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Blasting Damage to My House Foundation
Several blasting sessions were done in our neighborhood at a
construction site, about 1/4 mile from my house. My close neighbors who were home during weekday blasting sessions felt definite shaking of there houses. When inspecting my foundation (in basement) I found numerous thin cracks along 3 sides of the structure. All above-ground cracks start at the foundation top and "stair-step" down along mortar joints. Our foundation and basement had always been very tight and dry. My wife and I saw no cracks in 11 years of ownership, including accompanying the pest control person in annual foundation inspections. The previous owner certifies there were no foundation cracks or problems whatsoever. By phone, several repair contractors and people with basic knowledge of blasting all asked if we had any previous cracking, and if new cracks were horizontal or stair-step in appearance. All said stair-step cracking is characteristic of blasting. And,lateral cracking is characteristic of outside soil and water pressure on a foundation. The measured level of blasting recorded by a small engineering group shows lower levels at their few monitored locations. This posting is a query to experienced engineering, legal, home-owning, or other people knowledgeable in reference sources. I need documentation for: (1) Stair-step type cracking in foundations being characteristic of blasting. (2) Typical damage appearance from low-level (fringe area) blasting in above and below-ground, previously intact foundations. (3) Good practice requirements for geotechnical surveys before blasting. (4) Good practice requirements for placement and density of seismometers in residential environments. (5) Higher damage probability in certain types of soil, faults and rock formations. (6) Higher damage probability during rainy periods. (7) Other documentation which can help a homeowner understand and realistically deal with this situation. As a very troubled homeowner, I will greatly appreciate consideration and responses from anyone with experience. |
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