DURABILITY AND SERVICE LIFE OF MUD HOUSES

G.C. MATHUR
National Buildings Organisation & U.N. Regional Housing Centre.
ESCAP

Abstract
Soil is the commonly used building material for low-cost housing in
places having tropical climatic conditions. The traditional methods of
mud wall construction including mud lump wall construction,
sun-dried mud brick/block wall construction and rammed earth
construction are briefly described.
The inherent drawbacks in mud houses have been indicated which
include frequent repair or complete re-erection of walls, roofs, etc.,
after each spell of rains. Appropriate technologies for improving the
durability and service life of mud houses as mentioned herein include
waterproof mud plaster and soil stabilization. Low-cost techniques
for making mud houses resistant to earthquakes and floods have
been given.
Great importance is attached to transfer of technology in which
context the work of National Buildings Organisation which is also
U.N. Regional Housing Centre of ESCAP has been briefly
mentioned. The need for promoting a network structure for R E D
has been brought out and a charter of joint activities has been
presented. The activities of the CIB Working Commission on the
subject have been briefly indicated.
Ke words: Durability, Serviceability, Soil structures, Mud, Techno-
+----
ogy transfer, Wall, Plaster, Brick.

1. Introduction

Everywhere, soil is the most abundant building material. It has

been used as a construction material since early times and it still
remains the most extensively used material for construction of
houses. It is estimated that two-thirds of housing stock in India in
1981, i.e., 66 million houses, particularly in rural areas, have used
mud for construction in one form or the other.
Mud houses are generally constructed at a very little cost or even
at no cost at all, largely through self-help. Such houses are suited
t o t h e t r o p i c a l a n d sub-tropical climatic conditions and a r e
aesthetically pleasing and in harmony with the surroundings.
A variety of skills and techniques have been locally developed by
constructing mud houses with architectural characteristics of their
own, which have lasted for generations with proper maintenance and
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repair. Basically, soil is used in the construction of either non-load
bearing or load bearing walls. Often the foundations, plinth and
superstructures are made of local soil. The roofing consists of mud
construction or other types of traditional roofing material such as
grass, thatch, palmyrah leaves, clay roofing tiles, etc.

2. Traditional methods of mud wall construction

The traditional methods of earth wall construction include the follow-

ing: mud lump wall construction, sun-dried mud brick/block wall
construction and rammed earth construction.

2.1 Mud lump wall construction

This is the simplest method of mud wall construction. In this
method, local soil which is not too clayey nor too sandy is first dug
out and then mixed with requisite amount of water to form lumps of
good consistency. Lumps are manually placed in layers. While laying
the lumps, care is taken to see that no space is left in the body of
wall. Each layer is placed on alternate days to make allowance for
sufficient drying time.
Mud walls so formed are given a coating of cow dung leaping.
Generally, wall height is low, not exceeding 8 ft (2.4 m) because of
difficulty in raising the walls in upright position due to the use of
lumps. Wall thickness is generally 300 mm and the depth of
foundation of such houses is generally kept between 450-600 mm.
Mud concrete of about 150 mm thickness is provided as bed
concrete. The width of foundation trench is normally kept as
450 mm.
The roof overhangs of such houses is generally kept between
300-450 mm. Such houses are cheaply built through self-help though
they are not very durable and strong. The mud walls are sus-
ceptible to erosion in the event of heavy rainfall and they are also
vulnerable to fire.

2.2 Sun-dried mud brick/ block wall construction

This type of construction uses sun-dried bricks/blocks prepared
from local soil. In preparing sun-dried bricks, any soil which is
found to contain 80% clay, 20% sand or 40% clay,, 60% sand may be
used. Water is added to the soil in the requlslte quantity. The
‘prepared mud is then moulded into the shape of bricks/blocks of
suitable size using wooden mould. The green mud bricks are left to
dry completely in open air for about a week. In wall construction,
sun-dried mud bricks are laid in courses in mud mortar. The joints
are staggered in each course.
The wall is raised in stages, about 1 m height everyday upto a
height of 3 m to provide clear headroom. It is finally given a
rendering of cow dung leaping. The mud wall so prepared is
well-formed and strong.
Foundation for the mud walls and construction of roof are
provided in the usual manner. Plinth provided in normal situation is
generally between 300-400 mm while for areas with heavy rainfall it
is kept between 600-750 mm.
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2.3 Rammed earth construction
In this method of construction, damp or moist earth is rammed
between temporary, movable timber framework. The soil to be used
for such construction should be free from deleterious contents such
as organic matters of vegetable origin, mica and saline impurities.
The preferred type of soil for such construction is ‘sandy loam’.
The soil prepared for ramming is just moist enough to form a
compact wall when pressed between cupped hands.
The walls are built in courses. The height of the course is
determined by the size of formwork, which is generally not more
than 800 mm (for 300 mm thick wall). The finished surface is finally
given a rendering of cow dung leaping. Adequate roof slope and
overhangs (about 300-450 mm) are provided to safeguard the walls
from erosion during heavy rainfall.
Plinth provided in normal situation is generally between
300-400 mm while for areas with heavy rainfall, it is kept between
600-750 mm. The rammed earth wall construction calls for more
skilled supervision to ensure proper shuttering and ramming.

