Adobe (Natural Building)
[email protected]
Of cob or adobe:
<< It is untouched by earthquakes,
and totally fireproof as well. >>
Not the roofs.
When adobe houses burn, the roofs and floors go (if they had wood
floors--lots of the older ones had dirt. and a fair number of newer ones have
concrete), the window frames and doors go, and there goes the house, pretty
much.
My room, when I was a kid, had a dirt roof over boards and tarpaper. Weeds
grew on it. If it had been like a moss or grass roof, it would've been okay,
but these weeds could make long roots and break through the paper and make
the roof leak, so we had to pull them. (My dad did anyway.) The rest of the
house had been dirt when we moved in, but they put tar and gravel on instead.
The reason they didn't do that on my room is I hadn't moved in there yet.
It was a half-in-the-ground storage and canning room. But when I was 14 and
really wanted my own room, I moved in there. One wall was all shelves!
Across was a "banco," a built in adobe seat, the length of the wall. That
wall had a high shelf of a long, thick board, probably 14' long, a foot wide
and 2" thick, and that was structural, totally built into the wall. The
walls were plastered except that one behind the wall of canning shelves, and
that was original unplastered adobe.
I loved that room! I ended up only being in it three years, because I went
to college early and my parents divorced and my dad sold the house. I was
sad.
There's a photo of that house from the north at http://sandradodd.com/60s
but my room was on the east side and doesn't show at all.
My first marriage, we lived in a farm house with two built-in stoves. It was
an old four-room farm house extended to eight rooms, but all still in adobe.
It had an attic. After I was gone from there and my sister-in-law (one of
the kids we were raising) was grown and had two kids of her own, she was
living in that house and it caught fire and burned. Nobody was hurt, but
lots of family souvenirs were gone.
The newest two rooms did not burn, because they had a separate, flat roof,
and my grandmother's old piano was in there. Still is. A remodel of that
house built the piano in!! (We could have made a track of plywood way around
the house and taken it out the back, but it wasn't worth moving. It was a
really old piano which had already done the church-nursery circuit in West
Texas churches, so now it's in part of an old ruined house and kids go play
it with the sun streaming in. That's cool.)
It was the fireplace that started the fire. Insufficient insulation up
through the ceiling and they didn't clean the flue enough.
Ruthie's husband built her a bigger, better, adobe house a hundred yards away.
Six acre farm plots are good for that.
I don't live in adobe now, but I wish I did. It's warm in the winter and
cool in the summer. I used to want my bed against the wall, so in summer I
could lean up against the cool adobe wall. And the houses were quieter than
frame houses or brick, because the sound is muffled in a nice way. We used
to put pictures on the wall with nails, and then just fill in the holes when
we pulled the (BIG) nails out,
Sandra
<< It is untouched by earthquakes,
and totally fireproof as well. >>
Not the roofs.
When adobe houses burn, the roofs and floors go (if they had wood
floors--lots of the older ones had dirt. and a fair number of newer ones have
concrete), the window frames and doors go, and there goes the house, pretty
much.
My room, when I was a kid, had a dirt roof over boards and tarpaper. Weeds
grew on it. If it had been like a moss or grass roof, it would've been okay,
but these weeds could make long roots and break through the paper and make
the roof leak, so we had to pull them. (My dad did anyway.) The rest of the
house had been dirt when we moved in, but they put tar and gravel on instead.
The reason they didn't do that on my room is I hadn't moved in there yet.
It was a half-in-the-ground storage and canning room. But when I was 14 and
really wanted my own room, I moved in there. One wall was all shelves!
Across was a "banco," a built in adobe seat, the length of the wall. That
wall had a high shelf of a long, thick board, probably 14' long, a foot wide
and 2" thick, and that was structural, totally built into the wall. The
walls were plastered except that one behind the wall of canning shelves, and
that was original unplastered adobe.
I loved that room! I ended up only being in it three years, because I went
to college early and my parents divorced and my dad sold the house. I was
sad.
There's a photo of that house from the north at http://sandradodd.com/60s
but my room was on the east side and doesn't show at all.
