Adobe Builder House Plans - Solar Adobe House Plan 1870

Genera Plans® Plan 877 Plan 1310 Plan 1560 Plan 1576 Plan 1680 Plan 1870 Plan 1930 Plan 2268 Plan 540 Here’s a handsome 3 bedroom/two bath Territorial style plan that will work in either adobe or compressed earth block. It comes as 10 sheets of 24x36” size, which includes required New Mexico CID energy calcs in effect at the time of drafting. It was drawn during the late winter of 2010 at SWSA and is being permitted and constructed in Santa Fe County, New Mexico at an elevation of 6500 feet. Interior living space (not counting outside 14” wall thickness) is roughly 1600 square feet. The home has at least five interior adobe walls (10” thick) to aid in temperature regulation, artistic effect and sound dampening. Exposed ceilings utilize 6x10” and 4x10” rough-sawn pine beams, with a 1”x 8” exposed deck over. Ceiling insulation is R-45 cellulose in the void above the deck with a 40-plus mill elastomeric, UV resistant cover over the final roof above. The roof pitches in one plane from north to south with exposed frame parapets on N, E, and W, topped with a flagstone trim. A Count Rumford fireplace adds value and comfort in the NE corner of the 16x20’ living room. Walls may be exposed to show off the earthen masonry or plastered as the dweller wishes. We suggest a finished, smooth lime plaster in water-use areas and ceramic tile as is standard around bath and kitchen counters. Plan 1870 is some 78 feet from east to west and slightly over 24 feet from north to south. The south entry area is recessed roughly six feet. A few adobe buttresses provide lateral support as required by code. The home is drafted with brick-on-sand floors throughout. However, the builder may opt for any other type of masonry floor, such as Saltillo or Italian tile on slab, dyed concrete or even flagstone on sand. A feature of plan 1870 is that it comes with two different foundation sheets. One is for a standard concrete footing and stem for this climate zone (6100 degree heating days). The other is for a grade beam over rubble fill (same climate zone). The rubble fill foundation plan has a NM engineer’s stamp. Buyers of this plan should remember that they cannot simply “inherit” the shown engineer’s stamp due to differing soil bearing qualities in different locales and jurisdictions with different codes (for example, plan 1870 built in AZ will require an AZ licensed engineer’s stamp). Buyers will need to have their own engineering done for the rubble filled system. Engineering for 1870 cost $250. Using the grade beam over rubble fill is saving the builder approximately $800 in concrete costs.   The Master Bedroom suite consists of 4 spaces, two of them closets on the north as a  thermal buffer. The larger closet is a walk-in at 10’ 7” x 5’. The Master Bedroom is 15’ 10” x 22’ 0”. The Master Bath is located along the west side, measuring 22’0” x 5’0”. The South wall is dedicated to Direct Gain glass and Trombe walls across it’s entire length, but includes double-hung large windows which can be expressed in six-lite units top and bottom, to harmonize with the Territorial Style. A one-lite, exterior, French door is also located on the south Bedroom wall. Both the French door and openable windows also serve as solar gain windows. A shelved Pantry adjoins the Kitchen on its north side, measuring roughly 7’x 4’. The Kitchen itself is 17’6” x 9’ 6” and includes a Breakfast Nook on its south side, adjacent to a Trombe Wall and a large double-hung window. The Kitchen sink looks out over a 40”+ high half-wall to the Living Room, Fireplace and hallway entry. The south side of the Living Room, like other south walls, is dedicated to large Direct Gain glass, including a French one-lite Entry door and two Trombe wall units. The eastern part of the home contains two bedrooms, one 11’7” x 12’ 5” and the other 10’6” x 11’ 7”. The larger bedroom contains a 5’7” x 2’0” closet, with a writing/computer nook of approximately the same size next to it. The smaller bedroom, has an adjacent large, storage closet, measuring  9’7” x 5’ 2”. Both bedrooms feature Trombe Walls, and Direct Gain south-facing units, which include openable double-hung windows for ventilation. The north side of the two-bedroom wing contains a full Bathroom, measuring 8’2” x 6’ 2”, with an adequate Linen Closet facing the Hall, roughly full height x 3’ x 3’ in size.  Just west of the Bath is the Utility Room, measuring 8’7” x 6’2”. It contains the radiant underfloor heating components (Boiler, Zone valves, etc.) and wash/dry hookups. Exterior windows are located on north, east and west sides of the home. They are 26” x 36” and 36” x 42”, all double-hung units, but builders may also opt for single hung, casement crank out or other style of window. Another feature of Plan 1870 is the “air-lock” entry on the north side. It is a small room roughly 7’ x 7’ inside, and can serve (if wished) for a mud room and place to hang coats in winter. The insulated entry door faces west and opens to a second insulated entry door leading into the north side of the Living Room. How much will the passive solar features cut the winter heating bill? With roughly 328 sq. ft. of south glass in Direct gain and Trombes on the south, approximately 18% of the sq. footage of the heated living area is dedicated to passive solar gain. Walls are drafted with an exterior R-10 insulation cover (2”) over the adobe, with a stucco finish. Assuming the dwellers are conscientious about using insulating drapes or blinds at night over south windows, as well as opening them fully during the sunlit day, we expect that passive solar can knock about 50% off the January heating requirement (and more during other winter months). If dwellers wish to add PV units for electricity, adequate room exists in the Utility for an emergency backup system, or space can be taken for full-size PV system components in the large storage closet on the NE corner of the home (or the smaller closet in the master BR). Some builders may wish to build 1870 in Pueblo, Spanish Colonial or other styles and this can be easily achieved by modifying the exposed parapets to the more “rounded” Santa Fe or Pueblo-style forms and by exposing lintels instead of using Territorial trim window and door details. Your building department may require that you provide to-scale drawings for such changes when you submit your plans for a permit.

1 set of plans $159

3 sets of plans $184