Rammed Earth Home Extension

Rammed earth home Extension and Renovation at Malmsbury to make an existing library into a home. 

Recycled materials are predominantly used in this project, including recycled red bricks from demolished homes in Brunswick, reclaimed galvanised corrugated sheeting, reclaimed timber studs, plywood, corten, steel windows and doors.

A derelict rammed earth building, lovingly called the library was previously built and used as a library and conference room by members of a publication and offset printery. The building has no direct source of water, though it was connected to the mains. Dust from the aged rammed earth walls, decaying carpet flooring, site drainage issues and roof leaks called for a complete interior overhaul before a lean to Kitchen and Bathroom could be built to serve future occupant needs.

Along with the owner, we pulled out the old mouldy carpet to expose a poorly cast dusty concrete floor below which required resurfacing. After pressure washing the concrete floors and filling in the rows of cracks, we primed and sealed a 5mm white micro screed, an alternative to polished concrete, which brightened the space greatly. The rammed earth walls was then sealed with bondcrete, which greatly reduced dust levels within the house. The 300mm rammed earth walls provided good thermal mass during the hot summers and kept the warmth from the fireplace in cold winters. Next, we replaced the old metal roof sheeting and insulated the roof, and connected the gutter to a new stainless steel water tank to collect rainwater for daily use.