How to Make Chinese Mud Houses

Assess your local climate.You can build a Chinese mud house just about anywhere, but you may not want to undertake this project if you live in a region where the rainfall is higher than average. Fireproof mud bricks are cheap and easy to make and the materials are known for maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature year-round, but if you get torrential, persistent rains, the chances that your bricks could literally decompose are high, thus putting at risk your labor intensive building efforts.

Prepare the land and make brick frames. Determine the size of your mud house (In China, the average mud house is around 300 square feet) and use stakes and string to establish the building's boundaries. Frame up and pour a foundation if one is included in your game plan. Buy a brick frame at your local home improvement store that's designed to make multiple bricks or make your own frames of lumber. In Uganda, 20-by-10-by-10 cm bricks are standard (there are 2.54 centimeters to every inch); at the Alalakh archaeological site in Egypt, mud brick makers use three-frame molds that produce 40-by-20-by-12 cm bricks.

Make the mud bricks. Experiment with different ratios of mud/water/straw to produce a thick mud that's still easy to pour yet thick enough to shape, as there is no standard recipe for making mud bricks. If you need an estimate, mud brick makers at the Alalakh archaeological site mixed 30 wheelbarrows of dirt with three large bags of straw and water to produce 85, 40-by-20-by-12 cm bricks. Allow the mix to cure for 12 hours before pouring it into the frame(s). Pack the mud down aggressively to break up air bubbles, then lift up the frames, leaving the bricks to dry in the sun for at least 2 weeks. Repeatedly turn the mud bricks to expose all sides to the sun to maximize exposure.

Construct your Chinese mud house. Prepare more mud, water and straw mortar, using it to connect, join and seal bricks together, building walls to your desired height. Frame up windows and a door frame with more lumber. Plaster the entire structure with more mud mix (inside and out) and allow the dwelling more drying time in the sun. Add a tin roof if you're replicating authentic Chinese architecture or make yours of wood. If you apply fresh mud coatings annually, your mud house may last as many years as those owned by villagers throughout China who proudly bequeath theirs to multiple generations of family members.