Home inspection in Amana.

Yes, and they are best judged as what they are. Over 400 communal-era buildings survive across the colonies, all contributing structures under the 1965 National Historic Landmark designation; the villages were founded between 1855 and 1862. A typical colony house is post-and-beam, brick or sandstone, insulated with dry-stacked unfired brick nogging between the studs and straw between floors. Thermal behavior, moisture movement in the cavity, load paths and fastening are all unlike a balloon- or platform-framed house, so a generic checklist misses what matters. The former communal kitchen houses are a category of their own and get read as conversions.

Plan on two to three hours for an average home; larger, older or multi-unit properties run longer because there is simply more to document.