Earth Brick Construction by Elbert Hubbell 1943

A publication of the Education Division US Office of Indian Affairs

This 1940's booklet is a treasure of American adobe and earthen building with many photos of vernacular architecture and native people building. Chapters cover soil characteristics, making simple bricks, testing, curing bricks, molds and forms, asphalt stabilization, mortars of mud, lime and cement, laying up bricks, structural design of walls, allowing for windows, doors, floors, roof construction showing latillas, poles and thatch type roofing materials by pima Indians, plasters with stabilizers of cement, lime and mud.

Nailing stucco walls, applying mesh reinforcement, chimneys and fireplaces. Even shows construction of an adobe outhouse. Extensive history and information on traditional Southwestern USA building , i.e. adobe and mud brick use.

Portland cement was heavily used during this time period and is advised for just about all building uses, but lime, also described in this booklet, can use used for a more natural binder and stabilizer. One nice touch are all the photos of women mixing mud, applying plasters, whitewashing walls and, in general, doing the building right alongside the men. They used colored limewashes, buttermilk paints, and sizing on the walls.

XEROGRAPHIC reproduction 8.5" x 11", spiral comb bound, softcover, B& W photos and illustrations.

PHOTO: Color photo shown of adobe blocks drying, above, is representational of similar b&w images in the booklet.

Also see the CD & Booklet set: "Rammed Earth Walls: bulletin #1500 and other earth building books on this site.