Our Essential Reading List for Owner Builder Adobe Construction

Below are some books that we recommend for learning more about designing and building with adobe as an owner builder. Many of these books are also referenced in our online and live-instruction classes. We have purposely kept this list short to help you focus on the essentials as you get started.

Adobe Basics

Adobe Notes
Kate, D.N.S & Spud

The PortaLab Manual: Low-Cost Soil-Engineering Test for Constructing Earthen Buildings
Howard Scoggins

Adobe: Build It Yourself, Revised Edition
Paul Graham McHenry Jr.

The Earthbuilder’s Encyclopedia
Joseph Tibbets

Design & Planning

Passive Solar House Basics
Peter Van Dresser

Architecture for the Poor: An Experiment in Rural Egypt
Hassan Fathy

Adobe and Rammed Earth Buildings: Design and Construction
Paul Graham McHenry Jr.

Adobe Homes for All Climates: Simple, Affordable, and Earthquake-Resistant Natural Building Techniques
Lisa Schroder & Vince Ogletree

Natural Plasters

Clay Culture: Plasters, Paints and Preservation
Carole Crews

Earthen Floors

Hornos