Will adobe brick walls wash away in the rain?
No. A well-designed mix resists degradation and will remain durable for centuries. At any point, the building can be plastered to further enhance durability. We were New Zealand's leading earthen builders, having constructed over 50 major projects. New Zealand is known for its cold and rainy winters. Our buildings have performed well and are free from any type of degradation.
Are adobe brick walls safe from earthquakes?
Modern adobe brick building design integrates wall location, wall height, brick strength, bond beams, and reinforcing to ensure performance in the face of adversity. We have used our engineered designs for over 50 adobe brick buildings in one of the world’s most earthquake prone regions, New Zealand.
Do adobe brick walls get dusty?
No. Our brick walls are strong and durable with a smooth and clean finish. Sand/Clay based adobe mud plasters, with cement added as a stabilizer, will give a brilliant beautiful finish that feature outstanding shadow effects. Our solid walls are dust-free, sponge-wipe cleanable and rainwater shedding.
Where can I see some adobe brick houses?
You can check out Our Portfolio to see some photos or you can visit houses we have built in the USA, New Zealand and Fiji. Alternatively, we may be able to locate an earthen building near to you for you to visit.Contact us for addresses.
Can I use the earth from my site?
Most often the answer is yes. However, your earth may benefit with the addition of clay, sand and/or aggregate. A soil stabilization engineer will test its composition and make a structurally stable "mix design".
What size are the enhanced adobe bricks?
Our standard brick size is 11-1/4" x 11-1/4" x 4-3/4" for imperial based constructions or 280mm x 280mm x 120mm for metric based constructions.A mortar join of 3/4" (or 20mm) rounds the horizontal increments to 1 foot (or 300mm) and the vertical increments to 5-1/2" (or 140mm). Please note that there is a slight difference in brick sizes between metric and imperial building systems for rounding to convenient increments.
How much does a standard adobe brick weigh?
Our standard brick (the heaviest brick) weighs around 38lb or 17kg.
What are adobe bricks made of?
While many types of soil can attain the strength and durability required, the most workable/moldable raw material is a mix of about 75% sand with about 25% clay for bricks, mortars & plasters. The use of cement as a stabilizer dramatically improves the structural performance as well as the wall surface durability.
The cost of stabilizing the mix above is usually about 1% of the cost of a new structure and stabilization will allow the walls to endure centuries of exposure to weather, thus not requiring the building to be rebuilt for generations.We assert that this is sound logic with regards to environmental impact, with the long range being of equal concern to the short range.
No. A well-designed mix resists degradation and will remain durable for centuries. At any point, the building can be plastered to further enhance durability. We were New Zealand's leading earthen builders, having constructed over 50 major projects. New Zealand is known for its cold and rainy winters. Our buildings have performed well and are free from any type of degradation.
Are adobe brick walls safe from earthquakes?
Modern adobe brick building design integrates wall location, wall height, brick strength, bond beams, and reinforcing to ensure performance in the face of adversity. We have used our engineered designs for over 50 adobe brick buildings in one of the world’s most earthquake prone regions, New Zealand.
Do adobe brick walls get dusty?
No. Our brick walls are strong and durable with a smooth and clean finish. Sand/Clay based adobe mud plasters, with cement added as a stabilizer, will give a brilliant beautiful finish that feature outstanding shadow effects. Our solid walls are dust-free, sponge-wipe cleanable and rainwater shedding.
Where can I see some adobe brick houses?
You can check out Our Portfolio to see some photos or you can visit houses we have built in the USA, New Zealand and Fiji. Alternatively, we may be able to locate an earthen building near to you for you to visit.Contact us for addresses.
Can I use the earth from my site?
Most often the answer is yes. However, your earth may benefit with the addition of clay, sand and/or aggregate. A soil stabilization engineer will test its composition and make a structurally stable "mix design".
What size are the enhanced adobe bricks?
Our standard brick size is 11-1/4" x 11-1/4" x 4-3/4" for imperial based constructions or 280mm x 280mm x 120mm for metric based constructions.A mortar join of 3/4" (or 20mm) rounds the horizontal increments to 1 foot (or 300mm) and the vertical increments to 5-1/2" (or 140mm). Please note that there is a slight difference in brick sizes between metric and imperial building systems for rounding to convenient increments.
How much does a standard adobe brick weigh?
Our standard brick (the heaviest brick) weighs around 38lb or 17kg.
What are adobe bricks made of?
While many types of soil can attain the strength and durability required, the most workable/moldable raw material is a mix of about 75% sand with about 25% clay for bricks, mortars & plasters. The use of cement as a stabilizer dramatically improves the structural performance as well as the wall surface durability.
To dowload a copy of our 2-page full color flyer, click on the icon above. The flyer includes a brief description of our system, adobe brick dimensions, facts & benefits, frequently asked questions, as well as photographs of our work.
Client Reports (read more...)
