See INSIDE THE BOOK below.

Order from Sunstone: (505) 988-4418

Dreaming of building an adobe home? This classic guide, with floor plans ranging from a small casita to larger ones gives 18 comprehensive period designs for the traditional adobe (the earthern “bricks” used all over the world) house adapted to building materials, plumbing, heating and small lot sizes of today. Thousands of readers have found this a valuable handbook. The authors also venture into actual adobe brick-making, construction techniques, furnishing, even how to make a horno, a traditional Indian oven. Illustrated, detailed diagrams, house plans. While nowhere in the United States is the Earth Building spirit as revered as in Santa Fe and Taos, new interest is spreading all over the world. New research and new technology is being combined with the traditional in keeping with an overall awakening to the natural resources and beauty of our planet and with a new personal sense of responsibility on the part of individuals in regard to better planning in the use of these. There is a new sense of joy in finding out how much one can do oneself with natural materials.

Myrtle Stedman was known as an “Artist in Adobe,” designing, building, and remodeling adobe homes under a contractor’s license. She was also a well-known artist whose academic training started in 1927 when she was a student in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts school. Her English born husband, Wilfred Stedman, whose background was in architecture as well as in painting and illustrating was recognized as one of the most outstanding artists of the American Southwest. Adobe architecture in New Mexico was one of Wilfred’s favorite topics of conversation and Myrtle was instilled with the love of adobes from the moment they were married. After his death in 1950, Myrtle went on to become one of the foremost authorities on adobe construction. Myrtle Stedman was a member of PEN New Mexico, a branch of PEN Center USA West of International PEN and believed that there is no end to what the mind can do with the eye and hand, in time and in spirit. She is also the author of Artists in Adobe, A House Not Made With Hands, Adobe Remodeling and Fireplaces, Of One Mind, Of Things to Come, Ongoing Life, Rural Architecture, The Ups and Downs of Living Alone in Later Life, and The Way Things Are or Could Be, all from Sunstone Press.

“…the most informative book we have found on adobe homes…a masterpiece of design and clear explanation of the craft of building with adobe.”—Harper’s Magazine

Hardcover:
ISBN: 978-1-63293-400-0
48 pp.,$29.95

Softcover:
8 1/2 x 11
ISBN: 978-0-86534-111-1
48 pp.,$10.95

eBook:
ISBN: 978-1-61139272-2
48 pp.,$7.99

“…a wealth of information about the history and techniques associated with the use of adobe.” --Library Journal
“…a fascinating wealth of information and lore.” --The Bookwatch
“Helpful for anyone buying, building, or remodeling an adobe house as well as for contractors, drafters, and real estate brokers.” --Book News
“…argues by example that adobe construction need not be a costly luxury reserved only for the wealthy.” --Su Casa
“…at last, a book written by authors who understand solar and thermal mass!” --Adobe Builder

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Since Adobe Houses for Today first appeared, interest in energy efficiency has exploded. Showing the pathway to smaller, solar tempered, easy-to-heat homes using adobe, one of the world's most energy efficient building materials, makes this book about adobe houses not only for today, but also for tomorrow. Adobe Houses for Today features 12 plans for compact, beautifully proportioned adobe homes in modern and traditional styles. The illustrated text shows how the basic houses, designed for today's smaller families, can be expanded and adapted to fit readers' own budgets, family sizes, style preferences, and building sites.

After a brief look at adobe's history, Adobe Houses for Today surveys adobe's advantages as a building material, illustrates adobe construction, and gives an eye-opening tour through the facts and fantasies of energy conservation. The heart of the book details the plans, using them as examples of design techniques that increase livability and control costs in any house. The book and its minimal-cost construction drawings are valuable, enjoyable tools for those buying, building, or remodeling a house. With this new edition, which includes an additional chapter with stories from people who have built the houses, construction drawings are now available for some of the expanded versions.

Author and journalist LAURA SANCHEZ previously ran a drafting business specializing in adobe houses. She called it quits sometime after the 250th set of plans but maintains an abiding interest in designing the very best, most cost-effective houses possible.

