Laying Adobe Bricks Part 1

How we lay Adobe Bricks

[@projectbiggs7694]

Yea there is a concern, but not a hugh one. I did not treat the lumber. Probably should have just to be safe. My approach for termites is prevenitive measure. Mainly keeping old wood/firewood and trash off the house. Hope this works😬

[@projectbiggs7694]

@Level3-RC Thanks for the suggestion.

[@lucindacarpe485]

Really informative video. I am preparing for a move to Tucson AZ. I am loving the older adobe homes there. I hope to either purchase an older one or build my own!!

[@GreenMasterMike]

I build houses like this all the time when I was younger and you should wet your Adobe blocks lightly and make your mix dryer I live in Mexico

[@adnanmalik6244]

Hi, how long do these houses last if adobes are fixed with mud? Can we use cement as well?

[@alwaysyouramanda]

This is the dream. My grandparents built their home in Northern California. It’s worth over a million $$ today. Wild.

[@3053carlton]

Your work and commitment inspiring. Watched all vids and wanted to say thx for effort in sharing. Thank goodness all ok post accident and trust, 2 yrs on, all are well.

[@rigocornejo8172]

For people asking the r value is r-23 those walls are also bullet proof

[@nuduo9255]

What’s their width?

[@Artistry.of.earthen.arts.]

14" ​@@nuduo9255

[@nobreighner]

Very well done presentation, thanks! Nice cool home. I see a lot of adobe type projects with wood framing integral. Is there a concern that this is building tunnels for termites (pre-stocked with food)? Maybe you talk about treating the wood and I missed it.

[@Geraldbux0401]

in america mud house is better than wood house!

[@pascalfl2610]

Amazing video to watch from Poland. On the outside wall did you put stucco or you left uncovered brick? And if stucco was put on the outside wall would that help with keeping dry walls in the rainy season? Also would stucco help with summer heat keeping cooler inside and winter lower temperatures keeping warmer inside?

[@PS_loveyou]

Lime plaster over adobe.

[@simonsanchez4238]

Hello, I made three bricks based on your recipe. Two were I used the asphalt emulsion of 10% To water and soil. One brick I used the same water to asphalt plus pine shavings. I need a stabilizer to keep the bricks from eroding since my potential build will be in East Texas where its more humid. What are your thoughts. Adobe bricks are not heard of here. Also how long did you keep your bricks covered. My bricks are 10x10xx4

[@TheEnigmaticmuse]

Use lime plaster to protect the bricks in Texas. Like you see on Greek homes

[@RME76048]

Is the mortar made exactly as the brick is (about 50% screened clay soil, 50% coarse sand, chopped straw)?

[@projectbiggs7694]

In our mix we don’t use straw. It’s approximately 30% clay, the rest is sand and small aggregate. Typically straw is used when you have higher clay content. If you’re going to use soil with 50% clay you will want to use straw. Straw acts as a binder so the bricks don’t crack.

[@projectbiggs7694]

And yes, our mortar is the same mix but with a little more care taken to screen out rocks. In the brick mix you can actually have rocks as big as 1/3 the thickness of the brick. But in the mortar you don’t want the rocks getting in the way as you set the bricks in place.

[@RME76048]

@@projectbiggs7694 Thanks for the light-speed reply!

[@JohanischStavropol]

Твёрдые основания стен прослужат более ста лет, а вот деревянные опоры придут в негодность гораздо раньше. Так строили в средние века. Так как не было других вариантов. Сейчас то зачем сново наступать на старые грабли?

[@projectbiggs7694]

You’re right, the walls will outlast the wood beams but both will outlast me and even my kids and grandkids. That’s longer than most houses being built nowadays. Thanks for watching the video.

[@FunPaa]

which is faster, economical, stronger & aesthetic - cob vs earth bag vs adobe earth

[@carmelahearle957]

Thanks for sharing is there a recommendation you have on how I can make my own Adobe bricks for a fence that's 6 ft tall here in Utah

[@mikufishda6018]

Thanks for sharing the ideas..i have now thinking of making my own...😉 And so nice watching you handsome guys with very nice skills...👍👍👍

[@projectbiggs7694]

Thanks Miku! You can do it!