My first marriage, we lived in a farm house with two built-in stoves. It was
an old four-room farm house extended to eight rooms, but all still in adobe.
It had an attic. After I was gone from there and my sister-in-law (one of
the kids we were raising) was grown and had two kids of her own, she was
living in that house and it caught fire and burned. Nobody was hurt, but
lots of family souvenirs were gone.
The newest two rooms did not burn, because they had a separate, flat roof,
and my grandmother's old piano was in there. Still is. A remodel of that
house built the piano in!! (We could have made a track of plywood way around
the house and taken it out the back, but it wasn't worth moving. It was a
really old piano which had already done the church-nursery circuit in West
Texas churches, so now it's in part of an old ruined house and kids go play
it with the sun streaming in. That's cool.)
It was the fireplace that started the fire. Insufficient insulation up
through the ceiling and they didn't clean the flue enough.
Ruthie's husband built her a bigger, better, adobe house a hundred yards away.
Six acre farm plots are good for that.
I don't live in adobe now, but I wish I did. It's warm in the winter and
cool in the summer. I used to want my bed against the wall, so in summer I
could lean up against the cool adobe wall. And the houses were quieter than
frame houses or brick, because the sound is muffled in a nice way. We used
to put pictures on the wall with nails, and then just fill in the holes when
we pulled the (BIG) nails out,
Sandra
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/25/2002 9:39:20 AM Central Daylight Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:
<< I don't live in adobe now, but I wish I did. It's warm in the winter and
cool in the summer. >>
Do adobe structures "work" in all climates?
Joy
SandraDodd@... writes:
<< I don't live in adobe now, but I wish I did. It's warm in the winter and
cool in the summer. >>
Do adobe structures "work" in all climates?
Joy
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/25/02 9:24:38 AM, GSmith8995@... writes:
<< Do adobe structures "work" in all climates? >>
Nope. I think in high-moisture areas they grow slimey greenness, or they
dissolve. <g>
<< Do adobe structures "work" in all climates? >>
Nope. I think in high-moisture areas they grow slimey greenness, or they
dissolve. <g>
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/25/2002 11:02:25 AM Central Daylight Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:
<< Nope. I think in high-moisture areas they grow slimey greenness, or they
dissolve. <g> >>
Oh well, no adobes in Houston then! Will we see you in Houston Sandra or is
your ankle keeping you from traveling?
SandraDodd@... writes:
<< Nope. I think in high-moisture areas they grow slimey greenness, or they
dissolve. <g> >>
Oh well, no adobes in Houston then! Will we see you in Houston Sandra or is
your ankle keeping you from traveling?
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/25/02 10:13:23 AM, GSmith8995@... writes:
<< Will we see you in Houston Sandra or is
your ankle keeping you from traveling? >>
I can walk now!!
Are there people going to that conference? People aren't pre-registering in
great numbers, so I hope there are a bunch of people planning to be there!
Sandra
<< Will we see you in Houston Sandra or is
your ankle keeping you from traveling? >>
I can walk now!!
Are there people going to that conference? People aren't pre-registering in
great numbers, so I hope there are a bunch of people planning to be there!
Sandra
Betsy
**
I don't live in adobe now, but I wish I did. It's warm in the winter
and
cool in the summer.**
I just read an OLD National Geographic article that claimed that Ancient
Egyptian mud houses were called (something like) "dobbey" and that that
is the origin of the world "adobe". (Passed along during Moorish
occupation of Spain?)
Betsy
I don't live in adobe now, but I wish I did. It's warm in the winter
and
cool in the summer.**
I just read an OLD National Geographic article that claimed that Ancient
Egyptian mud houses were called (something like) "dobbey" and that that
is the origin of the world "adobe". (Passed along during Moorish
occupation of Spain?)
Betsy
Nancy Wooton
on 9/25/02 10:22 AM, Betsy at ecsamhill@... wrote:
etc.
Gotta go play Scrabble with the ds now!