ALEX SANCHEZ, who grew up building houses, has taught courses in adobe construction and solar energy. He heads the renowned computer-aided drafting program at the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus.

Sample Chapter
Website: http://books.google.com/books?id=NL0xLIU4mA8C
Email: alex@unm.edu

Hardcover:
8 1/2 X 11
ISBN: 978-1-63293-274-7
230 pp.,$36.95

Softcover:
8 1/2 X 11
ISBN: 978-0-86534-662-8
230 pp.,$29.95

eBook:
ISBN: 978-1-61139-109-1
230 pp.,$9.99

Many plans and illustrations.

Order from Sunstone: (505) 988-4418

In this one volume are clear and thorough instructions on remodeling adobe houses plus how to build an adobe fireplace. Illustrations and practical instructions make working from this book a pleasure. Designed for use by the most inexperienced person as well as the professional builder. Based on 48 years of the author's experience.

Myrtle Stedman was known as an “Artist in Adobe,” designing, building, and remodeling adobe homes under a contractor’s license. She was also a well-known artist whose academic training started in 1927 when she was a student in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts school. Her English born husband, Wilfred Stedman, whose background was in architecture as well as in painting and illustrating was recognized as one of the most outstanding artists of the American Southwest. Adobe architecture in New Mexico was one of Wilfred’s favorite topics of conversation and Myrtle was instilled with the love of adobes from the moment they were married. After his death in 1950, Myrtle went on to become one of the foremost authorities on adobe construction. Myrtle Stedman was a member of PEN New Mexico, a branch of PEN Center USA West of International PEN and believed that there is no end to what the mind can do with the eye and hand, in time and in spirit. She is also the author of Artists in Adobe, A House Not Made With Hands, Adobe Architecture, Of One Mind, Of Things to Come, Ongoing Life, Rural Architecture, The Ups and Downs of Living Alone in Later Life, and The Way Things Are or Could Be, all from Sunstone Press.

Website: http://books.google.com/books?id=ZfVwE0v-LQMC&dq=isbn:0865340862

Hardcover:
ISBN: 978-1-63293-409-3
48 pp.,$29.95

Softcover:
8 1/2 x 11
ISBN: 978-0-86534-086-2
48 pp.,$14.95

eBook:
ISBN: 978-1-61139-981-3
48 pp.,$5.99

An adobe dwelling is a delight because all of its parts come together. The approach—the portal or the patio—has an appeal because the materials feel natural. The door welcomes one and the floor inside, the walls, the ceiling are compatible. The textures and materials make sense as expressions of a building that grew organically. Adobe Up Close invites you to take a good look at all the aspects of adobe buildings. There are so many variations of the components that create the recognizable New Mexican mystique. Adobe Up Close lets you see inside the houses you pass by as you walk the streets of Taos and Santa Fe. Learn how the indigenous roots, going back hundreds of years, have led to contemporary interpretation. Feel how tactile working with mud is. Feel the dirt under your fingernails. Feel how just the right amount of water makes the dirt malleable. You will love the result as generations have.

Marcia Johnson has returned over and over to areas covered in the book—drawn to their qualities much as the Taos artists were. Her library is well stocked with fiction and non-fiction set in northern New Mexico. She earned a BA in philosophy cum laude from The Colorado College.

Photographer Michael Gamer was a staff photographer for the Navajo Tribal Museum in Window Rock, Arizona. His work has been exhibited in art shows throughout the west and is held in private collections. Some of his photographs are archived in the Western History and Genealogy Department of the Denver Public Library.

Hardcover:
11 x 8.5
ISBN: 978-1-63293-435-2
78 pp.,$45.00

Softcover:
11 x 8.5
ISBN: 978-1-63293-353-9
78 pp.,$29.95

“…highly recommended for architectural studies collections and supplemental reading lists.” --Reviewers Bookwatch

“Ageless Adobe is one of those few manuals that actually succeeds in eliminating the mystery and guesswork for the do-it-yourselfer.” --Albuquerque Journal Magazine

“This book is great for getting a sense of where adobes came from and how they’re being preserved and updated now.” --Farmington Daily Times

“Carefully and clearly written, without the clutter of jargon, this is a book anyone interested in Southwestern houses should include in a personal library.” --The Santa Fe Reporter

The American Southwest possesses an extraordinary depth of cultural heritage and much of its history is preserved in its architecture. Particularly prominent in the region’s man-made landscape are the historic structures made from the earth itself--adobe. Attention has turned to ways of preserving and maintaining the old buildings of the Southwest partly because of the growing national interest in historic preservation. However, in the Southwest there has also been an increased awareness of the inherent viability of native architecture. Adobe structures present unique challenges and require special treatment and until now, much of that information has been unpublished.

