How to make mud bricks, and why you

might want to
By Austin Bailey
October 17, 2018

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In This Article

• Mud is dirt-cheap and fairly easy to work with

• Buildings made of mud are fireproof and termite-free
• Humans have been crafting their homes from mud for thousands of years
• Hippies, DIY-ers and even Bill Gates all groove on the benefits of earthen construction
materials
The Mosque of Djenné in Mali is among the largest buildings made entirely of mud. Photo

courtesy of Baron Reznik/Aisle Seat Please

Mud is among the most popular building materials in many countries where
Heifer works. It makes sense. Mud is plentiful and literally dirt cheap, and so is
the sunshine used to dry mud bricks until they’re solid enough for construction.
The only costs are in labor and time. It’s a relatively straightforward process
that’s been employed with many variations since around 7000 B.C.

But let’s not relegate mud walls to rustic single-room houses with thatched
roofs. In fact, mud brick structures range from primitive to Pinterest-worthy.
Among the largest buildings made entirely of mud is The Great Mosque of
Djenné in central Mali, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The
walls are made of sun-baked earthen bricks cemented together with a mortar of
sand and mud, then plastered with more mud.

Hippies and homesteaders are DIY-ing cob dwellings made from a mix of soil,
clay and straw that’s kneaded together, often by bare feet, and then clumped
and smoothed into walls. Despite the name, no corn cobs are involved in the
building process. Also known as cobb or clom, the name comes from an Old
English term that refers to the way clumps of mud are layered on top of each
other to form the thick walls. Cob buildings have real staying power. Cob
homes more than 500 years old are still standing and being lived in in the
United Kingdom. And new ones are going up thanks to books, workshops and
online how-to courses from experts at This Cob House and the Cob Cottage
Company.

If you’re looking for further proof that dirt doesn’t necessarily connote poverty,
look to Washington state. Did you know that Bill Gates’s 66,000-square-foot
home in Medina is partially earth-sheltered, meaning that many of the living
areas are tucked into the ground and wrapped with earthen walls to take
advantage of natural temperature regulation? Utility bills tend to be lower in
earth-sheltered structures, and the unique construction provides added privacy.

The chicest mud houses can be found in Australia. Proponents say earthen
homes are cooler in summer months, and termite-proof. They’re also
inexpensive if you make the bricks yourself. The government of Australia is on
board and offers lots of how-tos on a website devoted to sustainability.