Rammed Earth Homes are leading the way!

Recently I have had the opportunity to partner and work alongside Aerecura; a family owned business that builds rammed earth homes, and here is what we did, and what I have learned.

In late January, we held an open house at the Salmon Point Road build, or as the home owner calls it the “Mud Hut”, and enjoyed an afternoon filled with talks on what rammed earth homes are in their makeup, alternatives to the standard method of home building, and a personal story of what its like living in a rammed earth home.  Many attended, and it was quite the hit. 

People from London, Sarnia, Ottawa and Toronto were eager to learn, and bring their learning’s back to their current projects and future planning. To see so many interested was a testament to the curiosity this type of building brings, and were very happy with the results. I was there to foster questions on land purchasing, as that’s really the first step. Securing a plot of land that is a. zoned for building residential, and b. a lot that will be suitable for this type of structure ie. flooding, sloping, drainage considerations is really where you need to start.

Before we go any further lets talk about how this all started. Well ” It began with an idea: Build the most sustainable home, ever.” says Syliva the founder of Aerecura. In 2009, Sylvia and her son Graham, along with a small crew of eager builders, worked and brought to life the first of their builds, an insulated rammed earth wall in Ontario,
the first rammed earth wall of Sylvia’s home, and the rest is well history.

So what is Rammed Earth? To explain it, its better to use their words; “Rammed earth is a natural wall building material, created by compressing a mix of gravel, sand, and a binder into a form. The act of compression does in a few moments what gravity does over thousands of years: create rock. This technique - coupled with modern engineering and building science incorporating rebar and insulation - makes rammed earth structural, airtight, and heavily insulated enough to exceed Ontario’s building code, and succeed through our winters.”

If you want to learn more about what this company is doing to build sustainable living in Prince Edward County and Surrounding area make sure to reach out!