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The size and weight are why I recommended building a small shop/storage shed first.
I know a man/wife couple who slept in a camper shell for years while building their "green" home in a remote area of Lincoln County. A sturdy steel shed served both as office and kitchen/sitting area as well as workshop during the construction period. I would have loved to have that steel shed myself! State of the art construction heated by a thermostatically controlled wood stove that I had never seen the likes of before.
The house itself was very interesting - but too much to put into words and I have no pictures. They sold it and moved to Carrizozo several years ago where they are restoring old houses now.
I know there are others around that part of town--if I can remember/locate them I'll post a map link.
Hey, I'm impressed! Most people have no idea that is in fact a bonco!
It certainly is a very unique & beautiful bonco, that's for sure.
My husband grew up in the same neighborhood as you, only he dates you a bit- he was a kid there in the 50's & 60's.
are adobe homes mostly one level and considered a mud house (made of mud)?
Someone told me this, but can someone clarify? I've never seen these on a real estate website so are these usually custom built and not many sells them since people live in them?
The traditional adobe home appears to be a small single story building made primarily out of local soil, straw reinforcing and sometimes small amounts of additives to increase water resistance. The adobe bricks are mostly soil but are processed to be much harder and more stable than dirt or mud. Building built with this technique can be two or more stories tall but the height is limited by the thickness of the lower walls required to support the top floors.
From my reading and discussions with adobe home owners these places will last forever if they are properly maintained. The maintenance is mostly replacing the material washed of the walls and roof by the seasonal rain. Many adobe structures are clad with lime or cement stucco to prevent the rain damage but the bricks can still was away but the owner doesn’t notice because the erosion is covered by the stucco. Without maintenance adobe building eventually collapse into a pile of dirt and remnant walls.
Adobe construction like most masonry is very labor intensive although it does not require as much skill as cement block or brick to build a straight strong wall. These can be inexpensive if you build them yourself or with unpaid labor. Otherwise they tend to be more costly than more modern constriction. I believe the most practical adobe home is built of brick with an insulated metal framed and covered roof. There is a lot in information on the WEB on Adobe and adobe buildings.
In my opinion the primary advantage of adobe houses is the feeling of solidity and safety. These building are very quiet and comfortable. They can be heated with relatively little fuel because the walls store and reradiate heat. I would like to live in one when we retire to new Mexico.
Original (traditional) adobe construction includes flat mud roofs as well as walls. In these older homes, maintenance of the roof is most important and because the roofs are flat, with no overhanging eaves, the exterior walls are exposed to the weather.
More contemporary adobe structures often have metal or other latter-day roofing with overhanging eaves. The eaves can keep rain off the walls and as long as there is good drainage around the base of the walls, stucco may not be needed except at the "splash zone" at the base of the walls.
Another "mud" type of construction that is less prevalent than adobe brick is "rammed earth." In this type, the walls are of monolithic earth construction.
I live in a 80 year old adobe home (pitched roof) and love how solid it is. However, new construction methods/insulation are far superior to adobe. Adobe bricks must be covered with plaster to protect them from the elements but there is a more expensive version called "stabilized adobe" that allows you to leave the bricks exposed. There are plenty of existing adobe homes for sale in Las Cruces. Building with adobe is very difficult (I've done it!), heavy work, thus the expense. Some folks are building "rammed earth" homes that look and and have the ambience of adobe homes. Check out website of Soledad Canyon earth builders or Wayne Suggs.
I live in a 80 year old adobe home (pitched roof) and love how solid it is. However, new construction methods/insulation are far superior to adobe. Adobe bricks must be covered with plaster to protect them from the elements but there is a more expensive version called "stabilized adobe" that allows you to leave the bricks exposed. There are plenty of existing adobe homes for sale in Las Cruces. Building with adobe is very difficult (I've done it!), heavy work, thus the expense. Some folks are building "rammed earth" homes that look and and have the ambience of adobe homes. Check out website of Soledad Canyon earth builders or Wayne Suggs.
From what I understand "stabilized adobe" is mixed with asphalt and cement - this is not your local, natural materials! Cob, adobe homes etc. are supposed to be made from local soil (clay), sand, straw etc.
From what I understand "stabilized adobe" is mixed with asphalt and cement - this is not your local, natural materials! Cob, adobe homes etc. are supposed to be made from local soil (clay), sand, straw etc.
OD
Building codes in many areas of the United States require builders to add a stabilizer such as liquid asphalt emulsion or Portland cement to adobe bricks when they are formed. Semi-stabilized adobe bricks are partially stabilized to protect them from rain damage during the drying process. Fully stabilized adobe bricks are highly water resistant and can be exposed to the elements with less danger of cracking or erosion. Read more: How to Make Stabilized Adobe Bricks | eHow.com
Semistabilized adobe brick was developed in New Mexico. Previously, throughout the Southwest, sap from agave or prickly pear, straw, and manure were among the additives used to stabilize adobe. Today, stabilized adobe is made of plain earth mixed with a stabilizer that classifies the brick as water resistant. Liquid asphalt emulsion stabilizer, 3%-5 % by weight, is the most popular additive because it is easy and inexpensive to use (it is a byproduct of the road building industry). Portland cement, 5%-10% by weight, is also an excellent additive, one that can be added to the dry earth and mixed in the same way as concrete. The Portland cement augments the structural integrity of the brick, so that the finished product is less crumbly than traditional adobe.
Fully Stabilized Adobe
Fully stabilized adobe contains enough asphalt emulsion or Portland cement to limit the brick's seven-day water absorption to less than 4% of its dry weight. This amounts to about twice as much stabilizer as is used in semistabilized adobe--6 to 12% by weight of the dry mixture. Because they are so well protected, these bricks will last longer under exposure to the elements (although they should also be sealed).
In 1994, 79% of the adobe bricks manufactured in New Mexico were semistabilized; 21% were the traditional untreated adobes. Fully stabilized bricks accounted for roughly 1% of the state's adobe production and were available only on special order. Fully stabilized adobe is more expensive than the other types and looks much more like concrete than like adobe.
From what I understand "stabilized adobe" is mixed with asphalt and cement - this is not your local, natural materials! Cob, adobe homes etc. are supposed to be made from local soil (clay), sand, straw etc.
OD
Stabilized bricks are very pricey but last very well. My parents house in santa fe and the surrounding wall is constructed out of those and they are very errosion resistant.
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are adobe homes mostly one level and considered a mud house (made of mud)?
