Adobe Architecture [Paperback]

Myrtle Stedman (Author), Wilfred Stedman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1987

Dreaming of building an adobe home? A guide, with floor plans ranging from a small casita to larger ones is given in this book, with several pluses. The smaller homes are so arranged that they allow for growth as the family, or purse, increases in size. The Stedmans not only love our architecture, they know whereof they write, for they have built many as practical projects, and as artists with an eye to beauty as well as utility. Built in features include fireplaces that draw, and bookshelves that are a part of the scheme of things. Cabinet work throughout is in keeping and suggestions for furniture designed to complement the house are here. Plastering, the making of adobes, painting, plumbing, wiring--all the things that must be taken into account are dealt with in a practical manner that helps prevent costly errors. Directions are here on the building of a horno too--and even the recipe for bread to be baked in the finished oven.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

English-born Wilfred Stedman received architectural training in Canada while Myrtle Stedman received her training in Texas. Both were artists and illustrators and Myrtle, in addition to her varied activities with adobe building in New Mexico, was an active watercolorist. The Stedmans' interests were equally devoted to their artistic expressions and their architectural pursuits. The Stedmans worked as a team until his death. After that, Myrtle carried on their full activities, as busy as ever with designing and building, until her death. Their work in adobe is as timeless as adobe itself. Their books are artistically beautiful, authoritative and instructional.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Sunstone Press; 2 Sub edition (July 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865341117
• ISBN-13: 978-0865341111
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #732,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real McCoy, August 2, 2006

By 

Willa Bandler (Santa Fe, NM) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adobe Architecture (Paperback)

If you want a REAL adobe house with authentic details appropriate to the style, this is the book for you. If you want a McMansion stuccoed brown, with all the energy-wasting bells and whistles and a garage for your multiple gas guzzling SUVs, move along. There are plenty of resources that will tell you how to build a house with "today's architectural advancements", but not too many that will tell you how to build a small, efficient, comfortable, charming home that will stand the test of time. The text and the drawings in this book are wonderful points of access if you want to replicate the charm of true Santa Fe Style, no fake, stuccoed frame construction, no bandanna-ed howling coyotes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for what it is, January 27, 2006

By 

Gina Kruml - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adobe Architecture (Paperback)

I too thought that this book was going to have contemporary plans instead of reprints of 1930's houses. Despite my initial disappointment I can say that the book remains useful as a sourcebook of nice exterior and interior details of three different South West styles. For a person actually intersted in building a real adobe out of abobe there is also some useful information. However, if you are looking for a book of frame houses, stucco-clad and three-car-garaged, then this is probably not the book for you.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Re-hash of plans from the 1930's, January 20, 2002

By 

santera (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adobe Architecture (Paperback)

The copyright on the book is misleading. What you find out once you've bought it, is that the house plans date to the authors' book from the 1930's, as the style of the illustrations clearly indicates. The plans are small and dated, with none of the architectural and building ideas developed in the next 70 years of the 20th century! A waste of money.