Materials in Walls and Roofs

For the house in general, because of economic necessity, only indigenous materials were available. Where superior materials were present in a locality they might be too expensive, and paying a craftsman to use them might be beyond the resources of the builder. Therefore the choice was very limited but this serious handicap was to some extent mollified by the skill of the builder and his inspiration to substitute and improvise. Indeed it was the paucity of materials, the need for permanent shelter and the spartan lifestyle of rural people, that challenged the builder. The buildings which resulted were the manifestations of all these considerations. That is why they are so important; that is why they are irreplaceable: they are a precious heritage.

Walls built with lime mortar were undoubtedly the best but few could afford those. Tempered clay was a substitute for lime. In some parts of the country with an abundance of stone, there was a tradition of dry-walling. Where stone was not available mud walls were built with tempered clay. Great care was taken in selecting the clay, and tempering it was a laborious task which involved turning and kneading. Sometimes straw, rushes, cow-dung or animal blood or hair were added. The correct amount of water was important to give the right consistency and the malleable mixture was sometimes poured into moulds or casings. More often it was built in layers without moulds and cut into shape when dry afterwards. Walls were usually 60cms or more thick and often had a slight batter.

Openings for windows and doors were small and were usually provided as the work proceeded, but occasionally they were omitted and cut out afterwards. Mud walls generally had a stone base about a metre high. This helped to keep the wall dry and was a protection against rats and mice. When the roof was completed the walls were plastered with tempered clay which had various additives, such as animal hair, animal blood, cow-dung, ashes, milk or buttermilk, according to local custom. Finally, the walls were whitewashed with lime, on both sides, for decoration and protection. For the extremely destitute walls of clay sods were the most common. In addition houses were dug into the ground or against banks, thus reducing the amount of walling required.

In the gable-roof the gables are built up to the plane of the rafters. Sometimes the walls project above the thatch while again the thatch may be carried over the gable walls. With the hipped roof the gable walls are not built any higher than the side walls and the inclination of the roof is continued at the gables. There is also the half-hip and other variations which are determined by the taste of the builder and local custom. For the greater part of the country the roof consisted of light A-shaped couples, each consisting of two rafters and one collar brace, spaced around one metre apart. A flat stone would be placed under the roof of each rafter. Light timbers were placed horizontally across the rafters to support the roof covering.