3. Improving durability of mud houses

The inherent drawbacks in mud houses include poor natural stability

of the soil resulting in its reduced durability, frequent repair or
complete re-erection of walls, roofs, etc., after each spell of rain.
Such houses are very much vulnerable to natural disasters such
as cyclone, flood and earthquake. It is not uncommon to find a
large number of heavily damaged or destroyed houses year after
year due to heavy rains or floods. Also thatch roofs provided over
mud walls often get burnt and spread fire in the whole village
settlement, rendering many people homeless. In the event of
cyclones and earthquakes, traditional mud houses are heavily
damaged because of the lack of adequate strengthening measures
required to counteract destructive forces.
In the future, majority of the population will continue to live in
mud houses. As such, it has become imperative for us to devise
ways to do away with the shortcomings of the traditionally built mud
houses, and make mud houses more durable.

4. Waterproof mud plaster

As a result of some research works on the protection of mud walls

from erosion (Appendix) caused by heavy rains in India the National
Buildings Organisation and Central Building Research Institute
(CBRI), Roorkee have developed waterproof mud plaster for making
mud houses more durable. The plaster is produced by mixing
cut-back bitumen with ordinary mud plaster prepared with straw and
cow dung which is also used as fire retardant and water repellent
treatment for thatch.
5. Soil stabilisation

To make mud wall construction strong and durable, extensive

research has been undertaken in the field of soil stabilisation as
well. Many premier research organisations such as CBRI, Roorkee
and Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), New Delhi have
developed techniques for soil stabilisation using materials such as
lime, cement and bitumen, depending upon the characteristics of
different soils.
Soil stabilisation eliminates inherent drawbacks of mud houses
such as: poor natural stability of the soil resulting in its reduced
durability, frequent repair or complete re-erection of walls, roofs,
etc., after each spell of rain. The common stabilising agents for
soil include cement, lime, and emulsified bitumen. Briefly, stabi-
lizers perform the following action:

(a) Cement the particles of soil together to make the walls strong
and durable.
(b) Increase resistance to weathering from sun and wind.
(c) Render the mud wall watertight thus giving protection from
rain-water and erosion.
(d) Protect soil from shrinkage and swelling.

Before deciding on the correct type of stabiliser to be added to

the soil, thorough testing of soil is done to determine its various
physical properties. The best type of soil for stabilisation with
cement is one which has proper grading of particles.
The method of soil stabilisation with lime is suitable for highly
clayey soil particularly black cotton soils. Bituminous stabilisation is
more suitable for sandy soils. Clayey soil after suitable treatment
with lime can also be stabilised with bitumen. Sometimes soil has a
little too much clay in it for cement to do a good job for stabilizing.
In that situation, combination of lime and cement is to be used as
stabilizer.
To achieve the desired strength, resistance to weathering, and
economy, the following percentages of additives are found most
suitable for the manufacture of stabilised bricks/blocks.

(a) Cement upto 5% of soil weight.

(b) Lime upto 3% of soil weight.
(c) Cement 1.5% and lime 1.5% of soil weight.
(d) Emulsified bitumen 1% of soil weight.

Stabilised bricks which are made manually as well as mechanically

are used in the same way as conventional bricks. Hand operated
and mechanically operated brick presses can produce 100 and 250
stabilised bricks per hour respectively. Usually, these are
sun-dried and laid in ordinary mud mortar and are protected with
covering of non-erodable mud plaster from the outside and with
ordinary mud plaster from the inside. However, when these are
made using coal-tar/bitumen mortar they can dispense with plaster
and have a thin rendering of lime, mud or lime cement wash.

