[GSBN] New Mexico frost depth

Tue Mar 11 17:58:44 UTC 2014

Santa Fe has one of the greater margins of safety between the code mandated frost depth and the actual frost depth.  According to the report linked below, from the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Climate Center, "In Santa Fe NM the plumbing code requires water lines be buried from 36 to 42 inches which is 21-27 inches below the frost depth."  The standard frost depth maps say that Santa Fe should have a frost depth of 12", but these maps don't put much attention on elevation variations.  As can be calculated from the quote above, NMSU considers 15" to be the actual frost depth for Santa Fe.  Santa Fe County has an elevation variation from a bit over 5,000 feet to near 12,000 feet.  The codes tend to be enforced fairly strictly, and without much attention to local factors.  If the house will be outside of Santa Fe county, there may be more flexibility.

The climate is dry enough that many moisture concerns are diminished or absent.  Rubble trench foundations are fairly common among the alternative builders.  Local soils are frequently sandy and drain easily.  Clay deposits are also frequent, and the clay tends to be low to moderately expansive.

http://gcconsortium.com/nl-climate-spring-08_vg_comments.pdf

Feel free to contact me off-list, Tina.  I live about 30 kilometers south of Santa Fe.

Derek

Derek Roff
derek at unm.edu

On Mar 11, 2014, at 11:26 AM, tina therrien wrote:

Hi all! I am going to be helping my sister-in-law build a round straw bale abode just outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. I'd love to hear from any New Mexico builders (off-line would be great, thanks!) about the Santa Fe frost line and best foundation options for the region (they're considering rubble trench). I could just google it from way up here in Canada, but I figured it might be quicker, and wiser, to ask builders who know the area.

Thanks a bunch!

tina therrien

Camel's Back Construction
Quality, handcrafted homes
www.strawhomes.ca<http://www.strawhomes.ca/>

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