Got a favourite mud brick recipe?

Discussion in 'Designing, building, making and powering your life' started by ho-hum, Dec 22, 2005.

  1. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    Hello all,


    I have read a lot about mud brick building, to the point I wont build my house out of them. Have any of you made mud bricks that have failed?
    I have read a lot of do's and dont's but no-one ever says this is what I did and it did NOT work.

    Next dry season I will build a fairly large shed on my place to house a truck and my business and use it as a base to build my house. It will be a kit shed. Even with the cost of transport they seem like a cheap option for northern building.

    Eventually though I wish to build a few garden structures ie walls, perhaps an oven/kiln etc and wouldnt mind playing with mud brick.

    Over to you..

    Cheers

    Mike
     
  2. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    PS

    https://www.formblock.com.au/ is the method I wish to use to build a new home.

    Does mudbrick have to be protected and more importantly does it look like shit after a short while?

    Cheers
     
  3. baldcat

    baldcat Junior Member

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    hey mate,

    I dig on the the mud brick, not from experience , but just from what I've read and stuff...

    Cobb is also another way you could go about things or maybe even straw bale ? Then render with mud and lime..

    With the mud brick, You could use a lime render / wash to give it colour ,, and when it starts to look a little shabby, there is nothing stopping you giving it a little more render
     
  4. sab

    sab Junior Member

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    I was looking at the form block idea too. Though I'm sure you could make your own forms and save a bundle. I've been designing them in my head for the last couple of days since I saw them here. I've just been making boxes for shipping the same size and wonder if you couldn't use 1" marine ply, reinforce the front and back with 2x2 and bolt it through the ends.
     
  5. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    [pssst widgee.... my thoughts exactly!!]
     
  6. ecodharmamark

    ecodharmamark Junior Member

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    g'day mike

    there is a great book by john and gerry archer titled, "dirt cheap - the mud brick book" first published in '76, and again in '80. found my (well worn) 2nd edition at a second-hand bookshop for $7.50. Have seen a few copies about, so i think they were popular enough to have made it onto the library shelf.

    i've read a few books about 'muddies' (including another beauty by gregory ah ket), but this one has been the best in terms of simplicity and (proven) functionality. it has a fantastic bibliography (even listing thoreau's, "walden"!).

    as for 'recipes': best to use the mud (clay) you have on site. if you aint got 'mud', then the climate, topography, geography, geology, etc. of your site is probably not suited to building a muddie.

    sheds are fun to build. ditto garden 'pieces'.

    yes, muddies do need to be protected from the weather, either via verandahs', eaves' or sealing, etc. concerning the "shit" look: purely relative to the eye of the viewer, i guess. personally, i think nothing looks more shittier than an earth-type building made from materials sourced from a totally different bioregion. red clay 'muddies' in a grey clay environ, for example. however this look can be overcome by 'finishing' (rendering) with 'local' mud.

    the formblock idea looks like a winner. go for it! i reckon for pure energy (embodied, human input, etc) efficiency, its pretty hard to beat strawbale - dependant upon site locality and requirements, of course.

    good luck with it. oh, one other benefit of mud: you receive the medicinal benefits inherantly contained within the mud when you come into contact making, laying, rendering the bricks. can't beat a mudbath; i love 'em!

    cheerio, mark.
     
  7. bazman

    bazman Junior Member

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    I had a pretty good look around when I was thinking about using it for some of my shed walls, but I thought it all looked to bloodly hard for this simple minded artist, heh.

    I always wanted a rammed earth feature wall, but as our land came with a brick house I don't see it happening in the short term.

    Here are some of the better links I found.

    https://www.solidearth.co.nz/index.htm
    the links page has some good links.

    https://www.rammedearthconstructions.com.au/

    https://www.chelseagreen.com/2002/items/ ... lptedhouse
    Cob house design book.

    I remember reading they often mix a small amount of concrete into the mix to slow down ageing.
     

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