Adobe Homes: Forgotten Past or Future Housing Solution?

When you own land, you usually have a dream for what you plan to do with it. Yet if it involves building on it, with the high cost of building materials, it can create a delay if waiting for prices to come down. And, it's even more of a problem if your county only allows site built homes that do not include alternative ways, such as adobe homes.

If your county does not acknowledge adobe homes, then perhaps it's time to have them revisit one of the oldest building methods in the world which has outlasted and outperformed some of today's modern building requirements. Adobe construction is considered to be an affordable housing option vs other site-built homes.

Of course, if you own land in New Mexico, you probably won't have to worry about building a cost efficient adobe home such as one of these shown here.
 
For thousands of years, adobe homes have been built throughout the desert Southwest and many other regions because they are durable, naturally energy efficient, fire resistant, and made primarily from materials found in the earth beneath our feet. Many “historic” adobe structures have stood the test of time and still stand today, demonstrating just how long-lasting this form of construction can be when properly maintained.

Despite its long history, adobe construction is no longer widely used in much of the United States. Modern building codes, engineering requirements, financing, and permitting processes often make it more difficult to build than conventional site-built homes. While such modern requirements exist for important reasons such as public safety, they can also make it challenging for alternative building methods to gain broader acceptance.

That raises an important question and one I’ve been working on for the past year & a half with my own county. It’s a question residents all across America should be asking their own County Commissioners as well: - “Can modern engineering and updated building codes provide a path for adobe construction to once again become a practical housing option?” If not, why not? There is no justifiable reason if it involves safety, Google it to see just how beneficial and safe adobe homes can be.

Although adobe homes aren't for everyone. Every homeowner has different needs, preferences, and lifestyles. Nevertheless, it deserves consideration alongside other alternative building methods such as rammed earth, compressed earth block (CEB), straw bale, and other innovative forms of construction.

Some of the benefits often associated with properly designed adobe homes include:

• Excellent thermal performance in hot, dry climates
• Lower heating and cooling demands due to thermal mass
• Outstanding fire resistance
• Long service life with proper maintenance
• Resistance to termites and rot
• Natural building materials with a lower environmental footprint
• Quiet interiors because of thick walls
• Timeless Southwestern beauty and character
• Potentially lower material costs where suitable local soils are available

As communities across the country continue searching for ways to make homeownership more obtainable, affordable, and reliable, perhaps it's time to take another look at building methods that have successfully sheltered people for centuries.
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This isn't about replacing conventional construction. It's about expanding the demand for something that is cost effective, as well as environmentally friendly. Asking for safe, well-engineered alternative building methods should have a place among today's housing options. It takes voices speaking up in order to create change. When people say nothing, then nothing changes and you must live by whatever rules your county demands.  Yet, you can be the voice to start what’s needed. Contact your Community Leaders. Your voice matters!

Progress often comes from rediscovering good ideas that have been proven through time.

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