"When working with adobe brick I found I had complete flexibility in construction to the degree of being able to change or add into the walls anything from windows & doors to mirrors or bottles or large timbers."
"I’ve visited dozens of earth houses. Each one had considerably different architecture but they were all warm and charming in their own way."
Client Reports (read more...)
"When working with adobe brick I found I had complete flexibility in construction to the degree of being able to change or add into the walls anything from windows & doors to mirrors or bottles or large timbers."
"I’ve visited dozens of earth houses. Each one had considerably different architecture but they were all warm and charming in their own way."
Download Our Flyer
Other types of earth can also be used and it is possible to use a raw material that has neither of the components mentioned above. When planning to build with any type of earth, the advantages of using of a soil stabilization engineer cannot be emphasized enough. It is their job to design a mix that will use the minimum amount of imported amendment and/or stabilization (such as cement) to achieve the desired results. The information they provide can make the difference between early wall failure (less than 50 years) and walls that can last indefinitely (centuries). The costs associated with their service are usually offset in several ways (cement cost savings, labor savings, repair cost savings, etc.), and their involvement brings a peace of mind that is invaluable. However, it is possible to "design" your own mix by forming various mixes into bricks and carrying out tests on them to determine the quality of each mix.
Do I have to use cement or other stabilizer in the bricks?
We strongly recommend the use of stabilizing additives for adobe brick construction, particularly in wet climates.Many building authorities will allow people to build "unstablized" earthen structures. However, we feel that thoughtful use of cement will allow better/quicker handle-ability, improve overall erosion durability, and protect against unexpected concentrated water damage (i.e. leaky pipes). We normally use 5-7% cement to ensure the building’s longevity. The cement budget for the adobe brick walls of an average home is about US$750 (in the US) or NZ$1800 (in NZ).
How strong are adobe bricks?
The building departments in USA and New Zealand allow for adobe bricks to be as low as 1.5MPa (190 PSI).However, a brick so weak is difficult to handle without breakage and will most certainly not last as long as a stronger brick. We want our buildings to last for generations and recommend designing the mix so that bricks turn out to be about 4.5MPa (650 PSI) (ordinary concrete is about 18Mpa (2610 PSI)).
Is adobe building slow?
No.The adobe brick walls of an average size home at around 2000 square feet (or 185 square meters) can be constructed within one month by a skilled 3-person team. A crew of 3 able bodies can produce around 600 bricks in a given 8-hour day. This same crew can lay approximately 250 bricks into a wall per day. This same house with a simple floor plan would use around 3600 adobe bricks.
Who does the design?
We offer design services, or you can use another informed architect or draftsperson to produce your house plans.Ask your architect or designer to request an "Designer’s Pack" from our office, which will provide them with design requirements and details. Also, we have a collection of adobe brick home designs for you to choose from.
Can I build my own house?
Yes. We have up-skilled many do-it-yourselfers in our informative 1-day workshops (we also offer on-site training on one of our projects).Generally, it is cheaper to build your own home rather than have one contract built.The materials that go into adobe brick walls are inexpensive whereas the labor is not always.We have some real DIY success stories (beautiful houses on a low budget), with prices ranging from $75 to $120 per square foot. You can go to D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) to learn more.
Is it hard to get this type of building a building permit?
Not at all. Many countries have adopted the "Uniform Building Standard" (or a similar, adapted standard) which allows people to illustrate to the building department how a structure will perform by providing data and test results from other localities. Also, New Zealand has the world’s first dedicated Earth Building Standards (code book), which has set a criteria for earthen buildings within NZ. In the year 2002, 1 in 100 houses built in NZ was built from earth. We have obtained building consents from many different districts in USA, NZ and Fiji. We will be able to work with your local building authority to gain approval for you to build with adobe bricks.
What are the benefits of building with adobe?
Using adobe for house construction utilizes one of the world’s most energy efficient and durable materials, earth. Properly built, earthen walls provide better insulation than other conventional timber-frame building methods. Beautiful by nature, adobe brick houses are warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Earthen walls will also provide shelter for many generations.In these times of burgeoning populations it is important for all countries to consider the advantages of multigenerational housing rather than investing in buildings with a finite life-span with regards to structural longevity and market trends.
What kind of roof goes on a adobe brick house?
You can have any type or style of roof construction for your earthen home.
How do you run the wiring and plumbing?
We have special bricks which create a vertical core for running the wiring, plumbing, and reinforcing within the adobe brick wall. Refer to Adobe Madre Bricks for more information
What if I need to add wiring or plumbing later?
It is simple to add or change any services in the adobe brick wall if necessary. We often leave spare service sleeves in the wall for future use. Alternatively, it is easy to cut a chase groove into the adobe brick wall for services, which would require a plaster repair. But, we can tell you how to make that an easy job too.
Is earth construction experiencing some sort of fad?