[@mikufishda6018]

Am a woman and don't have enough source of clay soil...anyways got a very nice informative video of yours. Thanks ...😉

[@projectbiggs7694]

@@mikufishda6018 🙏

[@mzuidema100]

You can't have a wood supporting system in a brick wall, it would be a lot better to let the adobe carry the roof. The wood beams get wet at some point and start to rot

[@archerc4828]

Why use rebar in the walls of an adobe wall? What good can come of that?

[@projectbiggs7694]

The engineers wanted it in there for sheer. Is it necessary? I don’t know probably not. But around here without an engineers stamp you don’t get a building permit. So I put it in. Engineers like steel. Engineers don’t like building house out of mud. 😉

[@makeitkate3240]

Thanks for the video! I’m in central Utah and the heat and wind are just too much for my garden. I plan to build an Adobe wall around it as a windbreak and thermal regulator. Your videos are a big help.

[@raymondrodriguez5068]

You can always shape and make some brick molds in the shape of the beam so there's no cutting.😁

[@alegarciadelrio]

I still watch your video, what dimensions does the adobe have? Greetings from Uruguay

[@projectbiggs7694]

Hey Alejandro!! Thanks for watching. Our bricks are 10”x14”x4” inch’s or 25x36x10 cm. LoL, thank goodness for conversation apps! The bricks get laid in a manner to make the wall 14” or 35cm thick. For our southwestern United States location this is regarded as the ideal size. At this size the walls will stay at the average temperature between the hottest and coolest times of the day. You could make them bigger but they start to get really heavy. Our bricks are 40 lbs each. So if you make them much bigger it will be hard to find People to help that can pick them up all day long.

[@TheAMERICA44]

I JUST LOVE HOW EVERYTHING IT'S GOES . I USE TO HAVE AND LIVE IN A HOUSE WITH BURN BREAK(OLD METOD)I SURELY GARANTEE EVERYONE THAT WAS COUSY CONFORTABLE AND SILENCE EARTH ADOBE IT'S A NATURAL AND EVERLASTING YOU JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH NATURE NOW I'M LIVE UP IN MONTAIN I FELL CRAZY SEE YOURS VIDEOS WISHING THAT I CAN DO THE SAME IM MY NEW PROPERTY. MY PROPERTY IS LOCATE ON A BEAUTIFUL PLACE FAR FROM CITY. DON'T KNOW WHEM I WILL BEGGININ A CONSTRUCTION BUT FOR SURE I WILL DO THE ALMOST THE SAME LIKE YOU(I WISH I DREAM OF) THANK YOU SO MUCH TO CHEER YOUR BEAUTIFUL AND LOVELY WORK AND YOUR FAMILY TOO. MY NAME IS AMERICA I'M FROM BRAZIL

[@anpr5309]

Audio could be better.

[@bitzer8115]

Whats the concrete vault for? Genuinely curious? Love your videos by the way.

[@projectbiggs7694]

Keeping my Oreo’s and other goodies safely locked away from my kids 😁

[@bitzer8115]

@@projectbiggs7694 lol gotcha.

[@120ohm]

Is there a reason we don't see adobe homes in Indiana? Can they withstand our zone 5 freezing and thawing? It seems so simple and cheap, nothing much required but plenty of time!

[@projectbiggs7694]

Hey Justin! I’m not sure why. Once the bricks are cured/completely dry, freeze thaw won’t be a problem. The key to Adobe is keeping it dry. Maybe it a humidity concern? 🤔

[@inzimamurrehman7997]

Hi ! These bricks are air dry but I don't see any frost or thawing action in these bricks. In my region all houses are made of Adobe bricks and temp here goes to negative in winter season with heavy snowfall, still no frost action have been notice. These brick remain as strong as long as you keep them safe from water exposure or rain

[@alegarciadelrio]

Excelent video!!

[@Christopher-be1qc]

Thanks!

