Rammed Earth Artisan | Residential | Saskatoon | Regina

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Rammed Earth in Your Home

In the residential setting, rammed earth can be implemented in a variety of ways. 

Rammed earth is a superior building material for constructing high-performance wall systems.  With its sustainable and environmentally responsible footprint, rammed earth is a wise choice when designing and building to various green building standards such as Passive House, LEED, and the Living Building Challenge.

It can be used for both exterior and interior walls. In cold climates, exterior walls will require the addition of insulation, which we embed in the inside of the wall to create a sandwich wall. Insulated walls are generally 18” to 24” thick with the insulation situated in the middle or offset towards the outside. Interior walls will be un-insulated and can therefore be thinner at 12” to 18” thick. This will give you a healthy non-toxic home that will provide a sense of connection with the outdoors and require little to no maintenance on the building envelope for many generations.

Another option is to include a feature wall or two in your home for aesthetic purposes. Even at a reduced scope such as this, the look and feel of rammed earth will have a stunning and imposing presence in your home that is difficult to put into words with out experiencing it. Your feature wall(s) will be sure to be provoke contemplation and conversation for anyone who experiences them. 

Consider using rammed earth as a fireplace surround. Not only is it beautiful, unique, and customizable, but it will also act as an excellent thermal mass. It will absorb the heat cast by the fire, and radiate it into your home over time, stabilizing the temperature and increasing the effectiveness of your burn.

Rammed earth walls are also well suited for use as partition walls in multi-family residences, as they are fire-proof, waterproof, and soundproof. 

Other possibilities include built-in furniture, decorative elements such as embeds, reliefs, and form carving.

Simple basic rammed earth construction pricing begins at a price point comparable to masonry construction and goes up according to level of complexity and artistry required/desired. If one considers the long-term lifecycle cost of rammed earth construction, it will prove to be cheaper than conventional construction.