I built a small adobe building last year while in Thailand after I spent months doing research. In the end I wasted a lot of time as it really is simple.
Adobe construction advantages and disadvantages include free building materials, save up to $103,500 on a 2,000sqft house, strong, durable, quiet, cheap to heat and cool, humidity control, fire-proof, non-toxic, little knowledge or tools needed. Cons are building permit challenging, slow, and heavy.
Adobe Construction Advantages
- Free building material for the walls and potentially some of the roof.
- Save $63,000 – $103,500 on the construction cost of a $2,000 sqft house. Read my article here about the costs to build.
- Low to zero heating and cooling electrical costs.
- Adobe homes are very durable and can last for hundreds and even thousands of years. Compare this to traditional homes built just 50 years ago.
- Dirt doesn’t burn well so it is very fire-resistant/fire-proof.
- The walls are much more beautiful and have character compared to painted drywall. I was watching a YouTube video of a guy yesterday and he was in his office.
Behind him, I could see an almost white wall, with a white door, with white trim and baseboard. He is a millionaire and his house looks like a snowstorm white-out (yes, I am from Canada). Hideous looking.

- Non-toxic materials. I think that you would be shocked at the number of toxic materials and VOCs in traditional house construction.
- Easy to source the materials:
- With any luck, the soil at the building locations is suitable for making adobe bricks.
If not, it is cheap to purchase a dump truckload of soil for about $300 from local aggregate or landscape supply companies. - Straw (not hay) or rice husk should be cheap and available locally at landscape suppliers or any farms in the area.
- If you want stabilized or semi-stabilized bricks you will need a few bags of Portland Cement.
- Logs for the roof framing. Well, this is for camps, sheds, garages, and other buildings that don’t require a building permit and inspections from the Red-Tape Police.
- With any luck, the soil at the building locations is suitable for making adobe bricks.

- Only need a few hand tools and a drill for the foundation, walls, roof, plumbing, and electrical including:
- Handsaw that will get destroyed by cutting bricks to size and PVC or ABS plumbing pipes.
- Brick trowel, or not. I started with a trowel and ended using my hands. The trowel can come in handy if you install a stone or tile floor.
- 3′ or 4′ level.
- Chalk line.
- Hammer or drill and screwdrivers for fastening concrete forms, roof framing and panels, windows and doors, and plumbing and electrical conduits, and electrical connections.
- Measuring tape and carpenter pencil.
- Handsaw that will get destroyed by cutting bricks to size and PVC or ABS plumbing pipes.
- Super environmentally friendly other than the concrete foundation, but that can also be minimized by only using concrete for the footing and create a beautiful and durable earth floor.
Read my article on the seven options for floor construction and materials here.

- Very quiet as the thick and solid walls are substantially quieter than vinyl siding, fiberglass insulation, and drywall.
- You and your family and friends can build this house while spending quality time together and instilling work ethic into younger members of the family. Read my article here for the steps to make adobe bricks.
- Natural climate control if the interior bricks are not stabilized, semi-stabilized, painted, or coated with a sealer.
The bricks absorb a lot of moisture during the day to provide a dry, cool, and comfortable environment. - The walls are strong and sturdy and are more shock resistant than traditional construction methods.
- Friends, family, and strangers will love your house and many may offer to help for the opportunity to learn more about the adobe construction method of building a home.

Learn through my articles how to make adobe bricks water proof here, are they cheaper, and how many you need, and 10 best anchors for a strong house.
Scott Boyd
Adobe Construction Disadvantages
- Difficult to obtain building permits in some states and provinces.
- Slow building method, but you are doing the work and saving money so it is a trade-off.
- Adobe bricks don’t handle water well. That being said, I built a building with a toilet and a shower in it and it is doing fine. I used a sealer on the walls near the shower and up about four feet off the floor.
I make a boo-boo and the shower drain is actually half in the wall and it is doing fine with some silicone caulking to protect the bricks. - The walls are heavy so a good footing is required. I built a thickened concrete slab and it is more than adequate.
- Insects can be an issue. Here at the farm in Thailand, I have battled with termites, ants, small and scorpions.
This is an ongoing battle, but it is worth it for both the adobe house and the earthbag house combined cost is likely under $1,000 (not including the solar power system).
Don’t delay, start right now by making a few bricks with your soil this weekend. You don’t even need to build a for to make test bricks.
The first ones that I made I just formed by hand at the appropriate size and tested them after they dried.
Starting this weekend will get you excited and start the process in motion. The bigger the head-start the more likely the follow-through.