Nancy
> I just read an OLD National Geographic article that claimed that AncientAnd then there's the english verb "daub," the wasps called "mud daubers,"
> Egyptian mud houses were called (something like) "dobbey" and that that
> is the origin of the world "adobe". (Passed along during Moorish
> occupation of Spain?)
etc.
Gotta go play Scrabble with the ds now!
Nancy
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/25/02 11:37:05 AM, ikonstitcher@... writes:
<< And then there's the english verb "daub," the wasps called "mud daubers,"
etc. >>
And you daub on dabs of stuff.
Like Brylcreem (a little dab'll do ya... you'll look so debonair!)
<< And then there's the english verb "daub," the wasps called "mud daubers,"
etc. >>
And you daub on dabs of stuff.
Like Brylcreem (a little dab'll do ya... you'll look so debonair!)
Nanci Kuykendall
Of cob or adobe:
<< It is untouched by earthquakes,
and totally fireproof as well. >>
fire proof, not the acoutraments that might go with
it. Many traditional cob homes in the UK have
thatched roofs. Those would burn of course. If the
roof beams are wood, they will burn. However, most
modern cob homes have adobe, stone, concrete or brick
floors, because passive solar is big in Natural
Building, and you need a thermal massive floor to
accept the heat from passive solar Southern facing
windows and store it.
Also, in a damp climate, aluminum or green roofs
(living sod with plants) is better than a flamable
type of roof. Modern green roofs can be built in a
number of ways, most of which do not involve major use
of wood, due to the weight loads necessary to support
the weight of the earth, plants and water they absorb
when it rains.
And you're right, cob or adobe (much the same except
for construction technique) are cool in summer and
warm in winter, and sound insulating as well.
In answer to someone else's question, I don't think
adobe can be used everywhere, because the process
requires sun curing the bricks, and not all climates
would be able to do that to sufficient temperatures or
for enough days to do all the bricks. Sandra might
know more about that, with all her adobe experiences
growing up in the SW?
But I do think that variations of earth building, like
cob, could work in any climate. They already do,
since England was the greatest military power in the
world for a long time, and took their building
practices with them and built cob houses all over the
world. So there are examples in Africa (hybrid of
African techniques and British) Australia, New
Zealand, all over the UK, and etc. In the US, there
are two major cob teaching and building companies in
central Oregon which teach how to build in the NW
climate and they also do on site workshops all over
the country and have experience in many different
climates that way. It's really a versatile technique
that is as old as mud huts.
Nanci K.
<< It is untouched by earthquakes,
and totally fireproof as well. >>
>Not the roofs.Well yes, of course, wood burns. I said that COB was
>When adobe houses burn, the roofs and floors go (if
>they had wood floors--lots of the older ones had
>dirt. and a fair number of newer ones have concrete),
>the window frames and doors go, and there goes the
>house, pretty much.
fire proof, not the acoutraments that might go with
it. Many traditional cob homes in the UK have
thatched roofs. Those would burn of course. If the
roof beams are wood, they will burn. However, most
modern cob homes have adobe, stone, concrete or brick
floors, because passive solar is big in Natural
Building, and you need a thermal massive floor to
accept the heat from passive solar Southern facing
windows and store it.
Also, in a damp climate, aluminum or green roofs
(living sod with plants) is better than a flamable
type of roof. Modern green roofs can be built in a
number of ways, most of which do not involve major use
of wood, due to the weight loads necessary to support
the weight of the earth, plants and water they absorb
when it rains.
And you're right, cob or adobe (much the same except
for construction technique) are cool in summer and
warm in winter, and sound insulating as well.
In answer to someone else's question, I don't think
adobe can be used everywhere, because the process
requires sun curing the bricks, and not all climates
would be able to do that to sufficient temperatures or
for enough days to do all the bricks. Sandra might
know more about that, with all her adobe experiences
growing up in the SW?
But I do think that variations of earth building, like
cob, could work in any climate. They already do,
since England was the greatest military power in the
world for a long time, and took their building
practices with them and built cob houses all over the
world. So there are examples in Africa (hybrid of
African techniques and British) Australia, New
Zealand, all over the UK, and etc. In the US, there
are two major cob teaching and building companies in
central Oregon which teach how to build in the NW
climate and they also do on site workshops all over
the country and have experience in many different
climates that way. It's really a versatile technique
that is as old as mud huts.
