PERAMBULUR: A graduate from Veppanthattai in Perambalur district has built a mud-based house by making his own unheated brick. The house utilises very less cement and rods and is suitable for all seasons.
A Jagadeeswaran (30), of Annamangalam, completed BE Civil Engineering and has been aspiring to build a house without using cement like conventional constructions. To achieve this, he completed a course in Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB) and Arch Vault Dome (AVD) in a private college in Puducherry.
Jagadeeswaran decided to build the house in 2021 and collected red soil and mixed it with very little cement to make unheated bricks. The 1100 sqft house was built by employing various techniques, including arches, curves and use of fewer rods.
Speaking to TNIE, Jagadeeswaran said, "I had the vision to build a house similar to old mud houses. But then the roof would have been tiled or thatched. However, I built the house with bricks, including the roofing. I made 10,000 bricks for this. I used powdered red soil to close the gap between the bricks instead of cement. I even used the same bricks for the floor, instead of tiles."
"Apart from this, I used fewer rods in the base and arch to support the bricks. I have not done this technique anywhere else. I used the chain sprocket of a two-wheeler for the windows and front gate, instead of rods. In addition, I did not buy new wood for the door, stairs or windows but polished old wood for them," he added.
Jagadeeswaran built the house in the shape of a cave and set up a tank with a capacity of 20,000 litres to store rainwater also a terrace garden. The house is made of red soil and can withstand all seasons. It does not need air conditioning in summer and doesn't need paint and flaunts its natural colour.
"There are some constructions with interlocking bricks. They use concrete and pillar. Though my house is 10% more expensive than conventional technique, it is innovative, different and sustainable," Jagadeeswaran concluded.