A Temporary Housing Option

Pre-cast concrete posts, small diameter poles and thatch or metal roofing can create fast, low cost, easy to construct temporary housing.
Pre-cast concrete posts, small diameter poles and thatch or metal roofing can create fast, low cost, easy to construct temporary housing.

Most of the housing solutions we discuss here at Natural Building Blog utilize ultra low cost materials such as soil for earthbags, adobes or CEBs, poles from local forests, straw bales and other locally sourced sustainable materials. Houses built like this are very strong and durable. They’re primarily for permanent housing. But what if you need temporary housing to live in while your main house is being built? While a mobile home/camper would suffice, consider the benefits of building temporary housing. The temporary housing solution outlined here is designed for speed and ease of construction at low cost.

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Post Detail for CEB Walls

Concrete posts can be cast in the wall after CEBs are stacked
Concrete posts can be cast in the wall after CEBs are stacked

One way to speed construction of compressed earth block walls (CEBs) is to pour concrete posts after the CEB walls are built. This process may be desirable in mild climates where there’s low probability of rain or snow and you are eager to get the walls built. Pouring the posts in the walls saves on form material, and reduces cutting and fitting of blocks (less need for perfect alignment). Posts are inconspicuous (or invisible in some cases – see below) because they’re inset flush to the wall.

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