Burnt Adobe Homes in Tucson

May 14, 2008 | By Kelley Koehler | Filed Under Tucson Homes Explained 

burnt adobe home in tucsonI’ll admit – I’m a sucker for a classic Tucson wire-cut double red brick house.  But every once in a while, tucked into those brick homes, is a burnt adobe home, a personal favorite.

In the older burnt adobe homes, the bricks are usually reddish in tone, and are much larger than your typical brick.  Walls built with burnt adobe blocks are usually at least 8″ thick, if not more.  In theory, the thick adobe wall has enough thermal mass that it will absorb heat during the day and release it at night to keep an ado be home at a fairly stable temperature.  Some people confuse them for slump block homes, but slump block isn’t nearly as thick as burnt adobe.

Newer adobe homes tend to be more of the tan-ish, grey-ish variety.  One of my favorite builders, Stellar Gray, specializes in adobe homes.

Especially for the older burnt adobes, the bricks can be damaged pretty easily by running water, and just from wind and dirt and rain hitting the bricks.  The burnt adobe bricks have sort of a hard layer around the outside, and once that has worn off, the bricks can erode pretty quickly.

Don’t get me wrong, a house built of burnt adobe bricks will still probably outlast you and I in terms of lifespan!  There are several companies in town that can help you repair and maintain your burnt adobe home, but some erosion is inevitable.  All part of the character of the adobe home.

Clay Mine Adobe, a company that manufactures adobe bricks, has a decent photo gallery and description of how the bricks are made.

I don’t have a good way of linking to them here, but today in MLS, there are 209 homes listed as Burnt Adobes in the Tucson MLS, from $118,900 to $1,950,000.  Drop me an email and I’ll send you the current list – be helpful if you gave me a price range too!

Comments

Got something to say?







Get Blog Posts Via Email!
Search this Site
Loading

Got A Question? Ask!

Other Information That Might Be Helpful

  • Spotting Additions in Tucson Homes (November 17, 2008)

    I do quite a bit of business that involves older homes here in Tucson, be it a 1950’s brick ranch in Central or a 1970’s remodel up in the Catalina Foothills.  It seems that more often than not in these homes, there have been additions or enclosures to add to the livable square footage [...]

  • Barrio Homes in Tucson (December 4, 2008)

     I was running around the Barrios near Downtown Tucson the other day with a client.  I’ve always loved the old barrios, with the bright colors, the thick adobes, the row houses.  I do love a house with some character.
    There are incredibly diverse housing options in the area.  There’s several "severe" fix-ups in the area for [...]

  • Home Storage in Tucson – Meet the Shed (July 22, 2009)

    I do a good bit of business from people moving to the Tucson area from back East – whether they’re retiring or moving for a job or just buying a vacation home.  Turns out, back East, their homes have this mysterious thing called a "basement."
    Not so much here in Tucson.  Our homes are largely [...]

Equal Housing Opportunity Realtor
Clicky Web Analytics