Terra Firma Earth Building Company

Eve and Paul at Terra Firma Earth Building Company specialise in designing and building these beautiful ‘rammed earth’ homes that are healthy, eco-friendly, energy efficient and low maintenance.

Rammed earth construction is a natural building solution and although it may be a new concept for many, it’s actually an ancient technique dating back to 7000BC, with some of New Zealand’s rammed earth houses dating back to the 1800’s. The building materials and techniques used to make these houses make them more durable and less toxic than conventional builds, and reduce the likelihood of asthma and allergies for those living in them.

From Paul at Terra Firma:

“Think of building a sandcastle, it’s essentially the same as that … You start with a sandy, friable (crumbly) soil with a bit of moisture in it – old soils seem to work better than new soils, then a small amount of cement is added and sometimes other aggregates such as sand, silt and clay. Once the soil is mixed up we compact it into a form by pouring it into a mold 20 centimetres at a time. That form makes a whole segment of a rammed earth wall, which doesn’t take long to set.”

Invest in the environment

Rammed earth homes have a much lighter carbon footprint than many conventional homes. It comes down to using locally sourced materials that are as natural and eco-friendly as possible, while still meeting building and structural safety requirements.

Invest in your health

We use eco-building materials and techniques that dramatically reduce the likelihood of asthma and allergies. Rammed earth walls are permeable, meaning they absorb and transfer heat, cool, and moisture. This creates a stable indoor environment that’s good for your health.

We create homes and buildings that contain less toxins than conventional homes – from the earth mix in the walls to the wood stain or oil on the windowsills.

Invest in durability