Bill,I am thinking about building rammed earth in Lubbock. What problems will I have with local building inspectors and resale?
Thanks,Mike.

I'm from Hereford and think that area is perfect for rammed earth due to the constant nighttime temperatures that go below 60 degrees even in the heat of summer. However, I know nothing of Lubbock building codes. You need to contact someone locally. Resale requires an educated buyer, but to make things simple the best tool may be your utility bill. Just keep a record. That should help. Plus, rammed earth is spreading. More people will be familiar with it.

Michael,

As far as building inspectors go... the answer for now is we don't know. Living in Dallas, we are anticipating dealing with inspectors, we just haven't gotten there yet. We are hoping that using New Mexico's earthen building code, and following it, we will be able to gain the OK we need from building inspectors. The main component of this (in my opinion) is the requirement that the wall have an unconfined compression test and test over 300 pounds per square inch. Our current belief is that meeting that standard will help ease concerns of building officials.

We also have 2 "circumstances" that may help us. 1) this is not a home and is considered an accessory structure. 2) our roof is being built before the walls (we will be building in the shade) which means our walls will not be load bearing. I believe that this will ease many of the concerns of the building inspectors. It should be stated that I do not believe these things to be necessary... but I believe they will help us create an educational structure to ease future concerns of the inspectors in regard to rammed earth.

Though we have discussed amongst ourselves concerns regarding the officials and a possibly unknown/unfamiliar building method, I do not believe we will find our concerns are not warranted. Building inspectors are there to help ensure our safety and I believe we can create a collaborative relationship to ensure the success of our project while educating each other about the needs for rammed earth development in Dallas.
We will report on all our experiences here... so others can learn from our successes and mistakes.

Stephen & Bill,
Did you consider and/or reject a upper
bond beam (that's what Easton's book
calls it)?
Surely if a design could pass CA fire/stability
requirements, that would help allay Dallas County
inspectors?
Also, I'd like to volunteer my time to
any rammed earth projects ya'll have going.
I've been wanting to this firsthand for years.