Our neighbors are building a rammed earth home on their Haiku Maui property and they built this little experimental project to test some techniques. It's not finished obviously, but it's coming along. The walls are made with mud and concrete in different ratios - that was part of the test. The outside will be covered with a stucco like coating, also using the earth, so it will keep the natural brown color.
In this building, the walls are only 7 inches thick, but in the big house, the walls will be 16-18 inches thick. That's a lot of rammed earth! I guess it will be sort of like an adobe house... keeping the interior nice and cool... no need for AC.
I hope to be updating the progress on the main house... right now it's just a concrete slab. Got questions about building with rammed earth?
These neighbors are very enthusiastic about their off grid Maui home and garden... they have a HUGE veggie garden and some chickens. They are trying to live a self sustaining lifestyle, to be more independent. I have to admire their determination.
For more info about living off the grid on Maui - talk to a local expert...
Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro 808 283-9635
I wonder how it will hold up in wet weather Georgie
How neat is that! Having lived in NM in an adobe home it does very well in heat and cold. Where do they get this mud? I would think for a large house they'd have to bring it from somewhere. Keep us posted!
My first thought was some radical 60's hippie was at it again in Maui. Then I read your blog a second time and recognized that this may be great for the islands due to the relatively high building costs. Since most older homes in Hawaii do not have heating and cooling, the rammed earth home may be a "refuge" for the cold or hot days. Most importantly, it would be an inexpensive ohana house.
It will be interesting to see how it does over time. Has there been and word on the costs compared to conventional construction?
Steve - I'm also wondering about that. The exterior will be stucco, but they are deciding whether or not to leave the interior "au natch" - maybe not such a good idea.
Laura - we have plenty of mud on the north shore... haha, when it rains anyway. Seriously, the soil is very deep and rock free at this site.
Leolinda - oh those damn hippies! Can't get away from them here on Maui. : ) I don't think inexpensive is a word that will apply... except to this little one here.
Randy - I think the cost will still be pretty high, with all that concrete and steel, but the good news is that the maintenance costs should be low.
Looks pretty cool. I was wondering if anyone has used straw bale in Hawaii or if moisture and pets make that impractical.
Isn't this house very interesting! And I saw in your profile that you are living off the grid and your husband is raising beef organically. A few years ago I received a book called "5 Acres and Independence" and was hot for the idea. Gradually I've moved away from the dream, but I'll admit I'm tickled to have learned of you. I'm just getting started on the AR site, so I'm still a bit overwhelmed with all the fascinating information (and people) I'm finding. I also need a new word for 'Wow!'.
I would love to be in the cool confines of a rammed earth home tonight. Since I live off the grid there is no air conditioning available. Traditional building methods hold too much heat. My Southern exposure is great for the winter but in the summer I bake. Some cool walls would be nice.
@Sabrina- have you considered decidous trees to help provide shade in the summer and light in the winter?
Georgina- thanks for sharing the project. My experience with rammed earth is that it can last a good long time if maintained. I have seen it do well in wet environments. I look forward to the future posts on the project.
Pete - straw and hay is way expensive here, so not practical for Hawaii.
Lynn - don't give up on your dreams
Sabrina - maybe you need a hammock outside for these hot summer nights.
Frank - that's encouraging to hear that it works in a wet environment - since it's very humid here most of the time.
What an interesting blog. I would think if it is the right combination of mud and concrete it should be sufficient. If the stucco is put up correct and no cracks that would prevent water penetration. Keep us informed.
C & C - thanks for the input... I hope to be adding more posts as this project continues.
Have a nice Fourth of July - Ceil
Georgina - WOW, this is really interesting! Thanks for sharing!!!
Hi BJ hope your weekend is going well.