert (last time considered was long ago in California). This all starts to head towards experimental architecture. In short, praxis must support thesis.

[@GTGallop]

North Phoenix here and I wonder the same. I know we have them here (more near Tucson) but I'd like to hear about the performance.

[@GTGallop]

onekindesign.com/2017/06/22/rammed-earth-home/

[@dougjohnson9125]

Very interesting building method. What a desolate site, it looks like something from out of the Star Wars series.

[@kieron82]

A very Old building method, some of the oldest buildings in the world are earth built

[@dr.mikeybee]

Marfa is a strange place. It's where NY'ers from SOHO go to die. ;)

[@DavGreg]

West Tejas is a place that has to be seen to be appreciated.

[@rorytennes8576]

that is West Texas.

[@greenspiraldragon]

You can't bring that wookie in here.

[@gravityimage5]

Glad to see you guys promoting these nessisary and sustainable building methods, cheers! from Nor Cal.

[@daveh3799]

this is so inspiring !!! Can't believe they have done what I always wanted to do here in Europe !

[@seanpalmer8472]

23:41 They were both so stoic for almost the entire video, then Matt said "on...the BUILD Show." Everyone loves that signature Matt Risinger ending.

[@bestbuilder1st]

They don't love it, they were laughing at it! Matt even acknowledges that it was "dorky" (which it is) and appeared a bit embarrassed by having to do it with real professionals he respects standing there. He probably thinks he has to do it for those that need a "dorky" tag line to be entertained.

[@realnewsthatmatters9319]

There is a mosque in Timbuktu that is over 1000 years old and 5 stories high, built from "rammed earth".......... These African building techniques are ancient, the western world is just now learning of them.

[@thatdutchguy2882]

? Native American's were using this technique thousands of years ago. 9000 years ago in my country this was the same,....so, guess again m8.

[@realnewsthatmatters9319]

@@thatdutchguy2882 "Native Americans"............? Hate to burst your bubble but America is nowhere near 9000 or even 900 years old. Whatever it was called prior to America may be, but not America. And where are any of these structures that you brag about today? This 5 story building in Timbuktu still stands today in pristine condition. Furthermore, the oldest man made structures still standing today only date back to just over 3000 B.C. Which would put them at just over 5000 years old. And your talking 9000 🤣🤣🤣 stop smoking.

[@colstace2560]

@@realnewsthatmatters9319 pfft 9000 yrs, Australian Aborigines go back 60,000 yrs but they never built anything just moved around

[@realnewsthatmatters9319]

@@colstace2560 60,000 years ago the world was still in the ice ages. Where are you guys getting this bogus information from?

[@1grandpappy684]

@@realnewsthatmatters9319 Well I guess everyone needs a jackass to show how smart he isn't. The ice age did not cover the entire planet. In the United States it extended to approximately 500 miles south of the northern border. If you're going to be snarky and show off how brilliant you are please try being intelligent about your comments.

[@detaildevil6544]

See, I didn't build a dirt house in minecraft. I used state-of-the-art rammed earth.

[@maaifoediedelarey4335]

These people don't appear particularly enthusiastic to answer questions.

[@Laffy1345]

Because your not there Clint

[@janettavculek9308]

Yes, I noticed their reluctance also.

[@elpresidente3397]

Well it's dirt like Adobe but compressed. I don't even want to ask the price .Its modern Pueblo and now modern American

[@jeffdowler9130]

This won't last long folks. I wouldn't buy stock in this company. Way to expensive and ugly and what women or man wants to walk on super hard surceases all day, and you think fixing cracks in concrete floors are expensive, with this construction you'll have the walls to-boot.

[@FhangMedia]

@@elpresidente3397 no. no it isnt.. they say multiple times it's portland cement with dirt added

[@dam1371]

Love this. I would be proud to own one of these buildings. They are truly a beautiful piece of art for homes.

[@butlerproman]

Reminds me too much of the bleak concrete high-rise housing of places like Russia and China.

[@dam1371]

butlerproman ...I happen to like the look of it personally due to it reminds me of uneven logs that span the entire building. I’m sorry it reminds you of that. It may be similar but this is what I have to say about it. Though what you have may be meager or great it’s the nature of the hearts in it that makes the home. So at that even though they have little real wealth isn’t measured by possessions. Also I’d be happy to have a home made of blocks or wood or stone if it’s mine.

[@woohunter1]

134 woodpeckers thumbed this down

[@GreyDeathVaccine]

I am speechless. Superb.

