rammed earth housing

Specific Inspection Topics Exterior Inspections
1

i just did myfirst rammed earth house inspection. years ago i had researched rammed earth housing as well as other AT type construction. however, this is my first experience with one.

the exterior has some serious damage to the surface on one side of the house. this corner of the house is the bathroom which has a tub and a separate shower. the walls were tiled a few yrs after the house was built. the owners complain that the damage began after the ceramic tiles were installed. there was a rough parge coat over the walls on the exterior. however, there are several damage types on the walls which are 18" thick.

  1. exterior to the shower area, the surface is deconstructing.

  2. there is a horizontal split along the exterior about 12" above the sill. this
    split runs about 15-20 lf. there is a split on the interior of the wall that
    occurs about 8-10" above the sill.

  3. there is a vertical split on the adjacent wall of the bedroom

  4. there are several split ceramic tiles in the bathroom. these tiles are
    randomly located but at the height of the exterior damage.

  5. the split in the bedroom floor shrinks in the winter, but widens in the
    summer.

  6. the foundation is poured concrete and is as thick as the walls. in the
    area of the damage it is not possible to see below the floor. it is packed
    with fill and has a poured concrete floor. the owner reports the walls are 8 ft deep.

  7. there are no gutters on the rear of the house. however, there are no visible signs of foundation damage. there may have been a very slight settling on the far corner since the wife complains that the window seems lower than it was originally when the house was built, 19 yrs ago.

i am trying to figure out whether water was trapped in the walls from the bathroom when it was tiled

i am trying figure out what the vertical crack in the bedroom is about

and i am trying to understand if water was trapped in the wall prior to the ceramic tile installation, how long it would take for the migration out to occur.

and lastly, is there any other issue that would impact the cause of this damage and its repair?