Nye County (Las Vegas, Pahrump: earthquake, costs, club)

[Desert_Rat]

I have not seen anything mentioned about sinking houses in Pahrump. Subsidence is an issue in certain areas of town. When I was looking for a house out here I saw a few that had problems. The real estate agent I used had a map where the ground was known to be moving. Pahrump gets all its water from wells and as that water is depleted the ground will shift.

[cre8lite]

the sinking houses that i am aware of were not caused by depleted ground water - they were from substandard builders cutting corners. do you know of some that were simply because of ground water?

[Desert_Rat]

There is a house on Homestead Rd between NV 160 and Manse that is sinking. I looked at some other homes that had shifting foundations as well: one was in Nevada Trails and the other was on Red Rock Drive. I saw the fenced off house near The Kingdom and am aware that one was due to a ruptured pipe. The real estate office I used had a map of the Pahrump Valley that was made by a company hired to test the soil and map the problem areas out here.
http://archive.pahrumpvalleytimes.co...ews/soils.html

[janellen]

Originally Posted by Desert_Rat

There is a house on Homestead Rd between NV 160 and Manse that is sinking. I looked at some other homes that had shifting foundations as well: one was in Nevada Trails and the other was on Red Rock Drive. I saw the fenced off house near The Kingdom and am aware that one was due to a ruptured pipe. The real estate office I used had a map of the Pahrump Valley that was made by a company hired to test the soil and map the problem areas out here.
Pahrump Valley Times - Nye County's Largest Newspaper Circulation

Is that map online anywhere? I'd like to see it.

[cre8lite]

i've spoken to some locals who have been here longer than myself - including two that lived in sinking houses.

there has never been sinking houses due to depleted water levels. it has been because of other factors, such as builders, building codes & flooding.

there are different kinds of soil in the valley, some places have very sandy soil. others have caliche. others have a mixture. all builders are required to submit a soils report, in addition to many other things, when obtaining a new building permit. obviously depending on what type of soil they find will determine what type of building materials they will need. if they do not compact the soil enough, or use improper materials, etc the house can eventually sink.

in the past the building codes were not....up to snuff. that has been rectified with the soils report/packet.

there were some homes in the flood zones (south of 372, right where wheeler pass dumps all the flood water from the mtn) which WERE built properly, but the soil under the homes was compromised when repeated flood water eroded the ground under the homes. of course once the soil under the foundation began to shift, then pipes burst in the foundation which then compounded the problem.

to my knowledge, there hasn't been a sinking house since....2005? maybe 2006. the long term locals i spoke to didn't remember any as of late either.

[Desert_Rat]

Originally Posted by janellen

Is that map online anywhere? I'd like to see it.

I have tried to find it but have not been able to find it posted anywhere. The map I saw was on the wall of my real estate agent's office.

[Desert_Rat]

Originally Posted by cre8lite

i've spoken to some locals who have been here longer than myself - including two that lived in sinking houses.

there has never been sinking houses due to depleted water levels. it has been because of other factors, such as builders, building codes & flooding.

there are different kinds of soil in the valley, some places have very sandy soil. others have caliche. others have a mixture. all builders are required to submit a soils report, in addition to many other things, when obtaining a new building permit. obviously depending on what type of soil they find will determine what type of building materials they will need. if they do not compact the soil enough, or use improper materials, etc the house can eventually sink.

in the past the building codes were not....up to snuff. that has been rectified with the soils report/packet.

there were some homes in the flood zones (south of 372, right where wheeler pass dumps all the flood water from the mtn) which WERE built properly, but the soil under the homes was compromised when repeated flood water eroded the ground under the homes. of course once the soil under the foundation began to shift, then pipes burst in the foundation which then compounded the problem.

to my knowledge, there hasn't been a sinking house since....2005? maybe 2006. the long term locals i spoke to didn't remember any as of late either.

I would have to say buyer beware especially if buying a stick built home. A modular home can be releveled if the ground settles but with a stick built it is a lot more costly to repair the foundation. I myself did buy an older stick built home that was not showing any major signs of settling. I'm not trying to scare anyone from buying out here, as some areas of Las Vegas have issues with settling houses and bad soil as well. Its just something to look out for when looking for property in Pahrump.

[cre8lite]

it all comes down to do your homework when purchasing in a new town & you'll be fine.

[Desert_Rat]

Originally Posted by cre8lite

it all comes down to do your homework when purchasing in a new town & you'll be fine.

Very true. BTW, thanks for all the information you have posted in this thread. There was quite a bit I did not know about Pahrump despite being a native Las Vegan.

[cre8lite]

yw, i'm glad it's helped