Essential Rammed Earth Construction: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide (Sustainable Building Essentials Series, 9) Paperback – January 1, 2019

This is an excellent text focussed on the engineering details of building a rammed earth structure. It's not a how-to guide for a first-time builder but an excellent companion to one or an essential text for an experiened contractor. I've read a lot about rammed earth and I've worked on cob and straw bale crews and I learned a lot from this book.

Valuable content. Extensive adress on different topics. Nicely published. This made go for the 'natural plasters' book ln the series. Same line. Very well written. Enjoy reading it. Would higly recommend.

Haven't finished reading the entire book just yet. Easy to read and great examples. I cannot wait to build!

I've ready about 7 books on the subject and this is in my top 2

A good book introducing rammed earth construction.Insulated rammed earth is truly one of the best wall options if initial cost is not a major concern, but it may be too expensive for countries where labor costs are high. Built right, rammed earth can last for centuries and achieve extremely low life cycle cost.

Covers all the bases.

Helpful in practical tips. Good basics for rammed earth house build. Helps with brainstorming on what further subject area to research, like reducing ties in wall by making forms stronger, concrete alternatives, lab testing, finding a good balance of mixing stabilized subsoils with water, filling form, and tamping. Many topics overviewed.

This is not a "step-by-step guide" as the title claims. If you were you expecting "here's how to test the soil," "here's how you make the forms" , "here's how you do the ramming" etc... you will be disappointed. What you actually get is "here's a thesis in soil and all the reasons why it's really complicated" and "here's thirty different possible ways you could think about doing this or that" etc. This is a complete graduate course in rammed earth theory, replete with advanced concepts and heaps of engineering and building jargon. I have some building experience and have worked with several natural building methods (earthbag, earthship, cob, earthen floors). To say that the information is this book is inaccessible would be a massive understatement. Unless you are an experienced builder or engineer, you will be thoroughly overwhelmed. Either the author is one of those "on the spectrum" types who, although smart, has no ability to communicate to a layperson without vastly over-explaining everything, or he intentionally made it overly technical... kinda makes you want to throw your hands up in the air and just hire someone in his trade rather than attempt DIY... Which is probably what he wants.