This was recently (a year?) after the Loma Prieta quake in 1989. Location
was outside Boulder Creek. Probably within 10-20 miles of the epicenter
of a 7.1 magnitude quake. I have not visited or followed
that property since that time. It was walking distance from a friends
house in the area, but they have since moved, and I've moved out of
the area. I never spoke to the people who owned the property. I don't
recall any name/owner associated with the property. It was sort of in the
ghost/abandoned stage when I made a single visit out of curiosity.
Santa Cruz county typically made it very difficult to
get permits for new construction, so many people tried to do building/repair
"off the radar", tucked back in mountain/woods.
The lack or rebar was apparent because the foundation had cracked
and shifted enough to see that no rebar or wire mesh was connecting the now separate
chunks of foundation. What should have been a smooth continuous concrete
perimeter and possibly concrete pads were now a jumble of blocks, out of level
with each other. The trailer did better since it is designed to survive the
bumps of shakes of being on the road. I don't think much framing had been done
at the time of the quake, or if was there, they stripped it to resell the lumber.
It is also possible they did not prep the soil correctly, or choose the correct
sized footing for the foundation. My point being that it pays to understand local
conditions before you build.
I am aware of the need for earthquake codes, living and involved with DIY on the west coast.
If was was to move to say Florida, I'd need/want to re-learn the requirements
to survive local conditions such as hurricanes (Much more attention to parts being pulled off by
wind, as well as enough elevation to survive a storm surge).
I would not presume that I could correctly advise or use lessons
learned in my geographic area directly to another area.
I may grumble about the cost/hassle of earthquake codes
and requirements, but I also remember that site to only grumble
and then include the rebar, shear walls, and other items required
while I'm living in areas that are likely to have more quakes in the future.
On 10/21/14, 10:02 PM, Mountain Master
mountain953346@yahoo.com [DoIt_Yourself] wrote:
