|
1. Oversizing the house
Too many people conjure up grandiose house plans which are beyond their real needs and desires. It is important to get a clear idea of how big your proposal would be by visiting homes of a similar size and comparing room sizes.
2. Wall Thickness
The thicker the better. One of the niceties of Mudbricks is that they create a more temperate climate within the house. Mudbrick houses are usually cooler in summer and warmer in winter because the solar mass of wall absorbs the extremes of temperature. However there is a limit whereby additional thicknesses of wall don't give a corresponding proportional improvement in performance.
Mudbricks are traditionally about 10" (250 mm) wide because with a pair of gumboots on your feet would not fit into a smaller mould. Pressed bricks by Dalrac Press have 250 mm or 300 mm wide mud bricks.
It should be remembered that additional work is required to prepare the soil for thicker walls and it may be better to direct those energies to improving the insulating properties of the house in other directions, i.e. double glazing the windows, insulating the floor, ensuring doors seal, better design of the house generally and draught flaps in any chimney.
3. Mudbricks always crack
All clays expand and contract as the moisture content changes. Highly expansive clays move within a greater range of dimensions and thus are more prone to cracking. Since the moisture content is an important parameter when making mudbricks hand pressed bricks are less likely to crack because of the drier mixes used and the smaller amount needed .
4. Mudbrick Construction
Generally the use of mudbricks is gaining wider acceptance for a number of reasons. The material provides an excellent medium for domestic design, having high heat and sound insulation qualities. It also provides wide scope for the integration of the building with the environment, and furthermore, as building costs continue to escalate, more people are considering the economics of being the owner builder and mudbricks are ideal, allowing the involvement of unskilled labour and reduced material costs.
Some buildings have load bearing or partially load bearing walls, with the roof load being spread by the use of a plate to distribute the load as widely as possible. In others, the mudbricks are used simply as infills and beam between structural elements of posts, window and door frames, i.e. post and beam construction, and the roof loads are carried by beams, posts or window mullions.
I think it is easier to use post and beam. I suggest this simply because it tends to reduce the concern expressed by authorities when appraising the structural capacity of the building, since there is not an established code to refer to, nor many local examples by which to judge. It also provides cover from the elements during the construction period.
I have found from experience over many years that almost all soils are suitable for the making of mudbricks—the colour variations exhibited are large, ranging from reds and browns to paler, almost white, in colour.
5. Soil Selection
Most soils when reasonably free of organic mater will make good bricks. The soil should contain roughly 50/50 clay, sand and gravels, although the clay content can vary between 40-80%. Often a naturally occurring mix can be found, but you can manufacture a mixture if you need to, drawing the components from different sites.
It is important to make a few test bricks with whatever mixture you propose, before you commence making a house lot.
|