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yes yes yes! I hope to eventually be able to have a traditional adobe house in New Mexico. And if 'traditional' adobe bricks are too expensive, well, I'll have to settle for adobe-style. But definitely want the vigas, the courtyard, the kiva.... see cyndiblues post above, that's what I want too! Looking at some of the condos & apartments in Santa Fe, it's depressing because it's nothing different than I've lived in at 10 other complexes. One of the reasons I love New Mexico is the traditional old-style architecture & features. Sigh.... the good ol' days, indeed!
Most of the houses out here in Eldorado have many of the Santa Fe / Southwestern features:
Nearly all the houses we looked at in 2007-2008 in our househunting had vigas (or sometimes beams), kiva fireplaces, tile or brick floors, enclosed courtyards, portals, etc. etc. etc.
You can find this style home all over the Santa Fe area -- the problem is finding one at a price you can afford.....they're pricey!
It is too bad that there is not a readily available source of traditional adobe bricks (or is there?). And I suppose the reason for that is that they are traditionally made on site, implying a very labor intensive endeavor. I do wonder why no one has come up with a mass-production method of manufacturing them since they are such an obvious choice for housing construction in this era of "green" everything..
I know there are (or were) faux adobe bricks marketed, which are similar to ordinary kiln fired building bricks. Those lack the thermal mass of true adobe when used for fascia, rather than the entire thickness of a wall.
There are many sources of adobe brick. There is an adobe brick factory in Corrales about 3 miles from me. I have made small adobe bricks in my back yard with my grand kids. A real fun project where you are allowed to get dirty....
One main expense is shipping. They are heavy as compared to concrete blocks. It also takes more adobe bricks to build a house as compared to concrete blocks. Adobe bricks are still "mortared" with mud, thus more labor.
They are not obvious choice for housing construction, when it rains, they start to dissolve.
Adoble walls are typically 30 inches thick or more. I believe kiln fired clay building bricks have more thermal mass than adobe. It's just that not much construction is done currently with 30+ inch thick kiln bricks. Ram earth construction pops up every once in a while. Hay bale construction is another green building material.
I went to a construction seminar in Tuscon about 20 years ago, which included Adobe, rammed earth, bale walls even log cabins. Even then, 2 x 6 construction with proper insulation was tops for "green" and economical construction, maintenance and operation...
Granted, I think adobe looks neat, I like tile floors, and even though I like kiva fireplaces, are thermal rocket heat wasters, unless you seal them with newer technology.
They are not obvious choice for housing construction, when it rains, they start to dissolve.
Ummmm...you must not have read my earlier comment concerning centuries old adobe structures. Properly roofed with overhanging eaves adobe will last for several centuries here in the southwest. The more traditional adobe structures with flat roofs and no eave overhang are traditionally protected with a mud "stucco" or a cement-type stucco (more contemporary) that sheds the rain water. The mud must be repaired periodically. And lime mortar was known to the oldest pueblo builders of New Mexico - the ones who used rock walls instead of adobe. You can find the rock structures in various parts of the state - some well preserved and restored by historical interests. Restoration, if done traditionally, attempts to replicate the mortar as made by the ancients.
My wife and I had a small little adobe house when we first got together. The walls were very wide at the bottom and narrowed toward the top. It was an old house 80-100 years old. It was made for very short people as I had to duck trough all the door ways. I could touch the kitchen ceiling with the top of my head.
The house would stay cool during the summer without any swamp cooler or refrigerated air. The wood stove was plenty for the winter. The house had settled over the years and it had many cracks that were always in need of repair.
Ummmm...you must not have read my earlier comment concerning centuries old adobe structures.
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Yes, I did read your earlier commment, and even your reference states "The word adobe has come to us over some 4000 years with little change in either pronunciation or meaning: the word can be traced from the Middle Egyptian". I have helped mud the church in Corrales. And I have seen mud brick houses in Turkey, The Dominican Republic, Central America, Spain and Portugal, etc.
A lot of this seems to be a repeat of another recent thread here...
A lot of this seems to be a repeat of another recent thread here...
Rich
As I said when I began this thread, I first tried to find an earlier thread and failed - other than in the AZ forums. If you know the address of the earlier thread, it might be worth reading through for some of us - I know I'd be appreciative.
As for really old adobe houses, those may well have been built without today's reinforced concrete foundations. Settlement from seepage under the walls could be a real problem, for sure.
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