Hot take: adobe brick is overrated for desert builds | Desert Home Renovations

Hannah West · 2026-05-31T20:45:03.99563+00:00

I spent last summer fixing a 60 year old adobe wall in Tucson that was basically crumbling from monsoon moisture. A neighbor swore by it for keeping cool, but I had to resurface half the thing. Has anyone else had better luck with something like compressed earth blocks?

the_viola3mo ago

@alice_allen5 You might be right about the mix, but around here the soil varies so much batch to batch it's a gamble. I did a small retaining wall with CEBs a few years back and they held up way better against a wet spring than the old adobe section next to it. The manufacturing process seems to control moisture content better so you don't get that same swelling issue.

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alice_allen53mo ago

Crumbling sounds like a bad mud mix, not a problem with adobe itself...

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the_claire3mo ago

Tucson's a different beast with that summer rain. I'd take CEB over adobe any day, it's way more durable.

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