How To Build A Bamboo House In The Wild | Survival Life Shelter

Want to build a bamboo house or shelter? Whether for leisure or for insights, this building guide with tips will help for sure!

RELATED: How To Make A Survival Shelter From Debris And Leaves

Building A Bamboo House As A Survival Shelter

1. Pick Bamboo to Build a Survival Shelter

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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.

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.

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 which 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.

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 feet 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 on how high you want your house to be.

RELATED: How To Build DIY Survival Shelters To Survive Through The Night

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.

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.

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.

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 barks, slate, sheet metal, tarp, etc.

9. Add the Floor, Doors, and Windows

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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.

This video from Survival Instinct will show you two ways 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 shed, would surely enhance your skills in handling bamboos. You’ll never know when they would come in handy.

Do you have any other ideas on how to make a bamboo house? Please add them in the comments below!

Up Next:

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• 25 “Quick Up” Survival Shelters You Can Build With A Tarp

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***Disclaimer: The contents of this article are for informational purposes only. Please read our full disclaimer.***

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 30, 2017, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.