[@joem6611]

These are beautiful sculptures.

[@sumitrousyk8188]

Hey guys, I build rammed earth homes in Victoria, Australia. Our form work is very different to yours and looks a lot easier to dissemble. Love your random courses and texture 👍🏻 great build guys.

[@MarkSDCA]

if you get this response let me know how to contact you, if you are still building in homes. I am interested in one near Temora.

[@englishlessons462]

This was great, I was hoping you would cover the specs of the concrete stem wall or foundation on which the rammed earth wall was built, like how thick, how high, how deep in the ground, and what and how much rebar needed to support all that weight.

[@fosterchild4523]

That's really cool. Tons of labor. Props to the guys doing it.

[@lifeisgood339]

Thanks for sharing!

[@jenniferhill8776]

Although the home structure is boxy, I absolutely love the walls.

[@badbrain8279]

I came up with my own building material. I mixed clay with straw and water (centuries old method) and then I added a little roofing tar cement. Stirred around really well it mixes in really good. You could plaster walls or do anything u want with this and then paint it with linseed oil after it dies. I'm pleased with this.

[@huntera123]

Crazy crazy. Wowzers

[@paulcuddy9216]

Excellent work guys thanks for sharing.

[@jboyd85]

Wow, assuming that lintel at 10:30 is 8ft long and extends 4ft up the roof, that is 64 sqft of rammed earth. At the standard rammed earth estimated weight of 110lbs a sqft(ASTM D698), that lintel is supporting around 7000lbs. Beautiful! Beefy!

[@kkarllwt]

Well, I think you are weighing cubic feet of earth. And, the lintel only supports the weight of the material below the included arch in the wall. Just like a brick , or, stone wall.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

Thats about right but from the description of the mix maybe closer to 130

[@tsclly2377]

110lb minimum.. I suspect that it is more into he 130lb range

[@timcole6882]

Back in the 30’s the Department of Agriculture conducted a study, decided it was too good. Didn’t stimulate the economy. Library of Congress has the study, very informative.

[@MaximC]

You mean "economy", in quotation marks? In other words something that is the opposite of the entomological meaning of the word .

[@theducklinghomesteadandgar6639]

Maxim C What exactly does the study of insects have to do with the meaning of the word or usage of the word "economy" and/or it's opposite meaning or usage? I am not trying to be rude or sarcastic just trying to understand what you're saying!

[@theducklinghomesteadandgar6639]

Tim Cole Yes the grand ole Department of Agriculture and their studies and any department of the government and their studies!!! They tend to suck inordinate amounts of tax payer's dollars & tend to have no answers good for the people and/or if they do happen to show benefits for the people or a competing business of any company donors of certain politicians and actual employees of the power hungry competitor businesses, are generally appointed to the committee put together for said study, then those positive processes, items, crops tend to go by the wayside and/or are criminalized i.e. hemp plants...the cousin to marijuana...which was actually the original plant that was outlawed not marijuana, but then when they perceived marijuana as some potential competitor to medicine the drug it was also pulled into the restriction because of the name being used in its official name and slang and the possible recreational usage and no way could the government say they were going to legalize street drugs anyway. So basically it went mostly unprotested by most voters who would vote way back then, or didn't know everything about the plant to protest either restriction! Hemp was outlawed because of all of it's various uses, but mostly due to it's competition with lumber, oil and petrol companies! Hemp is so versatile it threatened the profit margins of logging, lumber companies, oil/petrol refinery companies! oil riggers, oil drillers, and the oil companies themselves. Hemp can be used to make a higher octane then most biomethane gases and is cheap to grow and extremely easy to grow and it grows a lot per square foot or acre especially in comparison to trees and is much more cleaner than gas and it also creates an oil that may or may not be used as a lubricant. I am not sure if hemp oil has ever been tested as a lubricant because the oil can be used medicinally, as well as for food!!! The plants can be used in many different ways for food and the seeds are very high in protien and are in fact higher in protien than any meat generally eaten in most American diets! And probably in the world, though i have not seen the protein labels on everything, hence the probably!! It can be used for cooking oil, hemp butter and more. Hemp can be used to make clothing, rope, and many textiles. It can be used in building, making fuel, all paper products, is easy to grow and grows rather fairly quickly and 1 acre is the equivalent to if memory serves me correctly at minimum, 10 acres of trees. One can find hemp plants growing in the wild around old manufacturing buildings from the 70s or before in cities like, if memory serves correctly on this one, Detroit and other known manufacturing cities mostly up north is where I heard most of the growing took place At least!!! It is also if memory serves correctly what Henry Ford used as a fuel source for his first vehicle built!! But the oil manufacturers convinced him as they did most electrical car companies to do which was to use petrol and oil from the crude oil instead of the hemp methane fuel and oil lubricants if it was used for his first vehicle as a lubricant as well! Same as the oil owners and eletricity owners and most businessmen stopped funding Nicola Tesla, because of money, and control! Nicola was going to create a world wide system that would allow free electricity to all people...they would loose large portions of their money making installations in society and thus their money and power and control of the people. They wanted control of the commodities and thus control of the money, power and people. They have even gone so far as to demand one must, MUST have electricity and running water in most cities! Thus controlling the people and the money!

