Sikes Adobe Farmhouse Restoration

August 2003 Progress Report

The following photographs were taken during August 2003.

In August, restoration efforts focused primarily on filling the gaps and repairing the adobe walls of the “kitchen”. Adobe bricks were made from materials on site, using frames built to match the dimensions of the existing adobe bricks. Adobe bricks are made from soil and water, with a little straw added in. They are dried until they are firm (but not too dry) and then put in place. Each brick has to be carefully “interwoven” with adjacent bricks for strength.

The following pictures demonstrate the painstaking work involved in repairing the crumbled adobe at the northwest corner of the room. Here is how the corner looked after it partially collapsed when the concrete underpinning was being put in place:

The first step was to brace the adjacent wall so that the entire wall wouldn’t collapse. This photo shows a strap that was wrapped around the wall between the corner and the window.

This photo shows the gradual process (requiring several days) of adding layers of adobe brick and carefully interweaving the new bricks with the older ones still standing. Only a layer or two could be added at a time.

This photo shows the result of that painstaking work: as good as new!

The new wall from the outside.

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