During the frontier settlement of the United States and Canada, the prairie lacked traditional building materials such as wood and stone. There was however an abundant supply of sod from prairie grass which contained thick, sturdy roots. From this sod early settlers built homes called sod “soddy” houses.

The typical method of constructing sod houses was to cut sod into rectangular pieces and stack them to form the walls of the house. Different types and methods of roofing are used in building “soddy” houses. The homes were typical damp inside but very well insulated. One major problem of sod houses is there vulnerability to rain. To combat this, exterior walls are sometimes protected by wood panels or stucco.

With the right planning and materials it’s possible that a sod house could make a relatively long-lasting nice tiny house. Even if a sod house doesn’t seem viable to you, it’s interesting to see how homes can be built from almost anything available with a little ingenuity.

Over the years the designs and methods of building sod homes have advanced and today there are beautiful examples of tiny sod houses throughout the world. Here is a gallery of sod homes I’ve put together for you:

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