Thanks to the few folks who provided some response to my posting a
couple of weeks ago on "BLASTING DAMAGE TO MY HOUSE". But I still
need documentation sources or references to help me proceed with this
thorny problem. With millions of homeowners in our great land, I am
certain others with common house construction have experienced a
situation such as ours. Surely we are not alone!

More details of our situation are in this message. I WILL TRULY
APPRECIATE any response or guidance specific to our problem.

Several blasting sessions were done in our neighborhood at a
construction site, about 1/4 mile from my house. The measured level
of blasting recorded by a small engineering group shows only lower
levels at their few monitored locations, which did not include our
property.

My basement is a 2-car garage and large finished room. When first
discovered and shown in photos taken by my insurance company's
engineer, there were several slightly noticeable, hairline cracks
"stair stepping" down my foundation. . The stair-step cracks start
at the top of the foundation, and extend several feet down to
approximate outside ground level. Previous to discovering the cracks
our foundation and basement had always been very tight and dry. My
wife and I saw no cracks during 11 years of ownership, including
accompanying a pest control person in annual foundation inspections,
and my daily parking about 2 feet from the foundation . I have
documented the foundation cracks with many good photos and have a
copy of the insurance engineer's photos.

In both bathrooms the tile was previously intact, but both now have
long horizontal cracks through the tile. Also, we discovered several
interior door frame mouldings throughout the house that separated
slightly from the wall. There were no separations before the
blasting. During the blasting period my wife found picture frames
throughout the house hanging un level, but none fell off the wall.

Initially by phone, several repair contractors and people with basic
knowledge of blasting all confirmed with me that we had no previous
foundation cracking, and asked if the cracks were horizontal or
"STAIR-STEP" in appearance. All said stair-step cracking is a
characteristic of blasting. And that horizontal-lateral cracking is
characteristic of outside earth pressure on a concrete block
foundations. A structural engineer who inspected for us discovered the
hairline cracks in the bathroom tile, and said that is another
characteristic of blasting damage. He said "you have plenty of things
to work with" related to the blasting.

My homeowners insurance company continues to maintain that because
measurements of the blasting show only lower levels it didn't cause
any of the cracking. Yet we had none of this before!

I've had to file my one and only law suit (in 60 odd years of life)
against my home owner insurer and the blasting company. But my lawyer
has not been able to find any DOCUMENTATION which supports the common
knowledge that shock waves from blasting cause "stair-step" type
cracking in concrete block foundations. My lawyer in the small firm
has no experience in blasting related cases but he and the owner have
a reputation of being very honest, meticulous, tenacious, and
successful attorneys. They came very highly recommended and have
definitely lived up their reputation in working with me.

This is why I am searching via the Usenet for some documentation
showing that LOW LEVEL blasting or FRINGE-AREA disturbances of higher
level blasting are known to have caused the types of cracking we've
experienced. Documentation such as engineering studies, court trial
records, or out-of-court settlements or repairs by blasting companies
would be very helpful.

Specifically, I need to locate any documentation which discusses the
following:

(1) Stair-step type cracking in concrete block foundations being
characteristic of blasting.

(2) Typical damage appearance from low-level or fringe-area blasting
in above- ground
below-ground, and sloping above-below ground, previously intact
foundations.
Appearance initially and in the months and years that follow is very
important.

(3) Typical, initial blasting damage appearance in bathroom tile.

(4) Good practice requirements for geo-technical surveys before
blasting.

(5) Good practice requirements for placement and density of
seismometers in residential environments.

(6) Higher damage probability in certain types of soil, faults and
rock formations, etc, etc.

(7) Higher damage probability during rainy periods.

(8) Other documentation which can help one understand and
realistically deal with this situation.

As a layman I have come to believe that shaking of house structures,
even due to lower-level or fringe-area blasting can slightly damage
and weaken foundations and other masonry, especially in older
structures. Then over the next year or two, weight and forces in
mother nature expose these flaws as major problems. And I think
insurance and blasting companies work hard, incurring very
considerable expense, to keep the issue from becoming public knowledge
and well documented. I don't expect I can slay this sleeping giant
but I certainly hope a few fellow citizens out there in "Net Land"
will give a some guidance to help me clear a little of the muddy
water, and get some justice.