[@MaximC]

@@theducklinghomesteadandgar6639 When something is "too good, doesn't stimulate" the "economy", that means that that concept of "economy" is stupid. Nowadays it's showed by intrinsic and planned obsolescence put into design of things we produce - we produce low quality things, so that they break up soon so that the cyclical consumption, that "keep "the economy" afloat", keeps happening. More on this, and how *an actual economy* would look like from: *Zeitgeist Moving Forward - Economy of increasing inefficiency (The Anti-Economy)* (a clip on Nikhil VJ youtube channel) *Zeitgeist: Moving Forward - Project Earth* (on Christian G channel) And/or the documentary *Zeitgeist Moving Forward* itself. In the next comment will try to link direct links.

[@MaximC]

@@theducklinghomesteadandgar6639 And another clip: *Zeitgeist: Moving Forward - Project Earth* Christian G

[@achimlunghamer8381]

It looks great!

[@csealand]

So beautiful

[@dfrost42]

OSHA would have a night mare on this job site! lol

[@chansaechao79]

@Funk Enstein right? a fall from that height would be horrible.

[@user-lq1dk6gr3p]

They probably already got fined just for this video

[@maska1870]

Very interesting build method, thanks for sharing! Real shame about the absolute lack of PPE and H&S protection in general though...

[@Baigle1]

you may not make a mistake yourself, but you won't get a second chance to beat the shit out of the guy that knocks you off

[@chrisw3421]

the video just started but I'm guessing this is SUPER EXSPENSIVE! The forms alone are enough wood to build a building. Crazy!

[@111111111Tiger]

Great video, thanks for sharing....

[@MrEndzo]

The steel beam for the window frame will create a thermal bridge and when it's cold you will get condensation.

[@nerys71]

not enough humidity and probably not quite cold enough their to be a real issue I would guess. any condensation that might form the atomo would probably greedily absorb.

[@shaunofthedead3000]

@@nerys71 You'd guess wrong. Some of the hundreds of years old historical rammed earth buildings around here have steel detached roofs covering the remains due to erosion by wind, water and ice. When people lived in them they were always having to maintain them. Far more than some construction types. They also usually put a stucco type covering over the outer walls. Because it was easier to maintain, and you didn't want the weather to destroy the actual wall.

[@perkerk]

@@shaunofthedead3000 Any hundreds of years old rammed earth buildings are not at all like modern rammed earth which have a specific cement content. And rammed earth historically is quite rare, are you referring to adobe buildings? Those were fairly common and are very susceptible to weather. But very different from rammed earth

[@AUX_fab]

That is no exposed steel beam that is actually 3/16" cover plate for embedded struct angle above it, therefore that amount of heat transfer is far less than a beam. We supplied the steel

[@TiempoNuevo-ew7ty]

Yep ... I would think that would happen.

[@michaelbumuller853]

min 10:22 when he says "many many tons above the lintel". I google how much weight a rammed earth wall has. This is the answer: depending on density of soils and ramming it should range between 115-140 pounds per cubic foot. Or in normal none Imperial measures. Its between 550-680 Kg/m2

[@federicoalvarezpaccioretti4587]

increible! felicidades por el hermoso esfuerzo!.

[@davidnielsen4490]

I enjoyed watching this alternative construction.

[@aguerra1381]

Magnificent work!!! The cost of this must be astronomical...

[@dennissmith8853]

Matt, I haven’t seen it yet, but hopefully you’ll be doing a follow up on these buildings after they are occupied or at least finished. Cool project.

[@nelsonianb1289]

Incredibly in depth and detailed! Thanks!

