Adobe is an intrinsically beautiful material
and lends itself well for privacy walls such as courtyards.
I built this adobe wall almost 20 years ago in Santa Fe, New Mexico
and the current owners have recently done a major maintenance on it
putting on a new cap and replastering with adobe.
The original cap on it was not successful, to say the least,
and they took a design for a cap that I developed much later
and added that.
Unfortunately I did not have my blog post,
to guide me at the time.
Now I know.
The mortared stone foundation keeps the adobe well above the ground,
and I think the inserted scraps of flagstone gives a nice horizontal relief.
The adobes were made by my neighbor in his backyard
so I transported them by wheelbarrow.
I built this wall for the house next door about five years ago
employing the same inset design,
minus the flagstone.
Many of the adobes for this wall I made myself
from a pile of dirt that I had accumulated over the years.
The design is quite simple.
Adobe bricks around here are 4" x 10" x 14''
and the wall is 14" wide plus plaster.
The design is created by using the 10" width where I want the inset,
which creates a 2'' revel on each side.
Creating the layout is probably the hardest part,
and it is best to draw it out on paper first.
Across the bottom of the inset I used adobe plaster with lots of straw
to create a bevel to help drain water away.
On the other side a cozy courtyard is created.
Just about any design is possible
and I hope to do a circle someday.
For more on this wall see my post:
Also, Capping An Adobe Wall.
And click on the LABEL in the right sidebar for Fences And Walls.