Nanci K.
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/25/02 12:50:47 PM, aisliin@... writes:
<< the process
requires sun curing the bricks, and not all climates
would be able to do that to sufficient temperatures or
for enough days to do all the bricks. Sandra might
know more about that, with all her adobe experiences
growing up in the SW? >>
True, and true.
But cob/sod/peat, those are wetter already.
Sandra
<< the process
requires sun curing the bricks, and not all climates
would be able to do that to sufficient temperatures or
for enough days to do all the bricks. Sandra might
know more about that, with all her adobe experiences
growing up in the SW? >>
True, and true.
But cob/sod/peat, those are wetter already.
Sandra
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/25/02 12:50:47 PM, aisliin@... writes:
<< since England was the greatest military power in the
world for a long time, and took their building
practices with them and built cob houses all over the
world. >>
But that wasn't their primary building style. Wattle and daub (woven
stick-walls with mud worked into the basketry) was also a way to make a
largely-mud wall, and post-and-beam like the Tudor stuff, with filled in
spaces of bricks and various things (lathe and plaster, which is a modern
kind of wattle and daub).
Sandra
<< since England was the greatest military power in the
world for a long time, and took their building
practices with them and built cob houses all over the
world. >>
But that wasn't their primary building style. Wattle and daub (woven
stick-walls with mud worked into the basketry) was also a way to make a
largely-mud wall, and post-and-beam like the Tudor stuff, with filled in
spaces of bricks and various things (lathe and plaster, which is a modern
kind of wattle and daub).
Sandra
[email protected]
Adobe is mud and mud washes away!! I have a patch in the bathroom where the
plaster came off and had to fix it to keep the adobe in place.Mine is not
that cool in the summer or warm in the winter but I"m blaming that in the
uninsulated tin roof.Course you could drop a bomb at my front door and I
wouldn't hear it in the back rooms,it does muffle noise.Mine is a " south
valley special" built in pieces over the years and is some adobe and some
frame.I love telling those phone salesmen that want to sell you vinyl siding
that I live in a mud house!I'm not sure they believe me.(VBG)
Carolyn Begley
spiritmesa2@...
Albuquerque,NM
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
plaster came off and had to fix it to keep the adobe in place.Mine is not
that cool in the summer or warm in the winter but I"m blaming that in the
uninsulated tin roof.Course you could drop a bomb at my front door and I
wouldn't hear it in the back rooms,it does muffle noise.Mine is a " south
valley special" built in pieces over the years and is some adobe and some
frame.I love telling those phone salesmen that want to sell you vinyl siding
that I live in a mud house!I'm not sure they believe me.(VBG)
Carolyn Begley
spiritmesa2@...
Albuquerque,NM
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sharon Rudd
I don't think
into a drying kiln to cure themselves?
Sharon of the Swamp
__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
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> adobe can be used everywhere, because the processCould they be cured in a smoke-house, maybe? or made
> requires sun curing the bricks, and not all climates
> would be able to do that to sufficient temperatures
> or
> for enough days to do all the bricks.
into a drying kiln to cure themselves?
Sharon of the Swamp
__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
http://sbc.yahoo.com
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/25/02 8:19:55 PM, spiritmesa2@... writes:
<< I"m blaming that in the
uninsulated tin roof >>
yikes! Cheap pink gross fiberglass insulation can be your friend! <g>
I love tin roofs when it rains like crazy, though, and those lifetime steel
roofs like on the Alameda church and some of the buildings downtown are VERY
COOL! (and expensive...)
I live in a NE Heights frame house from the 70's now, and after a lifetime on
concrete floors (even our OLD by-Winrock 1952 frame house), I'm not used to
squeaky wood floors and the fear of fire. And when this house is hot or cool
it's probably because we paid big bucks to make it so.