Also, are there any true investigative reporters out there? This is
an IMPORTANT ISSUE which ultimately costs american home owners major
bucks.

http://www.walthamfire.com/kids/tips/Blasting.html

You didn't indicate what state you are in. I found the above link by doing
a google search for "blasting damage" . You may want to try similar
research.


"Research86" wrote in message
om...
Thanks to the few folks who provided some response to my posting a
couple of weeks ago on "BLASTING DAMAGE TO MY HOUSE". But I still
need documentation sources or references to help me proceed with this
thorny problem. With millions of homeowners in our great land, I am
certain others with common house construction have experienced a
situation such as ours. Surely we are not alone!

More details of our situation are in this message. I WILL TRULY
APPRECIATE any response or guidance specific to our problem.

Several blasting sessions were done in our neighborhood at a
construction site, about 1/4 mile from my house. The measured level
of blasting recorded by a small engineering group shows only lower
levels at their few monitored locations, which did not include our
property.

My basement is a 2-car garage and large finished room. When first
discovered and shown in photos taken by my insurance company's
engineer, there were several slightly noticeable, hairline cracks
"stair stepping" down my foundation. . The stair-step cracks start
at the top of the foundation, and extend several feet down to
approximate outside ground level. Previous to discovering the cracks
our foundation and basement had always been very tight and dry. My
wife and I saw no cracks during 11 years of ownership, including
accompanying a pest control person in annual foundation inspections,
and my daily parking about 2 feet from the foundation . I have
documented the foundation cracks with many good photos and have a
copy of the insurance engineer's photos.

In both bathrooms the tile was previously intact, but both now have
long horizontal cracks through the tile. Also, we discovered several
interior door frame mouldings throughout the house that separated
slightly from the wall. There were no separations before the
blasting. During the blasting period my wife found picture frames
throughout the house hanging un level, but none fell off the wall.

Initially by phone, several repair contractors and people with basic
knowledge of blasting all confirmed with me that we had no previous
foundation cracking, and asked if the cracks were horizontal or
"STAIR-STEP" in appearance. All said stair-step cracking is a
characteristic of blasting. And that horizontal-lateral cracking is
characteristic of outside earth pressure on a concrete block
foundations. A structural engineer who inspected for us discovered the
hairline cracks in the bathroom tile, and said that is another
characteristic of blasting damage. He said "you have plenty of things
to work with" related to the blasting.

My homeowners insurance company continues to maintain that because
measurements of the blasting show only lower levels it didn't cause
any of the cracking. Yet we had none of this before!

I've had to file my one and only law suit (in 60 odd years of life)
against my home owner insurer and the blasting company. But my lawyer
has not been able to find any DOCUMENTATION which supports the common
knowledge that shock waves from blasting cause "stair-step" type
cracking in concrete block foundations. My lawyer in the small firm
has no experience in blasting related cases but he and the owner have
a reputation of being very honest, meticulous, tenacious, and
successful attorneys. They came very highly recommended and have
definitely lived up their reputation in working with me.

This is why I am searching via the Usenet for some documentation
showing that LOW LEVEL blasting or FRINGE-AREA disturbances of higher
level blasting are known to have caused the types of cracking we've
experienced. Documentation such as engineering studies, court trial
records, or out-of-court settlements or repairs by blasting companies
would be very helpful.

Specifically, I need to locate any documentation which discusses the
following:

(1) Stair-step type cracking in concrete block foundations being
characteristic of blasting.

(2) Typical damage appearance from low-level or fringe-area blasting
in above- ground
below-ground, and sloping above-below ground, previously intact
foundations.
Appearance initially and in the months and years that follow is very
important.

(3) Typical, initial blasting damage appearance in bathroom tile.

(4) Good practice requirements for geo-technical surveys before
blasting.

(5) Good practice requirements for placement and density of
seismometers in residential environments.

(6) Higher damage probability in certain types of soil, faults and
rock formations, etc, etc.

(7) Higher damage probability during rainy periods.

(8) Other documentation which can help one understand and
realistically deal with this situation.

As a layman I have come to believe that shaking of house structures,
even due to lower-level or fringe-area blasting can slightly damage
and weaken foundations and other masonry, especially in older
structures. Then over the next year or two, weight and forces in
mother nature expose these flaws as major problems. And I think
insurance and blasting companies work hard, incurring very
considerable expense, to keep the issue from becoming public knowledge
and well documented. I don't expect I can slay this sleeping giant
but I certainly hope a few fellow citizens out there in "Net Land"
will give a some guidance to help me clear a little of the muddy
water, and get some justice.

