[Greenbuilding] [BULK] Re: adobe question

Alan Abrams alan at abramsdesignbuild.com
Sun Mar 11 11:42:41 CDT 2007


   Drew,

   I think you voided the warranty on your brick.

    A variety of strategies have evolved to cope with this predictable outcome
   (after all, sun drying does not fuse the sand-clay mix like a kiln).  These
   include generous roof overhangs (as seen in the country side outside of
   Santa Fe--where preservation regs mandate the flat roof, parapetted Pueblo
   style), fired brick copings (the "Territorial" style), or, most simply,
   perpetual maintainance with hand applied adobe stucco.  I am told that it
   was traditionally the women who were the adoberos--and that replastering the
   walls  was on their chore list each year after the spring rains.  More
   recently, portland based stucco, on wire lathe (similar to poultry netting)
   is applied to the walls, and even on the top edge of the parapet in less
   fussy applications.  A less than ideal solution, but with maybe 7" of rain
   per year, a somewhat forgiving environment.

   I' be interested to know how Adam's house was constructed to preserve the
   adoble walls.

   Alan Abrams AIBD
   Abrams Design Build LLC
   202-726-5894 o
   202-291-0626 f
   www.abramsdesignbuild.com
   
     An interesting note, maybe, was that my last house I lived in (Michigan)
     was
     made of adobe, circa 1850. It's still standing, the outside looks real
     good
     actually.
     Adam
     >From: "Drew A. Gillett P.E." <[1]deaneg at hotmail.com>
     >i once brought an adobe brick back to massachusetts from nm, it melted
     >within a couple years outdoors on the ground.
     >----- Original Message -----
     >
     >
     > >A guy I knew had a single asphalt adobe brick he was showing off to me.
     > > He left it out in the rain in Missouri (>35" rain per year, mostly
     > > dumped 2" at a time in gullywashers) and it was unaffected. I'd say
     the
     > > asphalt would make Adobe more widely usable. You could say the same
     > > thing for a big overhang on the roof and a layer of lime plaster on
     the
     > > surface, though.
     > >
     > >
     > >
     > > Lawrence Lile, P.E., LEED AP
     > >
     > >
     > > -----Original Message-----
     > > From: [2]greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org
     > >
     [[3]greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org','','','')">[4]greenbuilding-b
     ounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of Alan
     > > Abrams
     > > Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2007 3:39 PM
     > > To: 'Linda Lloyd'; 'Greenbuilding'
     > > Subject: [BULK] Re: [Greenbuilding] adobe question
     > > Importance: Low
     > >
     > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
     > > they had an adobe house on HGTV last night and the guy showed how he
     > > made
     > > his blocks and he added asphalt emulsion to the mix ????
     > >
     > > I thought adobes were all natural materials
     > > <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
     > >
     > > Back in the seventies, in the Espanola Valley of NM, I built my first
     > > house
     > > with adobes; a 600 sf cottage using about 2000 bricks. (I carried them
     > > 100
     > > at a time in my '61 Ford half ton until I bent the rear axel on the
     > > washboard road, thenceforth 75 at a time.) They were made a mile up
     the
     > > road using the local hardpan soil shoveled into a tag-along mortar
     mixer
     > > (by
     >  > some unnamed alembristas, working for the local patron for the
     summer).
     > > I
     > > think I paid $0.15 a brick.
     > >
     > > The mix included some chopped straw and nothing else. The 10"x14"x3
     > > 1/2"
     > > thick sun dried bricks could be held waist high and dropped to the
     > > ground
     > > (usually) without breaking. I made the mortar on site from a similar
     > > mix,
     > > sans straw.
     > >
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