But I love New Mexico anyway, even outside an adobe house. <g>
Sandra
<< I"m blaming that in the
uninsulated tin roof >>
yikes! Cheap pink gross fiberglass insulation can be your friend! <g>
I love tin roofs when it rains like crazy, though, and those lifetime steel
roofs like on the Alameda church and some of the buildings downtown are VERY
COOL! (and expensive...)
I live in a NE Heights frame house from the 70's now, and after a lifetime on
concrete floors (even our OLD by-Winrock 1952 frame house), I'm not used to
squeaky wood floors and the fear of fire. And when this house is hot or cool
it's probably because we paid big bucks to make it so.
But I love New Mexico anyway, even outside an adobe house. <g>
Sandra
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/25/2002 12:04:19 PM Central Daylight Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:
<< I can walk now!! >>
Yeah!! I don't know about the size of the conference but I'm one of those
that hasn't preregistered so maybe there are a lot of people like me paying
at the door.
Joy
SandraDodd@... writes:
<< I can walk now!! >>
Yeah!! I don't know about the size of the conference but I'm one of those
that hasn't preregistered so maybe there are a lot of people like me paying
at the door.
Joy
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/25/02 10:56:49 PM, bearspawprint@... writes:
<< Could they be cured in a smoke-house, maybe? or made
into a drying kiln to cure themselves? >>
That's called "bricks" and that's why bricks work in wet climates, because
they're fired.
But adobe doesn't have to be made with fancy fireable clay. When it's in a
dry place, it's going to stay pretty dry.
One of the rooms of our house (the fancy all-authentic show room of the
addition) was not stuccoed. We plastered it with mud every year, the
authentic way.
Another friend of ours, Bill Yanda, years and years ago an ultra-authentic
room in his remodelled adobe house. The floor was dirt cured/finished with
cow's blood.
Modern stucco is pretty nice stuff, though unnatural. It has an element of
acrylic, so instead of putting cement on your mud house, you're putting hard
and somewhat flexible plastic. Old stucco cracks. New stucco doesn't.
Sandra
<< Could they be cured in a smoke-house, maybe? or made
into a drying kiln to cure themselves? >>
That's called "bricks" and that's why bricks work in wet climates, because
they're fired.
But adobe doesn't have to be made with fancy fireable clay. When it's in a
dry place, it's going to stay pretty dry.
One of the rooms of our house (the fancy all-authentic show room of the
addition) was not stuccoed. We plastered it with mud every year, the
authentic way.
Another friend of ours, Bill Yanda, years and years ago an ultra-authentic
room in his remodelled adobe house. The floor was dirt cured/finished with
cow's blood.
Modern stucco is pretty nice stuff, though unnatural. It has an element of
acrylic, so instead of putting cement on your mud house, you're putting hard
and somewhat flexible plastic. Old stucco cracks. New stucco doesn't.
Sandra
Nanci Kuykendall
<< since England was the greatest military power in
the
world for a long time, and took their building
practices with them and built cob houses all over the
world. >>
style of certain regions (Devonshire for instance, and
much of Ireland.) Anywhere that didn't have much
lumber, but had plenty of sod and peat and things like
that. So it would depend on the region from which a
person hailed, how they might build their home in a
new land.
Nanci K.
the
world for a long time, and took their building
practices with them and built cob houses all over the
world. >>
>But that wasn't their primary building style.No, that's true. But it was the primary building
>Sandra
style of certain regions (Devonshire for instance, and
much of Ireland.) Anywhere that didn't have much
lumber, but had plenty of sod and peat and things like
that. So it would depend on the region from which a
person hailed, how they might build their home in a
new land.
Nanci K.
[email protected]
I think post and beam is one of the most wonderful things ever.
It's kinda coming back into style..
Does anyone here know the names of a little series (three or four books) from
the 1970's or late 1960's by a guy who did pen and ink drawings about wood
construction, trees, traditional building styles with wood, and the first was
called (I think) "The Love of Wood"? Maybe?
I used to have a couple of them and let them go to friends thinking I could
always find more. I LOVED those books.
My husband has been doing woodworking lately. Medieval-style boxes and
chests, carving knotwork by hand, just slowly for his own enjoyment. It's
reminding me.
