Walls typically have a thickness of 300 millimeters (11 inches) with footings averaging 45 centimeters (18 inches) and heights of 2.5 meters (8 feet). Builders set out by delineating desired wall forms (rectangular or circular) with pegs and string and then digging a pit nearby to prepare the laterite needed for construction.
Through kneading with water, builders mold 200-millimeter- (8-inch-) diameter laterite balls, creating five layers of up to 600 millimeters (24 inches) in height each and covered with palm leaves. Each individual layer is leveled and allowed to dry before adding another; openings for windows and doors are also noted using pieces of fan palm as lintels. After the last laterite course, builders make holes at 600-millimeter intervals at the top using posts of Parkia biglobosa as structural supports for the roofs. For flat roofs, builders use mud, but for pitched roofs use grass and palm fronds constructed by tying smaller pieces of stick and bamboo to main timber rafters with raffia or twine.