The label “natural building” can refer to a wide variety of construction methods and materials. A good summary of the various techniques is here. The natural buildings that we build at Earth Home are made from wood, clay, sand, rice husks, straw and water. Some cement is used in the foundation of the buildings. Since roofs are the most expensive element in the entire construction, corrugated roof sheets made from aluminum or cement are used when the more expensive wooden, bamboo and straw roofs are not affordable.
If you are interested, we will teach you all it takes to create a beautiful building out of mud, from foundations to orientation, roofs to wall structures. When you come for a Natural Building workshop, you will gain hands-on practical experience throughout the workshop. Our main building material is adobe bricks, a time-honored technique which is perfect for our Thai climate. All of our materials will be sourced locally and be environmentally friendly.
Here are some of the things we will cover:
- Making and laying adobe bricks
- Foundations and earth works
- Installing windows and doors
- Natural plasters and paints
- Earth art and sculpting with mud
- Carpentry and woodwork
- Roofing and insulation
But building is not all you will learn during your stay with us. You will also become a part of our family and a part of our local community. You will learn how we live a holistic lifestyle, one that is in tune with nature and which nurtures our bodies and minds. You will see how it is possible to live a more self-reliant lifestyle, grow organic food and create a balance of harmony where work and life are combined and enjoyed.
While at Earth Home, you’ll appreciate the virtues of our adobe cottages. They’re cool in the daytime and warm at night, and are decorated in warm pastel stuccoes. Even better, they’re built almost entirely of natural materials, and if you build them yourself, can be constructed at a very low cost.
The photos below show you the basic stages of the construction process.