I made a door once, three layers and with a window in it, for a greenhouse we
added onto that same adobe house I was talking about earlier, that burned.
It was fun. We cut down below a windowsill to put that in, but we left
the... (forgot the name---the wood cross piece above where the window frame
had been), and put the door fram in the space below that. So it was a
shortish door. <g>
Sandra
It's kinda coming back into style..
Does anyone here know the names of a little series (three or four books) from
the 1970's or late 1960's by a guy who did pen and ink drawings about wood
construction, trees, traditional building styles with wood, and the first was
called (I think) "The Love of Wood"? Maybe?
I used to have a couple of them and let them go to friends thinking I could
always find more. I LOVED those books.
My husband has been doing woodworking lately. Medieval-style boxes and
chests, carving knotwork by hand, just slowly for his own enjoyment. It's
reminding me.
I made a door once, three layers and with a window in it, for a greenhouse we
added onto that same adobe house I was talking about earlier, that burned.
It was fun. We cut down below a windowsill to put that in, but we left
the... (forgot the name---the wood cross piece above where the window frame
had been), and put the door fram in the space below that. So it was a
shortish door. <g>
Sandra
Nanci Kuykendall
>Adobe is mud and mud washes away!! I have a patch in.......Mine is a "south valley special" built >in
>the bathroom where the plaster came off and had to
>fix it to keep the adobe in place. Mine is
>not that cool in the summer or warm in the winter but
>I"m blaming that in the uninsulated tin >roof.
pieces over the years and is some adobe and
>some frame.Many building materials disintegrate when exposed to
>Carolyn Begley
constant wetness or climate. Sheetrock/wallboard,
wood, paint, plywood, particle board, etc. Earth
built structures need to have a plaster on them to
protect them from the weather, and it's a good idea to
have a roof overhang to protect them from direct
washes of rainwater. Natural plasters work great.
But they are not all that fragile, when done properly
and approriately for the climate. If cob structures
can survive in the Damp of Ireland and England for
hundreds of years, that says something about their
ability to withstand a wetter climate than adobe can.
Carolyn, you might attribute your homes lack of
thermal integrity to your roof, and you may be right
in large part, because metal is hot in the summer and
cold in the winter and transfers that directly to the
interior space (just like a metal pan transfers the
heat of the stove). Heat also rises, and while you
are busily heating your home in the winter, the heat
is not only escaping through the uninsulated metal,
but also rising, being cooled and falling again into
your home as cooled air.
But I think it also telling that your home was built
piecemeal, including stickbuilt portions. They, too,
might be compromising the thermal dynamics of your
adobe portions. Stickbuilt construction has only a
fraction of the thermal mass of adobe; is not as
sealed/solid, leaving more places for heating/cooling
to escape; and often contains timbers and other
elements which transfer outside termperatures through
the wall almost as effectively as ductwork.
Nanci K.
Deborah Lewis
Christian Bruyere and Robert Inwood wrote several books with line
drawings about natural building. Maybe not the ones you're thinking of.
We have "Country Comforts" and "In Harmony With Nature" and there is
another we borrowed from a friend called "Creative Country
Construction." They're all good, kinda funky, very fun to read and
browse.
Deb L
drawings about natural building. Maybe not the ones you're thinking of.
We have "Country Comforts" and "In Harmony With Nature" and there is
another we borrowed from a friend called "Creative Country
Construction." They're all good, kinda funky, very fun to read and
browse.
Deb L
Michael Millard
I must have missed this thread but let me tell you something. I used to be an accountant for a lady named Simone Swan who is THE master adobe builder for the world. REALLY! She studied in Egypt and then came to Terlingua, Texas and started her adobe buildings there. She builds adobe houses in a pyramid shape,in fact, her story is in Architecture Digest (although I don't remember the year but I can find out). Her builder is a woman named Jesusita Jimenez, who is also world renowned. She is the actual adobe maker while Simone is the designer, so to speak. Awesome buildings.... also straw houses are making a big comeback, esp. in Far West Texas. Mary in Va.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
avgjean
--- In AlwaysLearning@y..., "Michael Millard" <nomads3@e...> wrote:
master adobe builder for the world. REALLY! She studied in Egypt and
then came to Terlingua, Texas and started her adobe buildings there.