While there is a strong renaissance in many countries it is the so called "modern" highly manufactured building materials which are subject to fad, tending to change with each generation. Evidence shows that earth construction has been in constant use for over 10,000 years making it the only building material that has not been a fad. Today earth building is the most widely used building method in the world, with over 50% of the world's population living in earthen homes. Of these earthen homes most are made of adobe brick (also known as mud brick).
Why has adobe brick building been so popular over the last 8000 years?
(Adobe was developed later than some other methods of earth building.) We believe that adobe brick houses are the most common method of earth building for the following reasons:
1. The process uses mainly raw earth and can be done with a minimum of imported
materials.
2. It can be done with a minimum amount of gear and even without mechanization.
3. It is very simple and forgiving with good results achieved by novice builders.
Do I have to use cement or other stabilizer in the bricks?
We strongly recommend the use of stabilizing additives for adobe brick construction, particularly in wet climates.Many building authorities will allow people to build "unstablized" earthen structures. However, we feel that thoughtful use of cement will allow better/quicker handle-ability, improve overall erosion durability, and protect against unexpected concentrated water damage (i.e. leaky pipes). We normally use 5-7% cement to ensure the building’s longevity. The cement budget for the adobe brick walls of an average home is about US$750 (in the US) or NZ$1800 (in NZ).
How strong are adobe bricks?
The building departments in USA and New Zealand allow for adobe bricks to be as low as 1.5MPa (190 PSI).However, a brick so weak is difficult to handle without breakage and will most certainly not last as long as a stronger brick. We want our buildings to last for generations and recommend designing the mix so that bricks turn out to be about 4.5MPa (650 PSI) (ordinary concrete is about 18Mpa (2610 PSI)).
Is adobe building slow?
No.The adobe brick walls of an average size home at around 2000 square feet (or 185 square meters) can be constructed within one month by a skilled 3-person team. A crew of 3 able bodies can produce around 600 bricks in a given 8-hour day. This same crew can lay approximately 250 bricks into a wall per day. This same house with a simple floor plan would use around 3600 adobe bricks.
Who does the design?
We offer design services, or you can use another informed architect or draftsperson to produce your house plans.Ask your architect or designer to request an "Designer’s Pack" from our office, which will provide them with design requirements and details. Also, we have a collection of adobe brick home designs for you to choose from.
Can I build my own house?
Yes. We have up-skilled many do-it-yourselfers in our informative 1-day workshops (we also offer on-site training on one of our projects).Generally, it is cheaper to build your own home rather than have one contract built.The materials that go into adobe brick walls are inexpensive whereas the labor is not always.We have some real DIY success stories (beautiful houses on a low budget), with prices ranging from $75 to $120 per square foot. You can go to D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) to learn more.
Is it hard to get this type of building a building permit?
Not at all. Many countries have adopted the "Uniform Building Standard" (or a similar, adapted standard) which allows people to illustrate to the building department how a structure will perform by providing data and test results from other localities. Also, New Zealand has the world’s first dedicated Earth Building Standards (code book), which has set a criteria for earthen buildings within NZ. In the year 2002, 1 in 100 houses built in NZ was built from earth. We have obtained building consents from many different districts in USA, NZ and Fiji. We will be able to work with your local building authority to gain approval for you to build with adobe bricks.
What are the benefits of building with adobe?
Using adobe for house construction utilizes one of the world’s most energy efficient and durable materials, earth. Properly built, earthen walls provide better insulation than other conventional timber-frame building methods. Beautiful by nature, adobe brick houses are warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Earthen walls will also provide shelter for many generations.In these times of burgeoning populations it is important for all countries to consider the advantages of multigenerational housing rather than investing in buildings with a finite life-span with regards to structural longevity and market trends.
What kind of roof goes on a adobe brick house?
You can have any type or style of roof construction for your earthen home.
How do you run the wiring and plumbing?
We have special bricks which create a vertical core for running the wiring, plumbing, and reinforcing within the adobe brick wall. Refer to Adobe Madre Bricks for more information
What if I need to add wiring or plumbing later?
It is simple to add or change any services in the adobe brick wall if necessary. We often leave spare service sleeves in the wall for future use. Alternatively, it is easy to cut a chase groove into the adobe brick wall for services, which would require a plaster repair. But, we can tell you how to make that an easy job too.
Is earth construction experiencing some sort of fad?
While there is a strong renaissance in many countries it is the so called "modern" highly manufactured building materials which are subject to fad, tending to change with each generation. Evidence shows that earth construction has been in constant use for over 10,000 years making it the only building material that has not been a fad. Today earth building is the most widely used building method in the world, with over 50% of the world's population living in earthen homes. Of these earthen homes most are made of adobe brick (also known as mud brick).
Why has adobe brick building been so popular over the last 8000 years?
(Adobe was developed later than some other methods of earth building.) We believe that adobe brick houses are the most common method of earth building for the following reasons:
1. The process uses mainly raw earth and can be done with a minimum of imported
materials.
2. It can be done with a minimum amount of gear and even without mechanization.
3. It is very simple and forgiving with good results achieved by novice builders.
