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Swansea, IL
Posts: 1352
Joined: Mar, 2006
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Austin, Texas
Posts: 414
Joined: Dec, 2003
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Inspecting an Earth Home
[#2] Posted: 05/20/2006 - 07:41:48 AM |  |  |
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I'm not qualified and I wouldn't do it.
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Paul in Austin
www.newdayinspections.com |
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Staten Island, New York
Posts: 1004
Joined: Mar, 2006
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Inspecting an Earth Home
[#3] Posted: 05/20/2006 - 08:35:43 AM | | |
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If you browse under earthhomes, you'll come up with a number of sites, some of which include newsletters, homes for sale, associations. Start reading! Maybe you'll come up with some info., ie. types of soil which are best, problems others have run into, good points, bad points, etc. If you contact some of the builders at these sites, maybe they'll give you some pointers.
Some things may be noticable just with common sense. Evidence of stress, leaks, dampness, WDO, ventilation, etc. Once you get past that, much might be the same. Electrical, plumbing, etc.
Who knows, maybe you'll find a niche.
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Steven Turetsky, UID#16000002314
Comprehensive Home & Building Inspections
www.homeinspectionsnewyork.com
www.eifsinspectionsnewyork.com
Staten Island, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Long Island, Westchester
"The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action".
Herbert Spencer 1830-1903 |
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Boulder, Colorado
Posts: 23
Joined: Aug, 2006
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 Inspecting an Earth Home
[#4] Posted: 08/11/2006 - 8:18:01 PM | | |
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I worked on a rammed earth structure for a contractor for a few days just to get some experience with the method.
I've been researching just this sort of thing. It's not a simple inspection and to do a decent job, you'll need to go beyond the Standards of Practice.
1. Is it rammed earth or earth block like adobe? "earth home" can cover a lot of territory.
2. Homes built using unusual building methods sometimes have a lot of photos taken during construction ... try to find some so you can view the construction methods now hidden behind walls and roof coverings.
3. try to get copies of the plans so that you know what you should be dealing with and where to look for problems.
4. If it's rammed earth, during the ramming process a huge amount of strain is placed on the 1 1/8" plywood corner forms. Look for evidence of ffailure at the corners.
5. There's a good chance that it's concrete post with a concrete beam poured around the perimeter at the top of the wall. this means that you have different materials in the same wall so you'll have differential expansion/contraction. If the interior or exterior wall coverings are plaster, cement/stucco, gypsum or earthen this condition can cause cracking.
If the exterior wall covering is cement/stucco, check to make sure that it wasn't damaged by freezing before it cured. Scrape away at it in an inconspicuous spot. I shouldn't be powdery.
6. Look for moisture problems around the roof line and wall penetrations.
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Kenton Shepard
Peak to Prairie Inspection Service
NACHI/InterNACHI
Inspection of homes built using alternative building methods
Author: Jobsite Phrasebook (English/Spanish series)NAHB
Inspections in Central America
www.peaktoprairie.com |
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Swansea, IL
Posts: 1352
Joined: Mar, 2006
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Inspecting an Earth Home
[#5] Posted: 08/12/2006 - 05:41:41 AM | | |
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Thanks Kenton, That post was a few months back and I never did the inspection. There was a problem with the appriasal or something.
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Mark A. Perry
www.ahis1.com
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