She builds adobe houses in a pyramid shape,in fact, her story is in
Architecture Digest (although I don't remember the year but I can
find out). Her builder is a woman named Jesusita Jimenez, who is
also world renowned. She is the actual adobe maker while Simone is
the designer, so to speak. Awesome buildings.... also straw houses
are making a big comeback, esp. in Far West Texas. Mary in Va.
Yes, my sister in Terligua had Simone help her build her adobe
dome. It's pretty cool. Did any of you check it out when I posted
it before? Twistedroad.com She has photos of her dome, her straw
bale, and a cob structure, so far.
The living is a little spartan compared to my suburban lifestyle,
but it's fun to watch.
Jean in So. Cal
> I must have missed this thread but let me tell you something. Iused to be an accountant for a lady named Simone Swan who is THE
master adobe builder for the world. REALLY! She studied in Egypt and
then came to Terlingua, Texas and started her adobe buildings there.
She builds adobe houses in a pyramid shape,in fact, her story is in
Architecture Digest (although I don't remember the year but I can
find out). Her builder is a woman named Jesusita Jimenez, who is
also world renowned. She is the actual adobe maker while Simone is
the designer, so to speak. Awesome buildings.... also straw houses
are making a big comeback, esp. in Far West Texas. Mary in Va.
Yes, my sister in Terligua had Simone help her build her adobe
dome. It's pretty cool. Did any of you check it out when I posted
it before? Twistedroad.com She has photos of her dome, her straw
bale, and a cob structure, so far.
The living is a little spartan compared to my suburban lifestyle,
but it's fun to watch.
Jean in So. Cal
Nanci Kuykendall
>Yes, my sister in Terligua had Simone help her buildI did, I read the whole website and looked at all the
>her adobe dome. It's pretty cool. Did any of you
>check it out when I posted it before?
>Twistedroad.com She has photos of her dome, her
>straw
>bale, and a cob structure, so far. The living is a
>little spartan compared to my suburban lifestyle,
>but it's fun to watch.
>Jean in So. Cal
pictures. Who did her website? It's wonderful! I
love all the quotes at the bottoms of the pages,
they're great and very appropriate. I love what they
have done with their natural building and off grid
living. I wonder about codes for building in her
area, that she could do all that she has in the way
that she has.
I'm very into voluntary simplicty, and was impressed
with all that she has accomplished. You're sister is
a gutsy lady. Thanks so much for the website link. I
am sending it to my husband as a reference for
building to catalog with all our others. There is
some fantastic information on there.
Nanci K.
avgjean
> >Twistedroad.com >I am pretty sure she did her own website...She is that kind of
> I did, I read the whole website and looked at all the
> pictures. Who did her website?
person. :) And she is always happy to help anyone who wants to do
the same.
Jean
Sharon Rudd
I subbed onto a special interest list a week or so
ago. Building with cob. So far, all of my questions
have been answered without asking any. Lots of
workshops in the Washington, Oregon, California venue.
Cob can be used anywhere....(that I've read about, so
far)
Found the list via, your guessed, google :-)
Sharon of the Swamp
__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
http://sbc.yahoo.com
ago. Building with cob. So far, all of my questions
have been answered without asking any. Lots of
workshops in the Washington, Oregon, California venue.
Cob can be used anywhere....(that I've read about, so
far)
Found the list via, your guessed, google :-)
Sharon of the Swamp
__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
http://sbc.yahoo.com
Michael Millard
That is the GREAT thing about Far West Texas.... no building codes! About the only thing that people enforce down there is the border crossings ( since Sept. 11) and that means a LOT of businesses are doing poorly. Plus people who have worked in the US for YEARS can't now. They even had to cancel 'Good Neighbors Day' because so many people couldn't come across to participate. Yeah thanks to Jean for her info. on the website. Mary in Va.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Michael Millard
Jean in So. Cal. Who did the website? Your sister or Simone? Sorry I missed that part. Mary in Va.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Nanci Kuykendall
>>Twistedroad.com >I had a feeling you would say that :) Shee seems the
>> I did, I read the whole website and looked at all
>>the pictures. Who did her website?