[@inzimamurrehman7997]

We also construct our houses from adobe bricks here in North Pakistan Chitral, these are good insulator to cold and also very cheap. But I have question "Would we make double or triple story building from these Adobe brick? And what's the strenght of this brick ie how much load it can bear in psi?

[@projectbiggs7694]

I’m sorry I wish I had some answers for you. I know it’s possible to build multiple story buildings with adobe bricks but I have no experience doing it. Also I know that the compression strength depends and the makeup of the soil used and if you stabilize it with concrete. Sorry I don’t have good answers for you. Good Luck!

[@PS_loveyou]

Width of your wall, you can go 10 times width. For example 14" you can do 140" or 36" first to go three story then 28" second and 14" on 3rd floor.

[@nobreighner]

Also, I found that a lot of locals (where they build with adobe etc) claim that mud homes stay cooler than equivalent concrete homes (though sometimes they mean ungrouted CMU). Surprised at the reason - it is not thermal mass so much as it is that dry mud insulates better than dry concrete. Ceramic insulates better than cement. Studies found that the first 4" is all you typically use for mass inertia in a 24 hour cycle, the rest is helping by providing insulation. I know, this goes against intuition.

[@projectbiggs7694]

Interesting, that’s not how I understand it, but I could be wrong. All I know is it’s working great. The last few months have had consistent temperatures of 95-98 Degrees for the highs and the House doesn’t get above 78 degrees. I have a hard time believing that if I only made the Adobe 4” thick and then put an insulated wall with an R value equal to the other 10” of adobe (my walls are 14” thick) that I would get the same performance. Adobe has a very very low R value. Maybe I’m misunderstanding you. Thanks for your comments!

[@nobreighner]

@@projectbiggs7694 yes I was surprised too.

[@zazugee]

@@projectbiggs7694 I'm not sure but i suspect it's evaporative cooling, Mud gains more water during the night and release it during the day, which means lower temperature than daily averages and less than what you would expect from just thermal lag alone

[@mariaveliz395]

Que satisfacción tan Grande construir tu casa con tus propias manos 👍🏼

[@projectbiggs7694]

sí, lo era

[@rahulm6847]

How much it cost to build a single storey structure using Adobe blocks

[@projectbiggs7694]

Regul, that is a very difficult question to answer. There are so many variables that go into the total cost of construction. Adobe construction can be one of the least expensive ways to build or one of the most expensive. For example Adobe walls on stone foundation with earthen floors with you doing all labor will be way less expensive than Adobe walls on concrete footings/slab with tile and carpet throughout the house. Adobe is very labor intensive. If you can do all the labor you will save a lot of money but if you have to pay someone to make and install your bricks it will be very expensive. Also cost of Windows, cabinets, interior walls, roofing, electrical, plumbing, appliances, etc. are all variables. What we paid is not the cheapest or even close to the most expensive. We paid about $1.30 per square foot, not counting cost of property.

[@ignacioanaya3403]

Could you please show how did you prepare the adobe mixture for the bricks?

[@projectbiggs7694]

Ignacio, thanks for watching. Check out our “making adobe bricks” video to see how we did it.

[@DanielStalnakerII]

I've been looking into Adobe conduction lately for here in southwest New Mexico. In between each brick, about how much mortar is in there? Just curious for when I start drawing plans?

[@projectbiggs7694]

We used 2".

[@DanielStalnakerII]

@@projectbiggs7694 Thank you!

[@projectbiggs7694]

Hi Daniel, I need to make a correction. My wife is mistaken. It looks close to 2” by the time it’s done but the distance between each brick is 1”. This allowed enough room to run the electrical conduit between a corse of bricks.

[@sararichardson737]

thank you. great demonstration

[@billiondollardan]

This is super cool

[@teddymarkov6741]

Does anybody have comparison for how good adobe with clay mortar insulates compared to bricks with lime mortar?

[@projectbiggs7694]

Typically lime is used in Adobe as a stabilizer when the clay content of the Adobe mixture is high. The lime binds up the clay. The same way cement is used when the sand content of the Adobe mixture is high. Lime for binding clay, cement for binding sand as a stabilizer. Maybe I’m not understanding your questions and someone else can respond.

