Soledad Canyon Earth Builders recently completed a 750 square foot addition on an earth home built in the early 80′s.  What a joy to pack so many green features into this jewel.  The additional space added a main bedroom, main bathroom and a flex room (exercise/office w/washer/dryer space.  In addition to the 18″ rammed earth walls, the project featured cork flooring in the bedroom (and the existing kitchen), ceramic and Talavera tile, double pane, low-e, aluminum clad/wood woods and doors, solid wood interior doors, dual flush toilet, metal roof, custom knotty pine cabinets, Air cycler, rain catchment system, and a grey water system.  A model for how to go green!

Friends of Soledad Canyon Earth Builders,

Back in the late 80′s, as we began our business of building rammed earth homes, we regularly hosted Demonstration Days. We’d take out a week’s worth of advertising in the Las Cruces Sun News and invite everyone to watch us build the walls of a home we had under construction.  We would demonstrate the process of ramming the earth walls.  Attendance was good, the word spread.

As the years passed we no longer held those types of demonstrations. Instead we began completing the rammed earth home and putting it in the Showcase of Homes. From 1993 to last year we had a home in Showcase.  As it turns out this year the home we are building is not ready to be shown.  So what better than to go back to our roots, so to speak.  We will be in the Showcase of Homes building the rammed earth walls.  It is a chance to really “expose” what we do.  It will give everyone a chance to see what it means to construct a home with 18″ earth walls.  You will be able to see and feel the strength of these mass walls.  As well, you can take a look at the beginning of the basement and the layout of this Uniquely New Mexican home.

The home we are building is located in Picacho Mountain:  1332 Saltillo Place

Directions:

Head west on Picacho to Picacho Hills Dr.  Turn right, go 1.1 miles.

Veer left on Barcelona Ridge Road and go 1 mile.

Turn right on Anthem Road and go .4 miles.

Turn left on Calle Estancias and go .2 miles to Saltillo Place.

Showcase Hours:

April 29, 4pm-7pm    April 30, 10am-7pm    May 1, 12pm-5pm

May 6, 4pm-7pm    May 7, 10am-7pm    May 8, 12pm-5pm

We hope to see many of you there-both those who have never seen the process, and those of you who have.  We look forward to catching up.

As of today, we are within a week of completing a 750 sq. ft. rammed earth addition to a home on the west mesa of Las Cruces.  It is amazing what 750 sq. feet adds to the living space of a home– a bedroom, an office and a nice size bathroom.  The tile work in the bathroom is exquisite!  Our thanks to Cornerstone Tile, Carlos and his crew for creating such beauty.  We will include photos when we have completed the job.

As usual, I must add a personal note.  I want to acknowledge two people who have been an inspiration to me all my life—my Uncle Frank & Auntie Jeannette.  In a few days they will be celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary.   Sixty five years!   They won’t see this because it is an E-Newsletter.  But the point in saluting them through this format is simple…..consider those in your life who do simple things in their lives that are really significant.  Making a lifelong commitment to another person takes so much inner strength, courage, love, and sacrifice. May you have people in your life that touch you as my Uncle & Auntie have touched me.

Max, Melissa & I hope to see many of you during Showcase 2011. Invite your friends and family to come see a rammed earth home being built.

The cactus are blooming all over town!

As always, I welcome your comments, shout-outs, and questions.

Pat Bellestri-Martinez

Welcome Spring!

Here it is.  Spring has sprung!  Notice the pops of green throughout town….the willows and cottonwoods, the red plums and the pretty white bloom trees are alive!  So sad to see many of our old cacti laying flat as a result of our very, very cold snap.

Our crew is busy finishing up the sheetrock on our “speak-to-our-heart” project-the 750 sq. ft. rammed earth addition.  It has been so joyful to work on this home.  The owner, Cyndy, often speaks of the love and detail her father put into building the home twenty some years ago.  (Love is in the detail!)  We are honored to be part of his creation by creating a bit more space to spread out in.  We have added a main bedroom, bathroom and office space.  The project is moving at a steady pace and will be move in ready lickety split!  We’ll share photos when it is complete.

Our main project in Picacho Mountain is inching forward with care and much deliberate thought. We have put in the pool! Well, not us but, Oasis Pools.  Yes, the pool…..because of the site we decided to put it in now, before we begin constructing the walls for the home.  Easier access now—-otherwise we would have had to bring in the high rise crane to lift the pool over the house or over the hill!    We brought in over 500 dump trucks of dirt to fill the site and bring it to pad level. The last retaining wall was poured a few days ago.  We will do our final fill next to that wall (below the garage) in the next week and then begin forming the slab.

Spring Showcase of Homes is fast approaching– Dates are as follows:

Friday April 29, Saturday May 30, Sunday May 1

Friday May 6, Saturday May 7, Sunday May 8

We will be participating in the Showcase this year in a whole different way!  We will be at the home we are constructing in Picacho Mountain.  No, the home will not be complete—we will be ramming the walls.  That’s right we will have an Open House in the true sense of the word—open to the sky!!!   We invite everyone to come and experience the building of rammed earth walls.  More details as time gets closer.

