Building Inspector David Wayland said oversight of the project has required a bit of a learning curve for the city's staff, but so far there have been no major obstacles or concerns. Wayland said there is a section of the local building code that governs construction of adobe homes, which has been applied to the EarthBlock homes and building codes from New Mexico that specifically address compressed earth construction also have been used for guidance throughout the inspection process. Wayland said the city had a local agency test the blocks to ensure they are able to withstand at least 300 pounds-per-squareinch of pressure. The masonry met and exceeded the minimum requirements, Wayland said, and according to Ellis the resilience of the blocks will lead to a greater life-expectancy than that of conventional homes. "If you look at a traditional stick-built house it probably has a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years," Ellis said. "Earth houses, constructed properly, have at least a 75 to 100 year life-span. That means maintenance costs are very, very low." According to Ellis, the shortage of work force housing in Midland is part of the reason this city was selected as one of the first locations to showcase the company's home designs. Ellis said he has spoken with people in the construction and real estate industry and most of them have indicated there are very few, if any, new properties being constructed in the $85,000 to $115,000 range.