A few weeks ago Ben found this article about a rammed earth house located in Chapel Hill, NC, about 40 minutes from where we live. He called Gary, the owner and builder of the house, and scheduled for us a little visit.
We met Gary and his wife yesterday and were completely in awe of the house. It is beautiful not only because of smooth, earthen walls but also because of their impeccable taste in local art. The house is about 1,050 square feet (about the size we’re planning for our home) and each little piece of the house had quite a creative touch to it: painted doors, custom windows and metalwork, small glass tiles in the patio columns, etc. Awesome.
On the first floor he had radiant floor heating in a green-tinted concrete slab foundation. The first floor walls were 24″ thick (see photo below). The upper level had hardwood flooring and thinner walls. Heating in the colder months is supplemented by a wood burning stove in the kitchen area of the ground level. A single small air conditioning unit is installed in the upstairs wall, just above the stairway, and Gary states that they really only use it for about three weeks in the summer. (Only necessary during consistent 95+ degree days.)
Gary’s costs were higher than we’re anticipating for ours, I’m betting mostly because he hired labor and opted for custom details. We’re also planning to build a one-level home so the difficulties that come with installing a second floor mostly won’t apply to us. We’re hoping to build this without asking too many others for help!
After snapping photos and asking some questions, we left feeling excited and inspired! We hope to be making another trip soon to a local earthen home builder. Stay tuned!
Rammed Earth House in Chapel Hill
0 Responses to “Our First In-Depth Look At A Rammed Earth Home”
Leave a Reply