Don't Forget To Request A Quick Status Report On Any Homes Or Properties That Interest You! It can take days, weeks, or longer for changes to appear on web sites. Don't waste your time with less than current information. Request our free Status Report and find out if the homes you are interested in are still on the market, under contract, in escrow, or if the price has been reduced. The Status Report that you'll receive by email will also include other important information that has been left out or that is available to us through our professional resources, such as how long the property has been on the market, when it was last sold, what it sold for, and more. Remember: As top Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach and the Ocean Front area real estate agents, it's our job to know more about a property than any web site. Make sure you have the most current information! 
Buying Land and New Construction >Beware of Fat Clay
When building a home, you should have the soil on the construction site tested for plasticity to determine how it will change under different moisture conditions. This is important because some soil is so "plastic" that (if the condition is not corrected) it can actually break concrete floors, crack the walls and destroy the foundation of your home.
Highly plastic soil is sometimes referred to as "fat clay" that swells excessively and loses stability when it becomes wet. Fine-grained soils that contain a high percentage of clay are greatly affected by water, turning to mud when it rains and undergoing large volume changes-sometimes up to 40 or 50 percent, as the soil dries. Not only do clays swell and lose stability when they become wet, but they also retard the drainage of water. If plastic soil is found on your building site, the ground must be over-excavated and replaced with clean gravel. Homebuilders often choose not to include a basement, or to protect the basement walls from excess moisture by surrounding them with a layer of gravel. A fine-grained clay-filled soil with a high plasticity index may require considerable treatment, especially if used in a moist location.
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| Q |
What Newport, Rhode Island mansion was built as a birthday present and incorporates 500,000 cubic feet of white marble?
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| A |
The Vanderbilt Marble House was constructed by railroad baron William K. Vanderbilt for his wife Alva, who later divorced him, remarried and moved into a mansion down the street. |
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