Want to build a bamboo house or shelter? Whether for leisure or for insights, this building guide with tips will help for sure!
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Building a Bamboo House as a Survival Shelter
Materials You'll Need:
- Bamboos (sturdy, mature, and columnar)
- Machete
- Paracord Grenade
- Vines
- Basic construction tools
Step 1: Pick Bamboo to Build a Survival Shelter
Sturdy and columnar, bamboos are great materials to build a survival shelter. If you have a sharp, reliable machete and a paracord grenade, you can make a fairly decent shelter from bamboos.
You also don't need nails to join bamboos together, which is quite convenient. You can either use vines for rope or stakes from bamboo.
Step 2: Find a Good Spot to Build a Bamboo Shelter
Set out into the wild and find a good spot where you can build a shelter. Make sure this place is close to a potable water source. Bear in mind the ground has to be firm, even, and dry.
The flatter the surface, the easier the construction. It has to be dry as well to keep the bamboo in a good state longer.
And, since you're making a bamboo house, you might as well choose a spot near a grove of bamboo for building your shelter.
Step 3: Prepare the Materials
To build a bamboo house, you need basic construction tools. If you don't have them in your survival gear and toolbox, well, you'll have to improvise.
Just make sure you have something to cut bamboo with. Now, when it comes to choosing bamboo, make sure you get the ones that are sturdy and mature.
You can treat bamboo to make it sturdier and last longer but if you don't have time to do this, simply work with what you have.
Step 4: Decide on the Bamboo House Design
Your bamboo house does not need to be big or have a complicated design. A simple 10 by 8-foot shack is enough to house a single person, with a bit of space left for storage.
Traditional bamboo houses in Asia are often raised from the ground. If you want to follow this design, decide how high you want your house to be.
RELATED: How To Build A Wickiup Survival Shelter
Step 5: Build the Bamboo Shelter Foundation
Choose four of the largest and sturdiest bamboo poles. These will be the four corners of your bamboo house.
Dig holes, about a foot or so, on where these columns will be. They have to be large enough to hold the bamboo columns. Before inserting the bamboo columns into the holes, make sure you cover the tips with plastic.
Also, line the hole with dry stones. It is key to make sure the bamboo column does not get exposed to moisture when placed on the ground.
Step 6: Create the Wall Frame in Grids
Now, with the four corners set, start to build the wall frame. Fill the gap between the four corners with columns (repeat the previous process), using slimmer bamboo poles.
Each column should at least be a meter apart. After the columns are set, proceed to construct the top plate or upper wall plate.
Step 7: Cover the Walls
Choose thin bamboo poles, preferably much lighter than the columns, and nail them horizontally to the columns. The rows should at least be a meter or more apart.
Leave out space where the door and windows are meant to be. After this, seal the grids with woven bamboo or bamboo splits.
Step 8: Construct the Roof
The supporting structure of the roof does not have to be complicated. A basic truss and an ordinary gable roof will do for a simple survival shelter.
After the roof frame is done, add the outer layer of the roof. Depending on the materials available, the outer layer of the roof can be made from thatch, tree bark, slate, sheet metal, tarp, etc.
Step 9: Add the Floor, Doors, and Windows
Finish your bamboo house by adding the floor, doors, and windows which you can make from bamboo as well. Again, as it is a simple survival shelter, there is no need to go crazy with the design.
As for the floor, you can use bamboo poles or split bamboo.
Watch this video by Survival Instinct on how to build a bamboo house with only a machete, plus other survival tips in a tropical rainforest:
A bamboo house is just one of the many types of survival shelters you can build. But, practice making one in your backyard anyway.
A simple DIY project, for example, a tiny home or shed, would surely enhance your skills in handling bamboos. You'll never know when they will come in handy.
Do you have any other ideas on how to make a bamboo house? Let us know in the comments section below!
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on September 5, 2019, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
Bamboo house is really good plan it helps to reduce deforestation .bamboo house should be encouraged to promote Eco-friendly environment.In Hyderabad Bamboo House India is providing bamboo houses and bamboo products. To know more visit bamboohouseindia.org
Good Article, but very regionally oriented, which makes it of little worth to those living where bamboo doesn’t grow. I would suggest a future article on Wattle & Daub construction techniwues might be appropriate for those of us who don’t reside in Bamboo Friendly Zones. Sod House construction, Dugout construction and other options are alk of equal worth.
What an idiot. “Here is an article on how to repair a teacup”, You – “This article is good if you have a teacup, what about fixing a light switch?”
that is cool
it’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen