Earth Waller

Earth wallers conserve, repair and re-build existing walls and construct new earth walls and buildings. While they work in slightly different ways and with different earth (soil or clay), turf or peat, dependent upon the area of the United Kingdom, the basic skills of construction and conservation are very similar.

There are however significant regional variations in the manner of construction which earth wallers need to be aware of. Rammed earth, for example, is formed by compacting earth between shuttering. Cob, the most commonly used term, refers to an earth straw mix that is laid in deep layers (c.600mm) without the aid of formwork. Clay dabbin work is very similar to cob except that the layers are very thin (c.50mm) and each layer is separated by a thin bed of straw.

In most cases lime renders provide a protective coat to the earth structures with a final coat of lime wash applied both for decoration and additional weather protection.

A long tradition of earth building exists in the UK and renewed interest in this is linked to sustainability; using natural, local materials with low environmental impact.

Visit our training provider database to find specialist heritage courses in earth walling.

For further information on courses in earth walling visit http://www.naturalbuildingresources.com/journals.html