AGELESS ADOBE provides practical details on methods of preservation and maintenance for old adobe buildings. The over 200 illustrations in the book along with directions on “how-to” will enable the do-it-yourself home owner as well as the professional architect or contractor to plan and carry out renovation. The author presents solutions to the problems of keeping an historic structure intact while repairing it and making it 20th century livable. The issue of energy conservation is discussed at length and the premise of the book is that historic integrity does not have to be sacrificed for energy efficiency. Rehabilitation is always preferable, usually possible and often more profitable than demolition.

Website: http://books.google.com/books?id=kLP2NdaA-VAC

Hardcover:
8 1/2 x 11
ISBN: 978-1-63293-342-3
158 pp.,$36.95

Softcover:
8 1/2 x 11
ISBN: 978-0-86534-034-3
158 pp.,$22.95

eBook:
ISBN: 978-1-61139-124-4
158 pp.,$9.99

A Simple Story Of Two "Big-City" Artists Building Their First Adobe Home. llustrated.

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The author finished the drawings in this book in 1937 when the images were fresh in her mind. Together with the story, they give an insight into what many artists were doing in the twenties and thirties, not only as an aftermath of the depression in the United States but as a lifestyle—a way of living creatively and artistically in an atmosphere more conducive than city life. While Myrtle and Wilfred Stedman’s art thrived in the city (Houston, Texas) during the seven years before the depression, their reputations as artists grew to the point that they felt they could go anywhere and do anything. Myrtle describes the adventure of moving to northern New Mexico where their skills and their joy in art and architecture rose to unexpected heights in spite of hard times in the economy and in their private life.

Myrtle Stedman was a member of PEN New Mexico, a branch of PEN Center USA West of International PEN and believed that there is no end to what the mind can do with the eye and hand, in time and in spirit. She is also the author of Adobe Architecture, Adobe Remodeling and Fireplaces, House Not Made with Hands, Of One Mind, Of Things to Come, Ongoing Life, Rural Architecture, The Ups and Downs of Living Alone in Later Life, and The Way Things Are or Could Be, all from Sunstone Press.

Website: http://books.google.com/books?id=e8CCAAAACAAJ&dq=0865341885&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cOzDT8f7HaieiQLxspzrBw&ved

Softcover:
5 1/2 X 8 1/2
ISBN: 978-0-86534-188-3
64 pp.,$14.95

eBook:
ISBN: 978-1-61139-891-5
64 pp.,$4.99

Photographs, Drawings, Bibliography

“Hooker was the University Architect in Albuquerque when he became involved with preservation issues at St. Francis of Assisi in 1966. He and Corina A. Santistevan, archivist for the church, present an in-depth historical view of the church through an examination of its role in the community, its architectural construction, its interior furnishings and the various solutions (and mistakes) undertaken to restore it. An excellent, detailed analysis of the life of a building.” (Books of the Southwest)

Order from Sunstone: (505) 988-4418

St. Francis of Assisi Church in Taos, New Mexico, is one of the most widely recognized buildings in the United States. It has been photographed by thousands of people who have visited it including professional photographers, and painted by scores of artists in various media. Its image has appeared in books, magazines, newspapers and travel brochures. But the church did not always look like it does today. Since its original construction in the early nineteenth century, it has gone through many periods of remodeling. In the recent past, St. Francis of Assisi Church has been the focus of historic preservation by a devoted congregation and the priests who led them. Their united effort saved the church from serious deterioration and abandonment. An annual program of replastering with mud in addition to repair and repainting are keeping the church in better condition than ever before. The writing of this book was inspired by this effort.

