DIY Network

Outdoor Planting Shed: Working With Adobe DIY's dynamic duo of stonemasonry show how to create and work with adobe bricks. From "Rock Solid" episode DROC-213

An adobe wall like this one is a project you can take on yourself. Adobe is a forgiving material for the stone-work novice.

In this Rock Solid project, hosts Derek Stearns and Dean Marsico get back to the basics-- earth, sun, and water. With the help of adobe expert, Lisa Morey of Adobe Building Consultants®, they create adobe bricks and adobe mortar then put them together in a one of a kind garden planting shed.

Follow the steps, outlined below, that Lisa, Derek and Dean went through in creating this attractive outdoor structure. Creating and using adobe is easier than you might think. The best part is, once you have these adobe building blocks down, your building options are infinite.

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	Dean discusses the project with Lisa Morey of Adobe Building Consultants®.

Tools:

adobe brick molds
weed mat
glass mason jar
wheelbarrow
concrete mixer
shovels
5-gallon mixing buckets
plastic sheeting (for protecting the bricks while curing)
mixing hoe
trowel
rubber gloves
level

Materials:

adobe dirt (ratio of approximately 70% sand to 30; you can also add small aggregate or gravel (up to 1/2" in diameter)
cement
water
dish washing liquid (optional)

	Figure A
	Figure B

The structure being built in this project is a three sided planting shed built to a height of 3-1/2 feet. Lisa had a concrete footing poured ahead of time in the three-sided shape of the wall, with rebar added in the body of the footing and standing up at adobe brick intervals to add vertical strength to the wall (figures A and B). When building the footing for the wall, make sure that the footing is square and level (you can check by running strings between the sections and using a line level).

Lisa also mapped out the exact size and shape of the wall ahead of time to determine how many bricks she would need. Each adobe brick measures (with a mortar joint on both the side and the top) approximately 12x12x5-1/2 inches. She then figured out how many bricks she would need to build a wall seven rows high, and rounded up that number to account for mishandling or breakage.

	Figure C
	Figure D

Making Adobe Bricks

For this project, Dean and Derek are going to make their own adobe bricks. The adobe mixture will create both the bricks and the mortar.

But before mixing, they must make sure that their key ingredient-- the earth (figure C)--has the proper adobe ratio. You want a clay to sand ratio of about 30% to 70%. To determine the ratio, do a simple test using a mason jar. Fill the jar two thirds of the way with your raw material. Make sure you have no other organic material in it. Fill the remaining third with water. Shake it vigorously for two minutes and let it settle overnight without disturbing it and you will be able to see what ratios you have. The sand settles on the bottom, the clay in the middle and the water on top, showing the ratio of each (figure D).

Lisa was fortunate with this project and found her earth from a local source. If you have difficulty finding the proper ratio, talk to a local quarry for suggestions on where to find or create the correct mixture of earth with the proper clay/sand ratio.

	Figure E
	Figure F

A project this size calls for a concrete mixer, which can be obtained from most rental centers. Dean and Derek use one that's 2-1/2 cubic feet in size.

The adobe mix consists of five gallons of water, 28 shovelfuls of dirt, and two shovelfuls of cement. The cement ratio may need to be adjusted dependent on your climate and building conditions. The cement is a stabilizer and adds strength and durability to the bricks, especially in humid climates.

Make sure as you measure these materials out into the mixer that your "shovel" measurements are consistent – since you will be making multiple batches of adobe you want to make sure your mix is the same. Add the materials to the mixer and mix thoroughly (figures E and F).

When mixing, make sure there that the ingredients mix evenly are no clumps greater than 1/2 inch in diameter (figure G). Once mixed, pour the adobe mixture into a wheelbarrow (figure H) and bring it to your molds.

Figure G

Figure H

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