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Build your own affordable and eco-friendly home

What’s the best way to build a low-cost home that doesn’t harm the planet? Most materials, such as concrete and steel, are highly processed and transported over long distances, making them inaccessible to millions of people in need of housing. These high-tech materials also cause great harm to the environment. The answer is to use locally available low impact natural building materials such as dirt, stone, straw and small diameter wood. This article explores various methods of using sustainably harvested land and wood to reduce housing costs at rock bottom prices. And because the techniques are easy to use, they are ideal for DIYers.

Soil Bag Construction – Like other soil construction methods, soil bag construction is easy to learn and extremely low cost. It has evolved from the military use of building durable, blast and bullet resistant structures with sandbags for 100 years. Today’s builders are using the same basic bag filling and stacking process to build beautiful homes, offices, shops, schools, and orphanages. Buildings with bags of soil are resistant to mold, fire, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, insects and rodents.

Since the main building material is earth, which is often free or very low cost if delivered, structures can be built literally at a very low price. No need for expensive equipment. Most people already have the basic tools at home: shovels, buckets, garden hose, and ladder. The construction process is so simple that unskilled workers can learn each construction step just by looking for a minute. Earthbag construction is extremely adaptable and can be used to build almost any shape imaginable, including domes, vaults, circular houses, or more typical square or rectangular designs.

Small Diameter Wood – US forests are currently overcrowded and prone to wildfires. Millions of acres are destroyed each year by fire and disease. Harvesting small trees from the forest in a sustainable way actually improves forest health and reduces forest fires. With an inexpensive firewood permit (about $ 20), anyone can get wood to build their home. Most of this wood usually goes up the chimney to heat houses, but it is much more valuable when it is made into useful and long-lasting products. All wood for a house can be sourced this way at a much lower cost than buying dimensional lumber from a construction supply center.

One option is to peel off the bark and use it in a round shape for post frames. Roundwood is much stronger than lumber and requires less processing. With a portable grinder or chainsaw attachment, DIYers can also mill their own wood for joists, joists, studs, trusses, purlins, door and window frames, trim, cabinets, and furniture. Where I live, builders are removing standing dead trees (healthy wood) from the forest to save the time and effort of drying the wood. In addition, the use of sustainably harvested wood, as described here, is more aesthetically pleasing than conventional plaster-covered lattice walls. The beauty of the wood is exposed, in honor of the tree from which it comes.

Rammed Earth Floors – Traditional poured earth floors can last for many centuries, saving a small fortune on wood flooring and carpet and linoleum replacement every 15 years. The dirt floors look like leather when finished and are extremely beautiful. (They are being used in modern, custom homes.) However, poured earth floors take a long time to dry, making them impractical in all but hot, dry climates.

Rammed earth floors use less water and dry much faster. These floors can usually be walked on a day or two after installation. The construction process involves screening the roadbed or other suitable soil through a 3/8 “screen. This mix is ​​spread in 2” layers and tamped. The process is repeated until the desired height is reached. The material for the top coat is screened again through a 1/8 “mesh. The top coat mixture is scrubbed by hand and buffed, using just enough water to bond well. After the floor has dried completely, seal with several coats of flaxseed oil diluted with turpentine.

Earth Plaster – The most beautiful wall finish I have ever seen is earth plaster. If you’ve never seen earth plaster before, you might think of dingy brown walls. Do an internet search for “earth plaster” and you will see amazing results. Because there are many types of clay, there is no limit to the range of colors, textures, and special effects. A popular method uses mica in plaster to create shiny, shiny walls.

Earth plaster is probably the easiest wall finish to use. In many cultures, women, children, and the elderly have done plaster work for centuries using only their hands and basic tools. The key to durable ground plaster is the wide ceiling overhangs of approximately 36 inches. Keep rain and snow off the walls and it will last a long time, requiring only small touch-ups.

These are just a few ideas to start thinking about using natural building materials. Thanks to the Internet, it is now very easy to learn about these and other inexpensive construction methods. Additional articles on the above topics are available for free on the author’s websites.

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