Also, are there any true investigative reporters out there? This is
an IMPORTANT ISSUE which ultimately costs american home owners major
bucks.

"Research86" wrote in message
om...
Thanks to the few folks who provided some response to my posting a
couple of weeks ago on "BLASTING DAMAGE TO MY HOUSE". But I still
need documentation sources or references to help me proceed with this
thorny problem. With millions of homeowners in our great land, I am
certain others with common house construction have experienced a
situation such as ours. Surely we are not alone!

More details of our situation are in this message. I WILL TRULY
APPRECIATE any response or guidance specific to our problem.

Several blasting sessions were done in our neighborhood at a
construction site, about 1/4 mile from my house. The measured level
of blasting recorded by a small engineering group shows only lower
levels at their few monitored locations, which did not include our
property.

My basement is a 2-car garage and large finished room. When first
discovered and shown in photos taken by my insurance company's
engineer, there were several slightly noticeable, hairline cracks
"stair stepping" down my foundation. . The stair-step cracks start
at the top of the foundation, and extend several feet down to
approximate outside ground level. Previous to discovering the cracks
our foundation and basement had always been very tight and dry. My
wife and I saw no cracks during 11 years of ownership, including
accompanying a pest control person in annual foundation inspections,
and my daily parking about 2 feet from the foundation . I have
documented the foundation cracks with many good photos and have a
copy of the insurance engineer's photos.

In both bathrooms the tile was previously intact, but both now have
long horizontal cracks through the tile. Also, we discovered several
interior door frame mouldings throughout the house that separated
slightly from the wall. There were no separations before the
blasting. During the blasting period my wife found picture frames
throughout the house hanging un level, but none fell off the wall.

Initially by phone, several repair contractors and people with basic
knowledge of blasting all confirmed with me that we had no previous
foundation cracking, and asked if the cracks were horizontal or
"STAIR-STEP" in appearance. All said stair-step cracking is a
characteristic of blasting. And that horizontal-lateral cracking is
characteristic of outside earth pressure on a concrete block
foundations. A structural engineer who inspected for us discovered the
hairline cracks in the bathroom tile, and said that is another
characteristic of blasting damage. He said "you have plenty of things
to work with" related to the blasting.

My homeowners insurance company continues to maintain that because
measurements of the blasting show only lower levels it didn't cause
any of the cracking. Yet we had none of this before!

I've had to file my one and only law suit (in 60 odd years of life)
against my home owner insurer and the blasting company. But my lawyer
has not been able to find any DOCUMENTATION which supports the common
knowledge that shock waves from blasting cause "stair-step" type
cracking in concrete block foundations. My lawyer in the small firm
has no experience in blasting related cases but he and the owner have
a reputation of being very honest, meticulous, tenacious, and
successful attorneys. They came very highly recommended and have
definitely lived up their reputation in working with me.
SNIPPED
try here
http://www.nvcc.com/fet-forensics/
http://expertpages.com/engineer.htm
and the last googled
http://www.jansenkiener.com/Forensic.htm

Research,

If by "stair-step" cracking you mean that the mortar is cracking in a
stair step fashion then you are wrong that this is characteristic of
blasting. This is commonly seen in foundations with settling. The cracking
pattern in the bath room tile also sounds non specific.
If these engineers really did say that these signs are specific to
blasting then you should have no trouble in getting an engineer to inspect
your house and write an opinion. Be sure to get estimates for repairs. Armed
with this report you can then interview a few lawyers. After hiring a lawyer
follow his advice on further testing and inspections.
However, your insurer has already sent experts to examine your house.
They have concluded that you won't be able to prove a relationship between
your problems and blasting. So be aware that your experts will be contested
in court.
From your posts it sounds as if you do not want expert opinions; you want
opinions that support your beliefs. That is not a good way to resolve your
problem.

Good luck,
Dave M.

You really need legal research not home repair. You need to find out
what kind of evidence your local courts will accept. For that the best bet
is a local attorney.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math


"Research86" wrote in message
om...
Thanks to the few folks who provided some response to my posting a
couple of weeks ago on "BLASTING DAMAGE TO MY HOUSE". But I still
need documentation sources or references to help me proceed with this
thorny problem. With millions of homeowners in our great land, I am
certain others with common house construction have experienced a
situation such as ours. Surely we are not alone!

