With earth, bamboo, straw, and lime mortar, a specialist builds a house for just over $460 and draws attention for its cost being much lower than traditional construction.

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 26/03/2026 at 13:15

Updated on 02/05/2026 at 20:58

2 people reacted to this.

In Indonesia, Misbah Dwiyanto built a mud house with just over 460 dollars in materials, reducing costs by 40% and highlighting thermal, acoustic, seismic, and environmental advantages over conventional construction

Amid rising construction costs, Indonesian expert Misbah Dwiyanto erected a mud house using earth, bamboo, straw, and lime for just over 460 dollars, a 40% lower expenditure than the market standard and significant for combining economy, technical performance, and lower environmental impact.

Dwiyanto reported having invested the equivalent of just over 460 dollars in all the materials used in the construction.

According to him, the final cost of the mud house was about 40% below what is required for a conventional building.

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Prioritized materials

The structure was made with earth, bamboo, straw, and lime mortar. The use of cement and steel was minimized and restricted only to the foundation, a measure adopted to reduce the environmental impact of the residence built by him.

In addition to the savings, the mud house offers technical benefits considered superior in a tropical climate.

Among them are thermal comfort, natural acoustic insulation, and structural flexibility, which makes the construction more resistant to earthquakes.

These characteristics differentiate this type of housing from rigid cement houses. The composition of the materials allows for more favorable performance in both temperature control and noise reduction in the internal environment.

Longer construction time

Misbah Dwiyanto emphasized, however, that the cost reduction requires more time for execution. The artisanal process of molding and drying can take about twice as long as a conventional construction, which alters the pace of building.

The experience combined real savings, limited use of industrial inputs, and functional advantages.

With traditional materials and artisanal application, the mud house built by Dwiyanto presented itself as a robust, ecological, and cheaper alternative to common masonry, in practice.

With information from Istoé.

With earth, bamboo, straw, and lime mortar, a specialist builds a house for just over $460 and draws attention for its cost being much lower than traditional construction.

In Indonesia, Misbah Dwiyanto built a mud house with just over 460 dollars in materials, reducing costs by 40% and highlighting thermal, acoustic, seismic, and environmental advantages over conventional construction

Prioritized materials

Longer construction time

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In Indonesia, Misbah Dwiyanto built a mud house with just over 460 dollars in materials, reducing costs by 40% and highlighting thermal, acoustic, seismic, and environmental advantages over conventional construction

Prioritized materials

Longer construction time

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