These books are the webmaster’s favorites, in no particular order (in addition to the Cullimore book at the bottom of the Adobe community resources page):
Brick by brick
If you really want to build an Adobe home in California these days, this book is a must buy; the story of a couple that formed a team of Adobe design experts that helped them work through California’s (post 1970’s) tough seismic and energy regulations, then making their own stabilized bricks on site, building a “prototype home” (now their garage), and then the house, circa 2002, in the high desert of L A County. A well written, step by step, easy read book, with a ton of pictures showing pretty much every step of the process. A complete list of suppliers (used at the time) is in the back of the book; architects, engineers, an adobe brick test lab, contractors, and materials suppliers. Available at: http://stevielove.com/adobe-house-book
Weir Brothers Adobe Homes, by Robert Weir and Scott Hulet. If you’re the owner of a Weir Bros, Jack Weir, Larry Weir, Mike Goodbody, or any other Weir inspired Adobe home in San Diego County, then you will want to buy this book. The local post war Adobe history building story is quite complete. Probably the most passionate book about modern adobe homes you will ever read. Available at: weirbrosadobe.com
Larry Weir, his life and works
Many people don’t know that the Weir Brothers went their separate ways in the 1960’s; a Weir Adobe built after 1963 (ish) is either a Jack Weir or Larry Weir home. This book is half family scrapbook, half project book for Weir Bros., then Larry’s homes, and shows the family side of Larry. There’s also a great 1970’s home video of Larry, family, and friends on YouTube: search for “adobe memories”. Book available at: http://larryweiradobe.com/
Adobe Houses, homes of sun and earth, by Kathyrn Masson, it’s an excellent coffee table book on California Adobes. A great gift for any California Adobe homeowner or Adobe homeowner wannabe.
Under the Sun, desert style and architecture, by Suzi Moore, another excellent coffee table book. Covers homes in Tunisia, Morocco, Spain, Mexico, and the American Southwest.
Mexicolor, the spirit of Mexican design, by Tony Cohan. Another coffee table book to inspire the Mexican style interior designer within you.
For the Adobe home builder (or just dreamer):
Making the Adobe Brick, by Eugene H. Boudreau. This little, easy reading paperback has the best information the webmaster has come across for making stabilized Adobes for use in California, AND self-building a home. A great book for the DIYer, not only for making bricks but also building a complete home (but not in California anymore). The author and his wife built their family Adobe Home themselves, in the 1960’s, in what is now Northern California wine country, without needing to take out a home loan. All the building code requirements of the time are covered in the book, including re-bar reinforcement. Regarding brickmaking, the author was a Geologist by trade (he knew his dirt and minerals); he mentions how to find sources of clay, the three types of clay, plus using sand (if needed as an additive to your native soil), and the importance of the type of sand. This book and the Cullimore book are the top two choices for information on California Adobe homes’ bricks/construction/technical information. Buy it used on Amazon for around $5. Download the Cullimore book for free (bottom of the Adobe community resources page).
The Barefoot Architect, a handbook for green building, by Johan van Lengen. Originally published in Spanish in 1982, the Mexican government bought 40,000 copies and placed one in every library in Mexico, and the book then went on to sell over 200,000 copies in Latin America. Great for anyone that dreamed of building on a very rural site, off the grid, spending very little money. Includes building simple heating, water, and waste systems, using basic and natural materials. Buy it for fun, there’s unique ideas in it, like using bicycle wheels for windows.
Adobe, build it yourself, by Paul Graham McHenry Jr, for the Arizona or New Mexico DIY/builder.
The Adobe Book, by John F O’Connor. Similar to above. Has a great chapter comparing types of Adobe Block stabilizers.
Adobe Architecture Conservation Handbook, by Francisco Uvina Contreras and the staff of Cornerstones. THE book for traditional/unstabilized Adobe restoration and maintenance, from New Mexico. Very well done with tons of pictures for the laborer/restorer to follow. Even talks about the importance of smearing straw in horizontal lines on mud plaster to break up rainwater rivulets. A link to this book is on the Adobe community resources page.
