New adobe homes (Phoenix, Tucson, Oro Valley: for sale, real estate, 2010)

[roadrunner1]

I watched a show on the new adobe homes being built around Tucson, and wondered if anyone has any experience/knowledge. They are using a cement additive in the adobe blocks and mortar between the joints. I did do a search and didn't find anything specific on the new Adobe. The are supposed to be really energy efficient. Thanks

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by roadrunner1

I watched a show on the new adobe homes being built around Tucson, and wondered if anyone has any experience/knowledge. They are using a cement additive in the adobe blocks and mortar between the joints. I did do a search and didn't find anything specific on the new Adobe. The are supposed to be really energy efficient. Thanks

Strange to hear from Maryland what's going on in Tucson. I haven't seen such new houses. I know some people build straw bale houses.

Green Home Building: Natural Building techniques: Strawbale

Sourcebook Straw Bale

[sickofIL]

I saw a program also a few years back about this too. I believe it was on "This Old House" and I also believe it was in Tucson.

Adobe does provide some cooling/heating over rther types of construction. This is due to evaporation from the water in the blocks. (Adobe will always have some amount of water) During hot weather the cooling effect of evaporation and in cold weather you get the heating effect of the moisture. (technically latent heat)

Here is a site that has some interesting information from testing between Adobe and cement block.

Fernco Metal Products - Compressed Earth Block Machines Manufacturer Cinva Ram Adobe Metal Products Metal Machine Shops Natural Building Steel Fabrication

[roadrunner1]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

Strange to hear from Maryland what's going on in Tucson. I haven't seen such new houses. I know some people build straw bale houses.

Green Home Building: Natural Building techniques: Strawbale

Sourcebook Straw Bale

It was a Desert Speaks show I watched on cable. I hope to be moving to Tucson in early 2010 from Maryland. Adobe home would be a great home to live in with the costs of utils these days. As long as its the new Adobe and not the old.
KUAT | The Desert Speaks

Cheers!

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by roadrunner1

It was a Desert Speaks show I watched on cable. I hope to be moving to Tucson in early 2010 from Maryland. Adobe home would be a great home to live in with the costs of utils these days. As long as its the new Adobe and not the old.
KUAT | The Desert Speaks

Cheers!

Good luck! Only because I haven't heard doesn't mean they don't exist.

I've gotta say my regular (well, not quite - 2x6 construction) new house is very well insulated. Even though it's a 2-story house and about 50% bigger than the apartment I rented before that, the bills are about the same. The apartment didn't even have washer and dryer inside and the solar water heater in the house sometimes does switch to electricity I'd imagine.

[frogandtoad]

Wow, we were just out there and had a conversation with a builder of adobe homes as we considered having one built. We walked around a couple being built and they were *gorgeous* if you like adobe (which we do!!). They are far more expensive to build than frame homes. At about 2500-3000 sq. feet it was coming out around $1Million depending on finishes. Actually it might have been closer to 2500 sq. feet, can't exactly remember.

There is a small development in Oro Valley which has a couple of sections of adobe only homes. It's called Sky Ranch. Just google it and it should come up. You can drive around and check them out, or you can find the name of the builder on their site. Their builder only does 1-2 homes a year. He is supposedly the best out there (and you pay for that dearly!). And he does use the "new adobe."

Yes, it's beautifully insulated without all the leaking chemical hazards/fumes used in traditional building. It's also really amazing looking, very solid, very quiet. It's usually a love it or hate it kind of thing w/adobe and the feel is just nothing like frame. If I could afford a home large enough (which we can't), with a great adobe builder, I would *love* one!!

[s2k]

The adobe company you are asking about is Clay Mine Adobe (claymineadobe.com). The builder of stabilized mud adobes in Sky Ranch is StellarGray which is owned by James Gray. He's built a number of adobe enclaves in Tucson. His first is located just off of Country Club and south of the Rialto River. He then built Adobes del Bosque which is off of Craycroft and just north of the Fort Lowell historical district. His third enclave is a couple of blocks south of Sunrise and a couple of blocks east of Campbell. I was looking at Sky Ranch just this past week and there are three resales there, ranging from just under $700.0 to just under $900.0

There are three other stabilized adobe enclaves built by other builders that I know of. One is in the Fort Lowell historical district and was built by Bob Barnes who used to operate Old Pueblo Adobe until last year when he closed the business. His work was featured in an old This Old House series, and our house is built with his stabilized adobe. James Gray's first enclave of homes used Old Pueblo Adobe, although he subsequently switched to Clay Mine. Another enclave is by a builder who's name escapes me, but it is located on Fort Lowell, a couple of blocks east of Campbell. The homes are similar to James Gray's, but are built to a lower pricepoint without as much detail. The third enclave (Aldea del Norte) is located adjacent to James Gray's first enclave, and has a couple of completed spec homes that appear to have been available for awhile.

You can find some good pictures of adobe homes at stellargray.com.

By the way, I'm not in the adobe or real estate business. I'm just a real fan of adobe homes.

[roadrunner1]

Thanks for the info!

[korysonora]

We just built a new custom adobe home in Sonoita/Elgin area of Arizona. About an hour south of Tucson in wine country.

Tucson Real Estate - Phoenix Homes For Sale Open Houses AZ MLS 20838941