ONLINE COURSE - MUD BRICK CONSTRUCTION - ADOBE
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF BUILDING YOUR OWN HOME?
If you've thought of building a mud brick building, this course can be an excellent starting point. Its very practical, with some hands on work to get you started; helping you begin experimenting and planning ongoing projects, whether they are a modest garden wall, or more complex buildings.
- Save time by learning to do it right first time!
- Imagine being able to build your own home
- Learn to test soil suitability for mud building, how to make a quality brick & how to test its strength.
The course takes you step by step through the building process, showing how to plan a building, sorting through permits and other legalities, doing the site works & foundations, different construction techniques,laying bricks, frames & roofs, installing services, wall finishes and more.
Lesson Structure
There are 10 lessons in this course:
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Scope of Mud Brick
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Covers history and types of earth building and construction. Also involves analysis of your soil with respect to suitability for mud bricks.
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How to make a Mud Brick
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You will get to make a mud brick mould; test your soil, classify it, and check it for ability to withstand compression. You will also be expected to assess other soil types and their suitability for mud bricks.
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Planning and Site Works
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Selecting a home site, designing a house to maximise energy efficiency.
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Introduction to building biology (ie. healthy buildings).
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Legal Considerations
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Permits, specifications etc
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Foundations
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Strip foundations, slabs, earth floors.
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Laying Bricks
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Step by step procedure, strengthening/reinforcing walls, load bearing compared with non load bearing walls, rendering finished surfaces.
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Doors, Windows, and Roofs
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Roofing methods, fixing doors & windows, general fixing, joinery, plugs etc.
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Finishes
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Alternative wall and floor finishes.
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Services
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Electricity, gas, water etc. Designing & costing a small building (eg. store or workshop).
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Other types of Earth Building
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Wattle & daub, rammed earth, cob.
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
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Discuss the nature and scope of Mud Brick construction
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Identify the legal considerations which need to be met when building in mud.
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Determine the requirement for foundations for a mud construction.
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Determine options for building doors, windows and roofs into a mud building
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Analyze options for coating or finishing the surface of a mud wall or other mud construction.
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Compare options for providing water, electricity or any other required services in a mud building.
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Describe a variety of mud construction techniques other than mud brick.
EXAMPLES OF WHAT YOU MAY DO IN THIS COURSE
- Get together a sample of earth which you might like to use to make mud bricks. This earth might be on a property where you wish to build a mud brick house, or it might be from a friend's property. Collect earth from at least a few inches below the soil.
- Find different types of soil. Give your assessment on the suitability of each for making mud bricks. Send a sample of each soil type along with your assessment of it's suitability for making mud bricks
- Using different types of soil make test mud bricks. One mud brick should be made with each type of soil plus straw. Make another brick out of each type of soil without straw.
- Visit or contact your local council's building department. Find out from them where you can obtain a copy of `Standard Specifications' from
- Explain step by step how you would go about putting down a concrete strip foundation for a small single storey mud brick workshop
What Type of Soil Do You Need for Mud Bricks?
The best soils for mud bricks would be 'clays', 'clay loams', 'silty clay loams', or 'silty clays'.
Sandy clay loam would require additional clay and or organic matter added (eg. straw) to make an effective brick mixture.
One way of determining the type of soil you are dealing with is to ask someone who knows about soils.
Anyone who has studied soils should be able to tell you what type of soil you have.
You may need to consult someone such as a Soil scientist, Engineer, Surveyor, Irrigation Expert, Horticulturist, Agriculture teacher, Geologist or Mining Engineer. Soil testing laboratories that exist in most large cities, could be useful for getting a more precise and detailed description of a soil: and these are sometimes used as a matter of course by engineers and even builders, in order to understand what is required for a building’s foundation (apart from whether the soil is appropriate for use in making mud bricks).
Here is a simple way you can go about determining what a particular type of soil is:
1. Place a small quantity of soil in the palm of your hand and add just enough water to make it plastic. If it doesn't stain the fingers, doesn't bind together and is gritty to feel, it is a sand.
2. If it doesn't stain the fingers but can be rolled into a ball which barely adheres together, then it is a loamy sand.
3. If it forms a more solid ball which can be rolled into a cylinder, but breaks when the cylinder is bent, and if it still feels gritty; it is a sandy loam.
4. If when the cylinder is bent gently, it doesn't break and if there is no feeling of grittiness, silkiness or
stickiness; then it is a loam.
5. If it is similar to a loam but there is a silky feeling, and if it cannot be polished by rubbing; then it is a silty loam.
6. If the silky feeling is very strong, but otherwise it is like a silty loam, it is a silt.
7. If it is like a loam, but is sticky and can be polished, it is a clay loam.
8. If it shows the characteristics of a clay loam, but when squeezed, also has a gritty feeling, it is a sandy clay loam.
9. If instead of being gritty, it is silky but otherwise like a clay loam, it's a silty clay loam.
10. If the characteristic of stickiness is stronger than anything else, then it is a clay.
11. Organic soils are ones which have a large proportion of organic matter (25% or more). These are usually black or brown in colour and feel silky. It is possible to get organic types of all of the above soils.
FAQ's
What qualification will I achieve for completing this course?
This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hour long usually and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.
If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.
If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.
If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.
There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.
Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process.
You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above.
You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.
Who are our tutors?
Our tutors are all highly experienced and professional, knowledgeable in their field of study. We have staff from around the world, enabling us to gain a wide variety of perspectives. We have a school in the UK and in Australia. If you would like to have a look at our tutors, then click on the “About Us” in the boxes above and choose “The Staff” option.
Sample Course Notes
Our courses are all written by highly qualified tutors and writers, who also teach on the courses, so know them well. We strive to update our courses and improve them with new information, methods and knowledge on an ongoing basis. If you would like to see examples of some of our courses, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, and then click on “Sample Course Notes”.
What learning method should I choose?
We offer three learning methods – e-learning, correspondence and online. If you are not sure which is the right choose for you, then click on the “Learning” box above, then “Learning Methods.”
How Long will it take to complete the course?
This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.
Longer courses will obviously take longer. You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”
What Do Our Students think of us?
If you would like to read comments from our previous students, then choose the “About Us” option above, then “Student Testimonials”.
I don’t think this is the right course for me.
If you’re not sure about this course, then why not look at our wide range of other courses. Click on the “Courses” box above.
You may also wish to design your own course to fit in with exactly what YOU want. To do so, click on the “Enrolment” box, then “Design your Own Course”.
If you would like more advice on a course, then you can contact us and ask a tutor about the courses. You can contact us by calling 0800 328 4723 or +44(0) 384 442752 or emailing info@acsedu.co.uk
Recognition and Accreditation
For more information on our recognition and accreditation, click on “The School”, then “Recognition”.
Who is ACS Distance Education?
If you want to know more about ACS and our history, then please click on “The School”, then “About us.”
