Hi Sheila-- welcome to the group, there is a builder who has a big PR
story on his Padobe papercrete home.. I will email the story PDF to
you, they did some interviews and let people see their home.
Charmaine Taylor Publishing
http://www.amazon.com/shops/humboldtcoast
HERE IS THEIR EMAIL TO ME- they sent me bonus pics so I could add
them to my Resource CD Guides--
EMAIL: Padobe5@aol.com Date: Sat, 1 Oct 2005
Ms.. Taylor,
We started building the Padobe Home four years ago. We have now
finished half of the
house and are getting ready to move into it while we finish the rest.
Our local paper did an article on the house--Waco Tribune
Herald...the story is on the net under Padobe House. This is our third
story in the paper over the last 4 years. Today we had the open house
and about 70 people came to see our home. We are expecting many more
tomorrow. Our house is amazing looking and we had a very high response
from the visitor's. My children and husband built the home. Nothing
was contracted out. I can email pictures if you would like to see our
Odyssey.
Thank You for your time!
Karen & Victor Perez
Sincerely, The Perez Family
Victor, Karen, Lee, Michael & Valerie
Padobe Building Innovations
HERE IS THE ARTICLE- without the photos
Brick by 'padobe' brick
A Central Texas family builds its dream home using old newspapers
BRUCEVILLE-EDDY, Texas — Victor
and Karen Perez are building their dream
home.
Here off a quiet street about 20 miles
south of Waco, the two have found the
perfect piece of land, the perfect design
and, for them, the perfect building
material — newspapers.
Yes, newspapers. They're not just for
birdcages anymore.
Mr. Perez says he has enhanced a
process that mixes newspapers, mostly
copies of The Dallas Morning News,with a
little concrete and then sun-dries them
into bricks that can be used to build homes.
He learned this process from a New
Mexico builder who called it "papercrete,"
but Mr. Perez likes to call it "padobe," short
for paper adobe.
This isn't just a novel or inexpensive
way to build a house, he says. For him and
his wife, it's become a mission — to spread
the word that this method can be used to
offer homes for the working poor.
"This is our calling, I
guess you would say, to
build housing for
low-income families,"
says Mrs. Perez, 41.
They know. They both
grew up poor. Mr. Perez
grew up in Mexico,
where he helped family
members build
traditional adobe homes.
This home, however, is
buttressed by concrete
and reinforcing bar,
which he says will make
it indestructible to
tornadoes.
"It takes someone from a Third World
country to come here and show this can be
done," says Mr. Perez, 51.
People who expect to read headlines in
the walls of the house will be disappointed.
It's not papier-mache´.
The house looks like a touch of Santa Fe
in Central Texas, with stucco covering the
exterior. Inside, Spanish tile covers the
modern kitchen. There is still an echo, but
Mrs. Perez says it will be lessened when
carpet and furniture are installed.
The family of five has been living in a
mobile home on the property for the five
years they have been building, but they
hope to move in soon. It's just the first
phase, though, with two
bedrooms, a kitchen and
a bathroom. The next
task is to put in a living
and dining area, and then
a second floor with a
master bedroom and a
balcony.
Upon completion, the
house should have 3,200
square feet — and cost
$55,000.
Almost none of that
expense comes from the
newspapers themselves.
The family talked with
the local Morning News
distributor and persuaded him to donate
return copies to their cause. Neighbors and
co-workers now recycle their newspapers
by dropping them off with the Perez family.
The thousands of newspapers form an
impressive mound outside the house. In
all, Mrs. Perez estimates the house will use
10 tons of newspaper.
The papers are mixed with water and
shredded, then combined with a little
concrete to form a substance that
resembles oatmeal, Mr. Perez says. The
substance is poured into molds. Drying
sometimes takes weeks.
What comes out is a light, sturdy brick
that Mr. Perez says is flame-retardant
because of the concrete.
The padobe bricks act as insulation. As
a result, the family says they have no need
for central air or heat. It stays cool in the
summer and warm in the winter.
Dr. Larry Lehr, senior lecturer in
environmental studies at Baylor, looked
over the house as a favor to Mrs. Perez, one
of his former students.
He came away impressed and believes
it can be a safe, effective low-income
housing alternative.
"I wouldn't have any problem building
or living in a house like that," Dr. Lehr says.
The project has taken the Perez family
five years. They have been working on it
part time, but they also say banks would
not give a mortgage to an untested housing
source.
Now that they're about to move in,
though, Mr. Perez's eyes gleam with
accomplishment and the possibility that
padobe could be used to improve the
quality of life for others. He believes his
newspaper home will last 100 years.
"When I die, I want to be buried in a
box made of paper," he says.
Chris Whitley is a Dallas freelance
writer.
E-mail sundaylife@dallasnews.com
--
Charmaine Taylor Publishing
1-707-441-1632 PST, Eureka CA
http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com
http://www.amazon.com/shops/humboldtcoast
Search Amazon.com books for "Modern Pise"
Order books: Tel: 406-287-3605 for Tom Elpel
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