Adobe bricks have three main disadvantages: vulnerability to water, low structural strength, and labor-intensive construction. Without an intact plaster coat the bricks erode under rain. That is why adobe is rare outside arid climates and why every traditional wall is re-mudded or re-lime-plastered on a regular cycle. Compressive strength is roughly 300 psi against 1,500–10,000 psi for fired clay brick. That restricts adobe walls to one or two stories and forces modern builds to add concrete bond beams and steel rebar. Forming, drying, and stacking bricks is also slow. A skilled three-person team typically takes about a month to lay the walls of a 2,000 sq ft home.
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