On a very sad note we send our deepest condolences to our friend and Soledad Subcontractor, Mike Alesi of Four Seasons Heating & Cooling on the loss of his son, Vince, a young man of 27, gone too soon.  Our prayers are with Mike and his family.  As well, we are without words for the devastating loss for the people of Japan.  A natural disaster of great magnitude….   Please count your blessings for the life you have and the people in your life, for it can change in a second.    I value the relationships that we have built over the years with our clients.  Each one becomes part of the Soledad family.  We were sad to learn of the tragic accident that took the life of Dr. Ron Fronczek, a rammed earth homeowner.  We built their home eight years ago.  Our prayers are also with Carol and her family.

I wish for you sunshine and flowers in the garden of your life. Happy Spring!

Pat Bellestri-Martinez

Lady Contractor

Hello Friends & Fans,

Anyone else feel like “it can’t possibly be February”?  Do the children in your life think that time flies by? Most adults that I know don’t understand how time is going by so fast.  The beginning of a new year gives one a chance to look back over the past year and reflect.  What happened over the last year?  Did I do what I wanted to do?  Were there things that happened that created hardship, yet I feel stronger by having had the experience?  How will it affect what I will do in the new year?  Here’s wishing you wisdom from your 2010 experiences, a new perspective that will make you a better person, here’s wishing you the ability to be grateful for the small things in your life, and the desire to make a moment in someone else’s life better.

So, an update on Soledad Canyon EarthBuilders…..we can actually see how and where the house will sit on the lot in Picacho Mountain! Dirt has been moved.  Footings have been dug.  Forms and rebar have been set.  Inspections have been made and concrete has been flowing!  This is first stage of construction of the lower level.  There is a lot more dirt to move.  That process will begin in a few days.  It is a thrill to be constructing!  Thanks to everyone involved that has allowed us to move forward on this project… we look forward to building throughout the new year on this project.  Perhaps we will do an open house during construction!

In addition to the Picacho Mountain home we have a project that speaks to our hearts.  We have begun a 750 square foot addition to a home that was built in the early 80′s.  The home is an owner built earth home.  It’s not rammed earth, it’s not adobe.  It was constructed of poured earth.  The owner has provided us with all the original photographs of the construction of the home done by her parents.  The addition had to be earth and we are thrilled that they choose rammed earth.

I have recently been involved with the reincarnation of an organization called The Earthbuilders Guild.  It is really fulfilling to be able to connect with other people in the industry who have a commitment to building with earth.  Not only rammed earth, but also adobe and compressed block.  by organizing we intend to make our presence know to those in our Government who create our Building Codes and those who work in the areas of rating energy efficiency of homes.   It will also be an avenue for promoting earthen construction in general.  At the point there is information to share (like a website) I will do so.

I started this e-newsletter a few days ago—before winter hit!  Oh my, I don’t remember the last time that we had to halt construction because of the weather for more than a day!  It is cold, but by the weekend we are back to sunny and into the 50′s!  Our winters are short–really short.  We get just enough to make us appreciate our desert winters.

I know my e-newsletters are not a regular as they once were, but I hope you will continue to find them informative and useful.  Input and comments are welcome.

Best to you all,

Pat Bellestri-Martinez

Another year is circling around!  The mornings are chilly, the leaves are falling, and it’s the time of year to give thanks for all we have (although I give thanks everyday!)

We have broken ground on our project in Picacho Mountain on Saltillo Place! This is a very special occasion! Why?  The people, the place and the time and effort all of us have put into the planning of this home.  It has been in the making for more than a couple of years.  Mario began the project with the owners……He stepped on the property and proclaimed — “Oh, this is a challenge” —with a sour look on his face but quickly turned around with a smile and said “But I love a challenge!!”  With his passing, the challenge continued in more ways than just the property.  But with the continued commitment of the Oheim’s we have moved through those challenges and have begun the Project!   The ground breaking, dirt work and slab pouring was Mario’s favorite part of building a home.  He would be very happy to be starting this home.  Max, Melissa & I are carrying that spirit and are also very happy to be building the Oheim’s Rammed Earth home!  We will share updates throughout the next year.

We welcomed the new owner to her home in the Pueblos the last day of October.   It was so clear that she was very excited to be moving into her new rammed earth home! As a matter of fact I think she wins the award for the most excited!  Again, thinking back over the time commitment we all put in to make a dream home become a reality is very gratifying.  Jean set her eyes on a piece of property through an internet search, found us and the land, and steadily made her dream come true.  Yes, it did take a few years, but what the heck, the years still came and went, she just made sure she ended up with a Soledad Canyon Earth Builders Home!  Now it’s just unpacking and setting up her Artist’s Studio and she can again continue her love of creating art.  The studio was built on the South facing side of the home—passive solar heat gain throughout the winter months!  Welcome home Jean!

We’ve had the pleasure of working with a few past clients over the last few months….doing maintenance work, fixing up, sprucing up, and a bit of some remodeling. It is nice to “go home”.  Every home we have built feels like home.  It is great to be a part of taking care of that home.  Thanks to all who have provided that work for our crew of guys.

Remember to appreciate this time of year.  As 2010 comes to end reflect on what is important to you and live with that thought.

Salud,

Pat Bellestri-Martinez

In Memory of our Founder, Mario Bellestri

“May his dreams of creating dream homes become our dreams”

March 1950-November 23, 2008