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Rammed Earth as Footing?

 
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I am planning a tiny house and would like to use RE for some of the walls - this would be in a rainy climate.

Is it possible to make the footings themselves from rammed earth or soil cement?  The walls they would be supporting would be 6-7 feet tall.  

Budget is almost non existent and having concrete delivered is quite expensive.  

 
gardener
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Location: Arkansas - Zone 7B/8A stoney, sandy loam soil pH 6.5
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What about using dry stacked stones for your footing?

Footings are to support the entire weight of the building, that is their primary function.

Also you are going to need long enough over hangs to protect those walls from the rains.

Most people use gravel under stones for footings as far as I know.

 
Fred McGuire
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I'd like to avoid bringing too much material to the site as it's on a small island.   Hoping to use soil on site with Portland cement.   And yes, large overhangs.   Also it's a high siesmic region.  
 
Bryant RedHawk
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Earth mixed with Portland should work for a RE footing.

For seismic resilience you might want to look into captive sand as a base for the footing to move on in an event.
I am not certain but something like that might work to keep the shifting from toppling the building.
I know that in many places they use delrin disc so the building can "jiggle" with a quake and remain intact.
 
pollinator
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In a rainy climate I would be very concerned with the rammed earth footings wicking moisture up the walls.  That could compromise the strength and promote mold.
 
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what about earthbags? you could put a moisture barrier underneath.


could you share more deatails on your building plans?

and welcome to the forums.
 
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