Van Dorn Hooker, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, was the university architect for the University of New Mexico from 1963 until he retired in 1987. Prior to that he was a partner in the architectural firm of McHugh and Hooker, Bradley P. Kidder and Associates, Santa Fe, architects for many churches in New Mexico including Our Lady of Guadalupe in Santa Fe and St. James Episcopal Church in Taos. He followed the restoration of St. Francis of Assisi Church for many years and his collection of notes and photographs made this book possible.

Corina Santistevan, the archivist and historian for St. Francis of Assisi Church, is a native of Ranchos de Taos. She was a charter member of the Taos County Historical Society and a distinguished educator. Her knowledge of the history of the church and the Taos Valley has been acknowledged by many well known writers and historians she assisted through the years.

NEW MEXICO MAGAZINE said: "Almost anything anybody will want to know about these significant buildings and their communities can be found here or in the many references listed in the bibliographies found with each of the chapters."

Hardcover:
8 1/2 X 11
ISBN: 978-1-63293-277-8
162 pp.,$32.95

Softcover:
8 1/2 x 11
ISBN: 978-0-86534-234-7
162 pp.,$22.95

Building a house of adobe in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Order from Sunstone: (800) 243-5644

This is a story of the struggle to create beauty. A novice may find it useful in building an adobe house—how to mix the mud, how to grade a pipeline, how to tell a two-by-six from a one-by-ten: such details abound. But above all, it tells of a man’s triumph over every obstacle to achieve something delightful.

When the author undertook to build a home for his family in the spring of 1964, he had no building experience and very little concept of what he faced. Aside from the obduracy of the materials he had to work with, he would encounter vexing conflicts with the subcontractors and workers that he hired. As both boss and laborer, he knew neither how to lead them nor to be one of them.

He simply believed he could do it. And he did, learning as he went. And the dwelling that rose by their efforts achieved a splendor that no one could have foreseen.

Poet and author of Spell, River Riding Writing, and In Words Dive, William N. Gates grew up in Ohio and went to school in the East, but always felt the lure of the Southwest. He and his wife live and work in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Sample Chapter
Website: http://books.google.com/books?id=F-01B_7N5T0C&dq=9780865347519&cd=1

Softcover:
6 x 9
ISBN: 978-0-86534-751-9
164 pp.,$18.95

The work of a Santa Fe, New Mexico female designer and builder in the 1930s.

Kate Muller Chapman arrived in New Mexico at the time Santa Fe Style architecture was just developing. In the 1920s and 1930s Kate designed adobe houses, and directed local workmen during construction. Well versed in the tenets of the evolving Santa Fe Style, Kate also added her own distinctive touch to the projects. Kate Chapman skillfully directed rehabilitation projects preserving the essential historic character of nineteenth century adobes while updating and enlarging them. Two of her rehabilitations on Canyon Road are partially accessible to visitors: El Zaguan and the Borrego House. With graphic layout, linoleum cut illustrations by Stewart, and her own folksy humor, Kate combined a certain romantic spirit with recommendations that still apply to New Mexico adobe building.

In 1930 Kate Chapman collaborated with her friend, artist Dorothy N. Stewart, to produce a small volume filled with practical tips about earthen architecture. First printed by Spud Johnson’s Laughing Horse Press, Adobe Notes or How to Keep the Water Out with Just Plain Mud is reprinted and included in this book.

Catherine Colby is a professional historic preservationist working in Santa Fe for over twenty years. She has a Bachelor's Degree in History and a Masters Degree in Architecture. During her career with the National Park Service Catherine researched and documented historic properties throughout the southwest. She runs a consulting business in Santa Fe, preparing National Register Nominations and reports on historic properties for their owners and for the Historic Santa Fe Foundation. She received a Heritage Preservation Award from the State of New Mexico for her role in the conservation of the Bishop Everett Jones property in Santa Fe.

Softcover:
6 x 9
ISBN: 978-0-86534-912-4
98 pp.,$14.95

eBook:
ISBN: 978-1-61139-681-2
98 pp.,$5.99