General News
11 April, 2025
Barry's Corner
Mud can be formed into nearly any shape you can think of and it has been used to build houses for centuries.
Around the region there many examples of mud brick structures with families and comfortable living.
When we consider the cost of a house constructed it makes sense to consider all possible options.
There are good insulations with mud brick and the cost is generally a lot cheaper than some of the other methods in use today.
If you choose a builder to do the build it might cost more.
Choosing to do the job yourself will cut down on outgoing dollars.
Bricks can be made of mud and set into external or interior feature.
Once the bricks are standing it can be le as a feature or plastered with a mud mix and it would hard to tell it was a mud wall.
Mud structures give councils the conniptions so it must be proven to pass all the regulations that every house requires but the engineers just need to be comfortable with the safety of the design.
PS, We built our house from stone, not mud brick which many people believe.
Building anything can be stressful but using mud as medium can make the experience so much more enjoyable.
The final finish can be put into effect by using the same mud as a plaster which can be coloured to match what you want or find a paint that could be used.
Mud is not classed as structural so any design must have a strength built into the walls.
There are many precedents for mud brick structures right across our region and even some constructions of many decades ago.
One good thing about mud if it melts away by floods is that it can be repaired with another mix.
Even some public buildings have been made of mud.
Many communities in other countries make use of mud because other materials can be scarce or too costly and provides shelter fairly quickly.
Just a few years ago we went through the hippy phase and mud was considered too alternative for the leaders of the shires so it was down played.
But their arguments were shot down when it was pointed out that mud structures were already in use throughout most towns.
I would like to think mud could be more useful we face uncertain times.