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Building a Mud House is not Rocket Science!
Tiny Insights from the Countryside.
No.051 — Read old posts on Tinyfarmlab.com
Reading Time 4 minutes
We are both trained as architects.
We spent five years studying the principles of design, construction, and the intricacies of building with red bricks, concrete, and steel.
Raghav also worked in a conventional architecture company for 3 years applying his “theoretical” knowledge to build a play school, an auditorium, residencies, high-rise buildings, community centers, and more.
Yet, when it came to building a simple shelter, something as fundamental as a mud house, we felt unprepared.
This may sound surprising, but even with our formal education, we realize that what we’ve been taught doesn’t necessarily equip us to build with the most basic, natural materials.
While our education was valuable, it had its limits. It focused on following established standards, codes, and practices, teaching us to trust the "institution" over our own “intuition”.
Humans have been building homes and structures for centuries, relying on the natural materials around them and the knowledge passed down through generations. As societies grew more complex and urbanized, the focus shifted from self-sufficiency to specialization.
Gradually, people began to pay skilled workers to build their homes, valuing convenience and expertise over the personal touch. As economic models evolved, houses began to be built in anticipation of demand, not immediate needs. Homes were mass-produced, waiting for buyers.
This shift—from self-built homes to paying others, and then to speculative building—reflects a broader change in how we view shelter.
Shelter has become a commodity, something to be traded and sold, rather than a basic human need. We’ve moved away from building homes that suit our needs and our environments, instead opting for standardization and mass production.
Like food and clothing, shelter is a basic need for all living beings.
It’s something that should connect us to the earth and each other, not something that feels out of reach or overly complicated.
Even as architects, we had these questions -
Why should such a fundamental human need be outsourced to architects and contractors?
Why have we, as a society, moved away from building our own shelters?
If birds and animals can build safe, functional homes, why can’t we?
We realized that we had buried our natural instincts to build and create. The desire to construct a mud house—something sacred, shaped by our own hands—came from this deep yearning to reconnect with and reclaim those instincts.
By building this mud house, we rediscovered the joy of working with the earth and the fulfillment of creating something tangible and lasting.
“There is some of the same fitness in a man's building his own house that there is in a bird's building its own nest. Who knows but if men constructed their dwellings with their own hands, and provided food for themselves and families simply and honestly enough, the poetic faculty would be universally developed, as birds universally sing when they are so engaged? But alas! we do like cowbirds and cuckoos, which lay their eggs in nests which other birds have built, and cheer no traveller with their chattering and unmusical notes. Shall we forever resign the pleasure of construction to the carpenter?”
Building a mud house—or any natural home—doesn’t require an architecture degree. It doesn’t demand sophisticated tools or materials. What it does require is a willingness to learn, to experiment, and to trust our instincts.
Physical workshops, reading books, and watching tutorials will only take you so far.
At the heart of natural building is learning by doing. It’s about feeling the earth in your hands, understanding the properties of natural materials, and watching your creation take shape.
It's about making mistakes, learning from them, and finding joy in the process. This is how we truly learn to build—not from textbooks, but from hands-on experience.
Just start.
Experiment with making a rocket stove, a test brick, a cob oven, or a sample wall.
Observe, get feedback, and learn.
Join communities like Talking Natural Homes to get answers to your questions. You won't know the right questions to ask until you start experimenting.
Building a mud house is not rocket science—it’s an act of creativity, intuition, and community. It’s about remembering that shelter is a basic need, one that we are all capable of fulfilling.
Let us know your thoughts on tiny changes and efforts by replying to this email :)
Love,
Raghav and Ansh
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What you can watch - Joshua documents our house on his latest YouTube video.
What you can listen to - Natural building is good for both people and planet.
Recorded at the Natural Building Colloquium at Quail Springs Permaculture Center in New Cuyama, CA, Jill speaks with many natural builders including Sasha Rabin, Linda Smiley, Patrick Hennebery, Liz Johndrow, and Bob Theis.
What You Can Read - Intuitive Design: Sculpting Cob Cottages and Natural Homes As A Sacred Process by Linda Smiley
“ Creating one's relationship to place can have a profound effect on one's life, relationship to the environment, and to the world. This paper is a simple reminder to notice the obvious and use your intuitive tools — a natural way of designing. “
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