Soil as a building material is available in most areas of the world. In developing countries, earth construction is economically the most efficient means for house construction with the least demand of resources. The investigation is carried out to find the suitable proportion of locally available materials such as soil , coir , straw etc. with cement as stabilizers for improving the strength of locally available mud blocks and thus to provide affordable housing. Using soil (from areas of Neriamangalam) and stabilizers (cement, lime, straw fiber, coir fiber, plastic fiber), eleven different types of samples were prepared. Tests were conducted on these samples in order to evaluate their performance such as compressive strength and total water absorption on which the durability of the blocks depends. The investigation has revealed that, out of all block samples, blocks that are produced from10% cement (C10), 10% cement with 3% coir fiber (C10C) and 10% cement with 3% plastic fiber (C10P) have compressive strength and total water absorption values above the recommended minimum values for structural work.

Adequate shelter is one of the most important basic human needs. Currently, the majority of developing countries are faced with the problem of providing adequate and affordable housing in sufficient numbers. In the last few decades, shelter conditions have been worsening: resources have remained scarce, housing demand has risen and the urgency to provide immediate practical solutions has become more sensitive. For providing low-cost housing, we must rely on locally available raw materials. Home brick-makers have long been using fibrous ingredients like straw to improve the tensile strength of mud bricks. However, they have not had a chance to do a scientific experimental investigation on the balance of ingredients and the optimization of this production.

The fibers, which are connected together by mud, provide a tensile strength in mud bricks. The fibers provide a better coherence between the mud layers. The stress-strain relation of mud bricks under compression is very important. The compressive strength of fiber-reinforced mud brick has been found to be higher than that of the conventional fibreless mud brick, because, fibers are strong against stresses. Furthermore, such materials are abundantly available and renewable in nature. Local soil has always been the most widely used material for earthen construction in India. However, such type of construction has some serious drawbacks such as, i) Water penetration ii) Erosion of walls at the plinth level/ lower level by splashing of water from ground surfaces. iii) Attacks by termites and pests. iv) High maintenance requirements. v) Low durability.