[@larrymondello8475]

Absolutely amazing thank you

[@rickcarrarini5696]

There has got to be enough lumber there in scaffolding to BUILD a house.

[@klincecum]

Rick Carrarini Much of that can be reused

[@ThePunitiveDamages]

There is another method that I'll be using where you make the RE wall in 4 foot sections at a time. U design it it key into each section as you go. when it sets, you strip down the forms and set it up next to it. greatly reduces the lumber costs and is better suited for the DIY builder or small crew.

[@poppyrider5541]

@@klincecum I wouldn't bet on it. If these houses were being churned out by the thousands, then maybe. But these are going to be one offs and all bespoke. I'd be surprised if half of that wood get reused.

[@poppyrider5541]

@Marten Dekker Go use a saw.

[@armanflint]

@@poppyrider5541 All of the wood is reused as forms to build other buildings several times. It's just like using concrete forms. The wood forms last for years.

[@johnbolongo9978]

Why a osb engineered roof truss on a 500 yr wall design. That will be a huge issue when the glue life expires. Bad ..bad.

[@kurtbuck99]

Love the Mooney! Best GA aircraft ever! I have many hours in one of those.

[@donfillenworth1721]

Fascinating. Thanks for sharing.

[@michaelschwartz812]

Are you gonna do another video after everything is completed? Would be really nice to see the finished product.

[@lksa983a]

And then another video after 10 years. I want to hear how the owners liked these houses and if there were any issues.

[@stu7604]

You need to be wealthy to use a poor man's building method.

[@stevestelly1086]

Well said. made me laff, but so true.

[@JackTalyorD]

Well yes but that's small scale think 10,000 new homes in the the middle of India. Where only 10% of the 50 tone house needs to be brought in and the rest found locally (with in 50 km radias).

[@JackTalyorD]

Or put it this way a cubice meter of road base similar size different material is 1.5 tone and cost $38+ ($42 for 7 bags of cement) is $80 per Cubic meter Where a cube meter retail for concrete is $180 and weights 2.3 tone. It's half the cost and a fraction of the weighting. I could rant about this for hours but I'm not smart enough to know the total cost of labor and materials and transportation. But to me it seems likely that you could use a cheap waste products to build a house.

[@DGDG0000000]

Poor man is the one who miss knowledges. And you need more knowledges technically and practicaly to build in earth than to build in concrete.

[@kungfusing1]

Well said Stu

[@TedKidd]

Best explanation I've seen. Nice. Supercool to see this.

[@TonyArjona]

You had me at Mooney. Hopefully this video doesn't disappoint. Thx in advance.

[@mikecurtis1111]

07:10 All that exposed rebar all around the jobsite makes OSHA mad. Won't even talk about fall protection when they climb up on the 15 ft wall forms. I guess that's the benefit of working in the desert. You can see the OSHA inspector coming from miles away.

[@tsclly2377]

coated rebar.. doesn't need much such as a silica anti rust clear coat, oil or epoxy based and MARFA is not going to have that type of inspector.. (ya, they should have had more safety gear of some kind.. than what we saw)

[@mikecurtis1111]

@@tsclly2377 I wasn't referring to exposed rebar because of rusting issues. Exposed rebar sticking out of the ground must have a cap over the end to prevent impailment injuries should someone fall and land on it.

[@brunodesrosiers266]

The next time I will get the feeling that the Health & Safety people are pushing it, I will think of this worksite... and calm down.

[@blakenorthrup]

Yeah, that man is just standing there on that ledge, and I keep waiting for the safety man run up yelling at him. :D

[@KarleneE]

Thank you! I thought it was just me. There was a scary lack of PPE on this site.

[@sccolbert]

That looks like a absolute ton of labor.

[@nw5052001]

that's what I was thinking...then wondered if it will pass the test of time..

[@fishfire_2999]

@@nw5052001 Not sure just know new unproven products normally at this level will have a ton of issues over time .

[@rustyscrapper]

They are using the local soil instead of trucking in materials from very far away. Notice they had to fly in. The natural soil is very sandy and good enough to make a low grade concrete out of. Plenty strong for a one storey building. That's why in a specific application like this it's worth it instead of spending a fortune importing building materials.

[@harrykuheim6107]

Way too much...Wait until you are forced to pay Union Scale Wages too @$42.00 per hour

[@maricelahernandez2879]

Beautiful! The walls look like sand waves 👍🏼

[@VictorNolochemical]

This build is amazing, wow 😯 Really great share 👍

[@beginnerbluester]

I enjoy when this show covers non traditional forms of building!

[@MrGaborseres]

The house I grew up in was built in a similar fashion but without cement.... Was built in 1905 and finally met it demise around 1985..... And it only collapsed because no one was around to maintain the roof.....

[@gia777gia]

Awesome structures

[@landlover-cu1uo]

Absolutely beautiful work, anyone that can't see that is blind.

[@LasVegasVocalist]

I Always Love The Endings, Matt !!!

[@maenadone8254]

Rammed earth is awesome. Too bad they overlooked passive solar heat with large windows that reach from near floor to ceiling.

[@eric123426]

This is what I’m in school for.

[@resources57]

Installed many Geberit Toilets in Germany and was surprised to see this cool building style, great show !

[@richardwatts6391]

Great build .

[@PhotonHerald]

It's basically an expensive way to do a decorative "concrete". It's not concrete PRECISELY, but if you're mixing in portland cement and aggregate, you're essentially concrete. If nothing else, it's interesting.

It uses existing material and less Portland cement, which is a huge greenhouse gas producer.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

The fuel cost of the workers and compression drives up the carbon footprint. It doesnt perform as well or last as long as a concrete/rigid insulation wall.

@@sparksmcgee6641 There are rammed earth buildings from hundreds of years ago still standing.

[@rammedearthworksllc2864]

I hear you hyperstrike. Whenever I see oak cabinets I'm like, why not just use pine and stain it?

[@PhotonHerald]

@@rammedearthworksllc2864 Rammed earth on the project in the video. You're using sandy soil, aggregate and portland cement in the case in question. What is concrete? Sand, aggregate, portland cement. YOUR POINT? Yes, in other cases (like earthship construction) rammed earth is just that. Compacted soil in a retention system (tires in this case) and nothing more. But I wasn't talking about that. Okay, tired of this stupidity already. Thanks for your time.

[@steari]

15:56 How do you get the conduit at the top of your walls connected to your mechanical room? Do the wires just get tucked around the ceiling joists under the roofing, or is there another process? Thank you.

[@traejaxen]

Love this, Incredible stuff guys

[@parahjapheth7920]

Beautiful; love it!

[@southernpatriot9135]

somewhere there is a OSHA guy cringing at these guys walking around up there hahaha

[@corvairchris82]

I was really impressed with the appearance of the buildings, then towards the end of the video I became very disappointed by the complete lack of safety measures. Hopefully OSHA isn't watching this.

[@CrazyBear_15]

Matt.... I love your content. And I understand your niche are those big and beautiful custom homes but I'm finding myself more and more drawn to smaller homes. I'd love for you to do a mini series on tiny homes, and after touring a few, see if you could use your knowledge of building science to see if you had any idea's to advance the movement. I would love to be able to build my babies a tiny home and give it to them for their graduation gift after high school (in place of paying for tuition )... And after that... I'm gonna go build a village of modern yurts and live out the rest of my days there.

[@fga55]

What is the mixture ratios?

[@dr.mikeybee]

The Chinese, among others, have been building this way for millennia. Of course they didn't use a cement foundation or bond beam. Rebar was most likely bamboo, and stabilizer was probably fired and dowsed limestone (like Roman concrete,) if they used any stableizer at all. Form-work was mostly done layer by layer -- not at all like this elaborate method. Tamping was done with a wooden or stone hammer. As each layer was finished, the form work was removed and reassembled at the top for another layer. Often a limestone render was applied to the surfaces. The only metalwork one was likely to find decorative on doors and windows or locks and hinges. Some rammed earth structures date back well over a thousand years. Built right, they can even be earth-quake resistant. It would be a very good method to employ for a tiny house -- especially for someone young with unlimited time but limited funds. One can even make rammed and fired roofing tiles.

[@DavGreg]

Ditto on a series on cottages and smaller homes (including, but not limited to, tiny homes). I am planning on building as I get closer to retirement but it will be probably 800 Sq Ft +/-.

[@colstace2560]

@@fga55 8% cement I think

[@colstace2560]

@@dr.mikeybee not to mention fire proof. Good if you can use your own soil from earthworks on site

[@tonygriffiths2485]

Mind blowing stuff. Totally new to me. Wouldn't have even dreamt of this technique. Fabtastic stuff. Looks like those buildings will stand the test of time with confidence. Beautiful ..... thanks :)

[@PheneticsCo]

beautiful