[@teodormarkov6787]

@@projectbiggs7694 Yes, my question was more regarding the adobe bricks and baked clay bricks (modern bricks). Do you think adobe ones are better insulators? I am planning building a clean house and I have a dilemma between baked bricks and lime mortar and clay. I really like the building process of baked brick and lime mortar. But I am afraid it might lack insulation.

[@projectbiggs7694]

I’m not sure how much difference there would be between the two as far as performance goes, I would think they would be very similar with the baked bricks being more weather proof. I would recommend doing some studying on the difference between insulation and thermal mass. Neither type of bricks you mentioned have very good insulation values (R Values), but have very good thermal mass (U Values). The purpose of Insulation is to keeps heat or cold from passing through. Thermal mass stores or holds onto heat or cold. I hope this helps.

[@teodormarkov6787]

@@projectbiggs7694 Yes, thanks a lot!

[@jakekeys4028]

What kind of R value do you get from these walls?

[@projectbiggs7694]

Hi Jake, you don’t actually get an “R” value, well you do but it quite low. It’s a “U” value. U-values represent the transfer of energy through conduction and radiation. R-value only represents resistance to heat transfer. So the higher the R value, the longer you can hold the temperature in the house but the walls don’t store any of the heat or coolness. Adobe or any other thermal mass is a storage device rather than a resistance device. So the lower the U value the longer it take the temperature/energy to pass through the wall. With Adobe, the energy transfers at a rate of about an hour per inch. Our walls are 14” thick So by the time the warmth from mid day has reached the inside, it’s the middle of the night and by the time the coolness from the night has reached the inside, it’s mid day. Adobe works best in locations where there is a big swing between the highs and lows of the day. What happens is the house will sit at the average temperature between the two. I hope this helps explain it.

[@jakekeys4028]

@@projectbiggs7694 yes and thanks for replying so quickly.

[@zazugee]

@@projectbiggs7694 you nail it, good insulation is only practical for houses that have harsher winters, you can store alot of sun energy with more thermal mass, using bigger windows too Super insulated houses get uncomfortable easily and need vapour barriers and active air-conditioning,specially to control humidity While thermal mass is more forgiving and you don't have to solve any humidity problems

[@webadage]

um... where's part 2?

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWSwd6yOicaAoNE

[@nibythomas3701]

Awesome

[@projectbiggs7694]

Thanks! I see your a climber. That is also one of my passions. Check out this video of a First Ascent me and some friends did. vimeo.com/146070622

[@justiceforall2393]

Hello dear nice job what is the size of the brick please

[@projectbiggs7694]

Hi there, thanks you! The bricks are 4”x10”x14” placed so the walls are 14” thick

[@justiceforall2393]

@@projectbiggs7694 thanks a lot and I put tiles on the adore bathroom walls just like cement bricks can you advise me on what to do please

[@justiceforall2393]

@@projectbiggs7694 and I will like to stabilize them with cement how many wheelbarrows soil to cement should I take

[@projectbiggs7694]

I’m not sure how well tile would adhere to Adobe. What I have seen done though is you can screen down your Adobe mixture to get rid of any aggregate. Just sand and clay then use white cement to stabilize it and trowel that mixture on your shower walls. You could even add some color pigment used for coloring concrete in the mix. In one of my showers I left the Adobe bricks exposed and sealed them with a silox based penetrating sealer.

[@projectbiggs7694]

To stabilize with cement you want to add between 5 and 10 percent cement. 5 percent will give you simi stabilized bricks and 10 percent will give you fully stabilized bricks. To figure out how much per wheelbarrow, fill your wheelbarrow by counting how many shovels it takes to fill it. If it take 20 shovels to fill it and you want 10% do 18 shovels of soil and 2 cement. Just be aware, when you stabilize with cement you have to use up all your mix pretty quickly because the cement will set up and harden. As compared to emulsion stabilized mix which as long as it’s in a wheelbarrow or bucket and you cover it with plastic, it can last a week and still be useable.