House of Earth: A complete guide to earthen construction - Paperback

by Conrad Rogue (Author)

Earth is the mother of all construction materials
For thousands of years, people have dug up the clay-soil below their feet and transformed it into the most versatile building material. Worldwide, people are rediscovering the advantages of earthen construction, and for good reasons: it's easy to work with, extremely affordable, environmentally friendly, non-toxic, durable and beautiful!

You will learn how to build with the most popular and time-tested techniques:

• Cob
• Adobe
• Light straw-clay
• Earth bags
• Earthen floors
• Earthen plasters and paints

A few simple tools, such as buckets, shovels and wheelbarrows are all you need to get started. By describing how to identify, harvest, combine and process the basic ingredients of clay-soil, sand and straw, this book makes it clear and simple on how to make earthen building something you can start with the moment you put down the book!

These techniques are being used to build entire houses, but they can just as easily be applied to smaller projects, such as backyard sheds, cabins, outdoor fireplaces, garden walls and play houses. As a bonus, part 3 of the book has complete instruction on how to build a traditional earthen pizza oven, using the techniques covered in the book. This makes for a great starter project!

An often overlooked possibility is using earthen building methods to renovate existing homes on a shoestring budget, transforming run-down houses into earthen homes, without having to work with toxic or environmentally harmful building materials. After reading this book, you will realize how simple it is to integrate earthen materials with conventional building materials.

What Mother Earth Magazine said about "House of Earth"
"Conrad Rogue is a great builder, teacher, and philosopher. He is original in his thinking, skilled in his techniques, and passionate about the beauty and potential of earthen construction. And above all, he has the rare ability to skillfully convey all of that in his writing."

Conrad Rogue has been teaching earthen construction since 2001. He is the founder and director of House Alive. (www.HouseAlive.org). He has taught workshops in the United States, Pine Ridge reservation, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Kenya and India.