More details of our situation are in this message. I WILL TRULY
APPRECIATE any response or guidance specific to our problem.

Several blasting sessions were done in our neighborhood at a
construction site, about 1/4 mile from my house. The measured level
of blasting recorded by a small engineering group shows only lower
levels at their few monitored locations, which did not include our
property.

My basement is a 2-car garage and large finished room. When first
discovered and shown in photos taken by my insurance company's
engineer, there were several slightly noticeable, hairline cracks
"stair stepping" down my foundation. . The stair-step cracks start
at the top of the foundation, and extend several feet down to
approximate outside ground level. Previous to discovering the cracks
our foundation and basement had always been very tight and dry. My
wife and I saw no cracks during 11 years of ownership, including
accompanying a pest control person in annual foundation inspections,
and my daily parking about 2 feet from the foundation . I have
documented the foundation cracks with many good photos and have a
copy of the insurance engineer's photos.

In both bathrooms the tile was previously intact, but both now have
long horizontal cracks through the tile. Also, we discovered several
interior door frame mouldings throughout the house that separated
slightly from the wall. There were no separations before the
blasting. During the blasting period my wife found picture frames
throughout the house hanging un level, but none fell off the wall.

Initially by phone, several repair contractors and people with basic
knowledge of blasting all confirmed with me that we had no previous
foundation cracking, and asked if the cracks were horizontal or
"STAIR-STEP" in appearance. All said stair-step cracking is a
characteristic of blasting. And that horizontal-lateral cracking is
characteristic of outside earth pressure on a concrete block
foundations. A structural engineer who inspected for us discovered the
hairline cracks in the bathroom tile, and said that is another
characteristic of blasting damage. He said "you have plenty of things
to work with" related to the blasting.

My homeowners insurance company continues to maintain that because
measurements of the blasting show only lower levels it didn't cause
any of the cracking. Yet we had none of this before!

I've had to file my one and only law suit (in 60 odd years of life)
against my home owner insurer and the blasting company. But my lawyer
has not been able to find any DOCUMENTATION which supports the common
knowledge that shock waves from blasting cause "stair-step" type
cracking in concrete block foundations. My lawyer in the small firm
has no experience in blasting related cases but he and the owner have
a reputation of being very honest, meticulous, tenacious, and
successful attorneys. They came very highly recommended and have
definitely lived up their reputation in working with me.

This is why I am searching via the Usenet for some documentation
showing that LOW LEVEL blasting or FRINGE-AREA disturbances of higher
level blasting are known to have caused the types of cracking we've
experienced. Documentation such as engineering studies, court trial
records, or out-of-court settlements or repairs by blasting companies
would be very helpful.

Specifically, I need to locate any documentation which discusses the
following:

(1) Stair-step type cracking in concrete block foundations being
characteristic of blasting.

(2) Typical damage appearance from low-level or fringe-area blasting
in above- ground
below-ground, and sloping above-below ground, previously intact
foundations.
Appearance initially and in the months and years that follow is very
important.

(3) Typical, initial blasting damage appearance in bathroom tile.

(4) Good practice requirements for geo-technical surveys before
blasting.

(5) Good practice requirements for placement and density of
seismometers in residential environments.

(6) Higher damage probability in certain types of soil, faults and
rock formations, etc, etc.

(7) Higher damage probability during rainy periods.

(8) Other documentation which can help one understand and
realistically deal with this situation.

As a layman I have come to believe that shaking of house structures,
even due to lower-level or fringe-area blasting can slightly damage
and weaken foundations and other masonry, especially in older
structures. Then over the next year or two, weight and forces in
mother nature expose these flaws as major problems. And I think
insurance and blasting companies work hard, incurring very
considerable expense, to keep the issue from becoming public knowledge
and well documented. I don't expect I can slay this sleeping giant
but I certainly hope a few fellow citizens out there in "Net Land"
will give a some guidance to help me clear a little of the muddy
water, and get some justice.

Also, are there any true investigative reporters out there? This is
an IMPORTANT ISSUE which ultimately costs american home owners major
bucks.