>I am pretty sure she did her own website...She is
>that kind of person. :) And she is always happy to
>help anyone who wants to do the same.
>Jean
type.
Maybe I should email her about helping us with web
design for our community website. hmmmm....
Nanci K.
avgjean
--- In AlwaysLearning@y..., "Michael Millard" <nomads3@e...> wrote:
dome.
Jean
> Jean in So. Cal. Who did the website? Your sister or Simone?Sorry I missed that part. Mary in Va.
>My sister did her own website. Simone helped her design her adobe
dome.
Jean
Heidi Wordhouse-Dykema
Even though it's been a while....
I just got back from three weeks traveling about the US with my darling
teenage daughter.
Sometime in week two, we were at the Prairie Museum in Kansas somewhere (we
needed to stop for gas and, hey, look at that... wanna go check it out?)
where they had a, get this, SOD house. Chunks of sod, cut in deep bricks,
grass still included (long dead), dirt exposed to the outside (and inside),
grass on the roof too (on top of wood planks) - and it was structurally
sound years and years later! It was very, very cool. Literally as well
as it was quite warm that day.
By the by, straw bale houses are very fire resistant. They smoulder, but
won't burst into flame - even when not 'sealed' by an earth plaster or
stucco. They've gone upwards of 1500 degrees, when I think it is that wood
bursts into flame at 500 or 800 or something paltry like that. Also, for
the person with the noisy tin roof, it isn't unusual (kinda) to insulate
roofs with strawbales. You've just got to figure out how to get them to
stay put, as your roof is already on. There's also a straw bale house in
Nebraska from the late 1800's/early 1900's that is intact and just
fine. ...and it not only rains in Nebraska, it snows too! So long as the
bales dry out (or optimally are sealed up in an earth plaster) they'll do
just fine in wet surroundings. A straw bale home needs good boots and a
hat and it'll be fine. (grin)
Anyway, kudo's to the person doing the cob house. I looked into it as a
very cool option, but didn't want to mess with getting the clay/sand mix
right and it looked like it would take longer than bale, so I passed on it
so far. It sure is beautiful, though!
And now, I have to unpack. Unpacking is the worst part of traveling about.
Heidi
I just got back from three weeks traveling about the US with my darling
teenage daughter.
Sometime in week two, we were at the Prairie Museum in Kansas somewhere (we
needed to stop for gas and, hey, look at that... wanna go check it out?)
where they had a, get this, SOD house. Chunks of sod, cut in deep bricks,
grass still included (long dead), dirt exposed to the outside (and inside),
grass on the roof too (on top of wood planks) - and it was structurally
sound years and years later! It was very, very cool. Literally as well
as it was quite warm that day.
By the by, straw bale houses are very fire resistant. They smoulder, but
won't burst into flame - even when not 'sealed' by an earth plaster or
stucco. They've gone upwards of 1500 degrees, when I think it is that wood
bursts into flame at 500 or 800 or something paltry like that. Also, for
the person with the noisy tin roof, it isn't unusual (kinda) to insulate
roofs with strawbales. You've just got to figure out how to get them to
stay put, as your roof is already on. There's also a straw bale house in
Nebraska from the late 1800's/early 1900's that is intact and just
fine. ...and it not only rains in Nebraska, it snows too! So long as the
bales dry out (or optimally are sealed up in an earth plaster) they'll do
just fine in wet surroundings. A straw bale home needs good boots and a
hat and it'll be fine. (grin)
Anyway, kudo's to the person doing the cob house. I looked into it as a
very cool option, but didn't want to mess with getting the clay/sand mix
right and it looked like it would take longer than bale, so I passed on it
so far. It sure is beautiful, though!
And now, I have to unpack. Unpacking is the worst part of traveling about.
Heidi