Why Mud Homes Don’t Melt in the Rain (Sometimes They Do)

Reader Contribution by Atulya K Bingham
Published on December 23, 2015
1 / 2
2 / 2

For most people there is a large, soggy question mark lurking above the idea of mud homes and water. What happens in a flood? Does the mud plaster fall off in a downpour? Will an adobe house suck up the rain, wobble alarmingly and then collapse into a mud slick?

I’m in a reasonable position to comment. People often assume the Turkish Mediterranean to be a dry, barren place. In fact the winters are quite wet. My region sees on average 42 inches of rainfall annually, most of which descends between December and March. That’s respectable flooding potential by any standards. Every year, random portions of the asphalt road through my village disappear in landslides. Concrete walls routinely collapse. Bridges vanish overnight.

So why doesn’t my house melt? To tell the truth, when I was building it nearly every local in the vicinity said it would. Yet my little mud home has defied the doubters. It’s even been known to squat in a small lake without damage. What’s the trick?(Photo 1 The Turkish Mediterranean can be very wet)

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368