Rammed Earth Homes in NM (Las Cruces, Mountainair: house, transfer, purchase)

[WLUTZ]

I tried this in the House Forum to no avail so I'll try here.........

We are researching building a rammed-earth house on our property in
Deer Canyon Preserve in Mountainair, NM.

Would like to hear any and all comments, suggestions, observations. etc. regarding this type of construction.

Does anyone on the forum have any knowledge or know anybody that has knowledge of this alternative building construction?

Thanks.

[chilegal]

google rammed earth homes in New Mexico and you will get a lot of information. Not sure if its what you are looking for.

[WLUTZ]

Yes, I have.

Looking for a little more "personal" touch on this subject.

People that have actually had some experience or 2nd-hand knowledge
whether good or bad in NM.

[domino]

I hope this isn't considered spamming, but Soledad Canyon Earth Builders has a good website with technical information and links to informative sites. See Rammed Earth Homes by Soledad Canyon Earth Builders - Las Cruces, New Mexico.

[NM Appraiser]

Originally Posted by WLUTZ

Yes, I have.

Looking for a little more "personal" touch on this subject.

People that have actually had some experience or 2nd-hand knowledge
whether good or bad in NM.

Don't have personal experience with them but I can tell you that they are closely related to Adobes or Terrones as far as the thermal mass - I miss living an an adobe. Once the heat is built up, in the winter, it has a great lag time for dissipation (release/transfer factors) so it tends to provide the feeling that there is surround heat. In the summer, the cooler interior walls (from evap a/c) tend to help you feel cooler too (I used to come in from outside and just lean against the walls to cool off). I personally think the best way to have one built would be with pitched and overhangs. You might also go to:

Welcome to BuildGreenNM.com!
Built Green News
(those are just two that I found by going to google for build green NM)

Good luck to you.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by domino

I hope this isn't considered spamming, but Soledad Canyon Earth Builders has a good website with technical information and links to informative sites. See Rammed Earth Homes by Soledad Canyon Earth Builders - Las Cruces, New Mexico.

What a fascinating site.....the homes are gorgeous, and the idea is well worth looking into at some future point.

[GregW]

I would check out this guy:

Pumice-Crete® Building Systems of New Mexico Pumice-Crete®

nearly (sort of) the mass of adobe or rammed earth but with a higher insulating factor.

[WLUTZ]

GregW,

Thank-you very much. This looks very interesting.

[GregW]

I have been thinking about having this material (pumice) cast into oversize block and using it to build a self insulating masonry house. This avoids the use of temporary formwork but requires a mason instead of a pouring crew.

Any of these "solid" wall construction systems require some extra thought concerning electrical and plumbing systems. If I were building one of these for myself I would purchase a frees standing roof system that provided 6 ft of overhang around the building and have it erected first. Then I would build the walls under the shelter of the roof. This avoids damaging adobe or rammed earth with rain and provides shade for the workers (me).

[dracul]

What incredibly beautiful homes. GregW, your approach seems logical. Have to research this material. I like what I see.