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6. Earthquake resistant mud houses

In the past, some traditional types of construction technology had

been developed to make mud houses earthquake resistant. For
example, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which lies in earth-
quake Zone V (severe intensity), the traditional method of ‘Dhaji
Diwari’ technique is adopted in mud house construction to minimise
the destruction during earthquakes. The method of construction
comprises of making in-built timber framework with diagonal braces
in the body of mud walls, to impart greater rigidity to the
structure. In Assam, which also lies in earthquake Zone V (severe
intensity) the system of ‘Ikra walling’ which resists earthquake
forces admirably is adopted. This structure is light, comprising of
timber framework with infill panels of reed or split bamboos having
mud plaster on either side. In other areas within earthquake Zone
IV (moderate intensity), twigs and branches of trees are incor-
porated in mud walls as reinforcements to offer greater resistance to
earthquake. Mud walls built with sun-dried bricks or rammed earth
provide better performance during earthquakes.
In the past, sun-dried bricks were also used for constructing
domes and vaults taking advantage of arch action for resisting
horizontal forces, the major cause of earthquake damage. Other
methods for Imparting greater earthquake resistance to mud houses
include bamboo reinforced mud construction, use of stabilised soil
blocks for wall construction, construction of walls with bamboo frame
and mud infill panels, etc.

7. Flood resistant mud houses

The following points are recommended for the construction of durable

mud houses in flood prone areas:

(a) The plinth of the house should preferably be raised to a

height of 750 mm.
(b) In areas subjected to heavy rains and floods, to prevent wall
damage, the wail foundations as well as the plinth upto a height of
1 m should be of burnt brick.
(c) The mud walls should be protected with waterproof mud
plaster.
(d) The sloping roofs over the walls should be provided with
adequate overhangs in order to protect the walls, doors and windows
from rain water running off the roof.

8. Transfer of technology

To promote the adoption of appropriate technology for improving the

durability and service life of mud houses several steps have been
taken by the National Building Organisation and its 15 Regional
Housing Development Centres located in different parts of the
country. The steps include: ( a ) p u t t i n g u p c l u s t e r s o f 2 0
demonstration low-cost houses in selected villages in different gee-
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climatic regions in India; (b) organising of workshops/seminars on
improved mud housing technologies; (c) conducting training course
for technical personnel and building artisans; and (d) providing
technical assistance in the adoption of improved mud technology for
large-scale low-cost housing projects in different climatic regions
(Fig. 1 to 4).

Fig. 1. Low-cost house in hot-arid region using thatch roof and

sun-dried brick walls with waterproof mud plaster.

Fig. 2. Low-cost house in hilly and hot region with bamboo rein-
forced mud infill panels with timber frame and asbestos
roofing.

9. Network structure for R E D

In order to continue using mud as a material for constructing more

durable houses, particularly for large majority of the low-income
population, who can only afford cheap construction, there is a great
need to undertake intensive research and development work for the
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Fig. 3. Low-cost house in snow bound hilly region using asphaltic
roofing sheets and sun-dried brick walls with waterproof
mud plaster.
 (d) evolve a strategy and programme for undertaking a joint
research project;
(el undertake pilot demonstration projects to propagate the
results of research;
(PI organise workshops, training programmes, seminars and
study visits; and
(g) develop advisory and consultancy service.

10. Cl B Working Commissions

The CIB Working Commission on Low-Cost Housing (W:63) and local

materials (W:76) of which the author is the coordinator, welcomes
contributions from different countries providing information
regarding local techniques being adopted and improved techniques
developed to extend the durability and service life of mud houses.

Appendix

Waterproofing treatment for mud walls.

Details of preparation and application of waterproof mud plaster
using bitumen-cut back:

(a) 64 kg of straw with 1 m3 of soil which should be neither too

clayey nor too sandy (i.e., 1 .8 kg of straw to 1 ft3 of soil).
(b) Sufficient water is added to the mixture of soil and straw
(bhusa) which is kept wet for about a week and kneaded daily in
order to ensure proper rotting of (bhusa) straw thereby increasing
its workability.
(c) To prepare bitumen cut-back, molten bitumen (80/100 grade)
is mixed with kerosene oil and paraffin wax in the proportion of
100:20:1. The mixture is stirred constantly till all ingredients are
mixed thoroughly .
(d) 5% bitumen cut-back is added to the mixture of soil and
straw prepared as described above, which is mixed thoroughly by
turning over with spade and kneading.

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