Wattle and Daub Homes
A long time ago, when ancient man wanted to build a house, there
was no modern construction. Man used whatever they could find
to build a home, like mud, sticks, stones and big long palm leaves.
However, not every material was meant to be used for a shelter,
and the homes would more than likely fall apart.
Wattle and Daub House |
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One method that ancient man used was called wattle and daub.
Wattle and daub was a unique process, and some places all around
the world have been using this process to make homes for over
six thousand years.
The process of making a home from wattle and daub is pretty simple.
The building material is composed of wooden strips that are woven
like lace and then covered with soil, clay, straw, and feces from
animals. When put together, the woven wattle resembles a basket.
However, the strips create a lot of holes that make for poor insulation.
Better than a Thermos …
To make the wall sturdier, and to keep the air out, the woven
walls are then covered with the cement that is made of the soil
and animal dung. Once the walls of home are made with the wattle
and daub, the home is warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Wattle and Daub Home
There are two kinds of wattle and daub panels that can be created
and put in a home. The two types of panels for one of these earth
homes is close studding and square paneling. With the close studding
style of paneling, the weaving is much tighter to keep the extra
space between the long wooden pieces to a minimum.
When a piece of the panel is put into the wall of a home, there
are horizontal ledgers that resemble wooden stakes that are hammered
into the side of the panels. With the square panels, the panels
are quite wide with a tight weave so they can be supporting the
weight of a roof.
Don't Cave In, Cave Out …
Ancient man had to find a way to keep himself and his family
safe from the elements. However, other than caves, cavemen had
little options for homes and had to build his own home out of
whatever he had available. Wattle and daub is a method that mankind
used over six thousand years ago to build their homes.
The process consisted of using twigs and long pieces of wood
to weave walls, and then those walls were covered with a combination
of soil, clay, straw, and the dung from animals. Today, homes
are still made with the wattle and daub process in various countries
around the world.
Interior of Wattle and Daub Dwelling
In Conclusion
So, you can see that in its day, wattle and daub was rock 'n'
roll for the builders and this technique is still used in some
countries today.
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