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Welcome! You're
here because of your interest in building
and owning an earth-wall home. Your questions
probably center around, "will it
work in my climate? ", "can
I do it? ", "how do I
begin? " or "how much
will it cost? " This site exists
to answer these questions and to get you
started. Here are the main considerations...
THE
CODES...Adobe is defined in the current International Building Codes, used across the United States. Individual states, such as New Mexico, Arizona and California, modify this code to fit their building practices. Pressed Block and Rammed Earth are generally included in these codes, which can also be modified by individual counties and cities. Adobe was often a ‘sleeper’ in previous codes, but with the new interest in green building, bureaucrats and legislators are eager to bring it forward and work is underway to write it into ASTM standards.
So
yes, you can do it, legally speaking. In
areas without codes, you have more freedom,
but you should still build to a recognized
standard. If your building department has
little experience with earth walls, they
may require that your plans be
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An
Adobe home near Santa Fe, NM
Mark Chalom, architect
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stamped
by a licensed engineer
or
architect.
In many areas of the
Southwest, prescribed
codes allow you to
build to a standard,
without a professional
stamp. This is the
case in Arizona and
New Mexico, and portions
of Utah, and Colorado.
At present, Texas has
few restrictive codes,
and California, the
most restrictions.
CLIMATE Most
of us visualize adobe in dry, desert-like climates.
In the U.S., most
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