Max Stadnyk

Hi. Reach me at 1-306-221-0660 (Max)

We are the world leaders in SRE Building Training since 2004. We have included the first week of August as well.

You will get the hands on experience which applies to stabilized or raw rammed earth; front end loaded all the right data; and our world leading 33 Natural Design Principles (worth more than the course by itself! And apply to all Natural Building Systems).

www.thewarriorrising.com has a portfolio of some of our projects and a design blog worth reading.

Max Stadnyk

You wrote..."Rammed earth as we do it today doesn't pass muster with modern energy codes.  Builders are faced with adding a layer of insulation to get permitted."

Two huge bits of misinformation here about code and rammed earth. I would advise people to consult with a professional (here I am) before making decisions.

Should i go to college is the wrong question; yes entirely the wrong question when there are so many better questions. Start with - Why should I go to college. And if your answer is to get a degree; that is the wrong answer. Now continue asking questions until you are exhausted.

The goal is self mastery, and the paths are myriad and personal. It is no more complicated than that.

John C Daley wrote:You certainly  have a good concept of what your plans are.
I suggested concrete to save time collecting rocks.
But time does not seem to be an issue when I see plans for a tremmel to sift rocks and the abundance of them.
What will you cart the rocks with and would you hand load them or use a loader.

Would you be able to collect rainfall and use it, my signature has some details?
Rammed earth is easier with a bot cat style of loader to lift soil and shift the boxing required.
Also a large compressor and air rammer saves time over a simple tamper, would you be going all hand
operation or use some mechanical assistance.

Again sir, reading your advice on rammed earth makes me politely request you stop. I do it for a living and it is clear you do not, and I have seen this kind of advice lead to people losing a lot of money.

Amy Gardener wrote:Thank you for providing background info and perspective T.
Given that you are a design engineer and you have the freedom to examine ideas beyond Cochise County, I'm guessing that you might find New Mexico's Earthen Buildings Materials Code useful as a data point for your inquiry. Yes, the code does specify some concrete for the grade beam that is built atop the rubble trench:
"Concrete grade beam.  Rubble filled foundation trench designs with a reinforced concrete grade beam above are allowed to support rammed earth wall construction.  An architect or engineer registered in the state of New Mexico shall certify the grade beam/rubble-filled trench design portion.

Code is all well and good, but at the end of the day codes are guidelines for those lacking knowledge. All code can be followed, adjusted, bypassed, superceded or ignored altogether depending on a bunch of factors. So with regard to a concrete grade beam atop a rubble trench for the rammed earth - maybe, maybe not. A lot of other design and environmental data will determine needs.

John C Daley wrote:Concrete foundations are the best.
You plan to build a house but cannot fund the foundations?
Something is all wrong about this plan?
Either;
- house too big
- importance of foundations not accepted

Wow! WhaT? This makes literally no sense. Concrete are best? What kind of concrete foundation? Composed of what? What dimesions? Where?
Something is all wrong with this advice. Either;
-lack of knowledge
-understanding of foundations not accepted.

See what I just did there John. I have been in building forty years and would never advise a client as you did, because it's wrong. And my specialty is Rammed Earth. The problem with posting things like you did is some of us actually know this stuff.

The terms "unplug" or "off grid" always make me chuckle, but we all understand and supprot the idea trying to be conveyed.

We all know what is recognized by the building industry; all the inferior toxic garbage building materials like laminate flooring, drywall, mdf, osb, (anything made with styrofoam is right at the top) and the list goes on and on.

I am assuming you are North American and not a building professional or you would know that somewhere in the neighbourhood of half the world's housing is earthen and that Rammed Earth in particular is recognized all over the planet as a superior building system.  It is easily financed. It gets consistently less expensive insurance rates. Good luck finding one on the market, as they are easily one of the best resale homes you can build.

If you want to do ICF I wish you luck but it's not the smart choice, heck it's not even the "green" choice. We rate ICF builds below a traditonal stick built house for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most important is the "FOAMOCOLYPSE" that will occur during deconstruction. Millions upon millions of tiny pellets entering the ecosystem from millions of structures built with toxic foam.

Second would be the fire issue. When that foam burns it returns first to a liquid, then a gas that is black and deadly, leaving rescue people way less time to get in and get you out; especially if your house is full of other toxic materials. Some foams have hydrogen cyanide gas as their activatiing foaming agent, so when it burns guess what you get, hydrogen cyanide gas again.

These are just the easy reasons to choose Rammed Earth, Cob, Adobe, Straw, Stone, Timber Frame, etc. All vastly superior choices and but not recommended by a toxic mainstream building industry.