In article . net,
"David Martel" wrote:

Research,

If by "stair-step" cracking you mean that the mortar is cracking in a
stair step fashion then you are wrong that this is characteristic of
blasting. This is commonly seen in foundations with settling. The cracking
pattern in the bath room tile also sounds non specific.
If these engineers really did say that these signs are specific to
blasting then you should have no trouble in getting an engineer to inspect
your house and write an opinion. Be sure to get estimates for repairs. Armed
with this report you can then interview a few lawyers. After hiring a lawyer
follow his advice on further testing and inspections.
However, your insurer has already sent experts to examine your house.
They have concluded that you won't be able to prove a relationship between
your problems and blasting. So be aware that your experts will be contested
in court.
From your posts it sounds as if you do not want expert opinions; you want
opinions that support your beliefs. That is not a good way to resolve your
problem.

Good luck,
Dave M.



I live just under a mile away from a commercial limestone quarry, and
I'm with Dave. Bad things happen to good cinderblock even in places
where blasting never happens; worse things happen to mortar even sooner.
Just because it never happened in 11 years doesn't mean that it would
*never* happen to you.

Or, as my structural engineer friend likes to say, "There's three things
that are absolutely true true about concrete: 1. It's hard. 2. It's
gray. 3. It all cracks eventually.

Personally, I don't think the insurance industry is out to screw you.
I've had my homewoner's insurance company gladly fork over settlement
checks for stupier ****.

Like Dave said, you have to *prove* your protest within the context of
*your own* troubles. And unless all your neighbors with the same type of
house built at the same time by the same contractor are also having the
exact same problems you are, good luck ****ing into the wind.

AJS

AJS

David,
Thank you for the info.
I've had no experience with foundations until now, and have relied
on info from others.
If "settling" (I assume this means foundation movement due to
natural earth shifts over time) can cause stair-step cracks along and
across mortar joints, then a central question is: Can shock waves
from blasting cause earth movements which stress foundations/footings
quickly, with similiar effects as long-term movements?
i.e. What are the known effects on concrete block foundations from
the type of earth movements typical of lower-level blasting? I
definately DO WANT expert answers to this question, as well as known
effects on wall tiles in bathrooms.
Thanks again for your input Dave. I'm just trying to learn why I
had all these cracks appear after the blasting and none before. P.S.
A few vertical cracks through the blocks themselves also appeared.
Hopefully someone out there will be willing to refer me to a good
book or in debth study which addresses this issue.

Research -- Ed










are the equivalent the

"David Martel" wrote in message link.net...
Research,

If by "stair-step" cracking you mean that the mortar is cracking in a
stair step fashion then you are wrong that this is characteristic of
blasting. This is commonly seen in foundations with settling. The cracking
pattern in the bath room tile also sounds non specific.
If these engineers really did say that these signs are specific to
blasting then you should have no trouble in getting an engineer to inspect
your house and write an opinion. Be sure to get estimates for repairs. Armed
with this report you can then interview a few lawyers. After hiring a lawyer
follow his advice on further testing and inspections.
However, your insurer has already sent experts to examine your house.
They have concluded that you won't be able to prove a relationship between
your problems and blasting. So be aware that your experts will be contested
in court.
From your posts it sounds as if you do not want expert opinions; you want
opinions that support your beliefs. That is not a good way to resolve your
problem.

Good luck,
Dave M.

Call your City BLDG inspection Dept , They should help ....Ass
I cant .

AJ,
Thanks for your comments.
It makes sense that concrete, like everything else in life,
doesn't last forever -- and I don't expect mine to be an exception.
However --- I am truly puzzled why my foundation and bathroom tile
first started cracking after the blasting. It's just too coincidental.
If all concrete cracks eventually, perhaps unusual earth disturbances
can cause it to crack prematurely.
Maybe I've gotten a little jaded about insurance companies since
this happened, but only because I've learned from various sources that
some of them (particularily mine) have a tendency to balk at more
expensive repairs. We're looking at MAJOR costs. Our company has
paid properly for some minor repairs over almost 30 years.
Would greatly appreciate being pointed to any reference materials
by you OR ANYONE READING THIS -- references for effects of low-level
blasting on foundations.

Research -- Ed





AJScott wrote in message ...
In article . net,
"David Martel" wrote:

Research,

If by "stair-step" cracking you mean that the mortar is cracking in a
stair step fashion then you are wrong that this is characteristic of
blasting. This is commonly seen in foundations with settling. The cracking
pattern in the bath room tile also sounds non specific.
If these engineers really did say that these signs are specific to
blasting then you should have no trouble in getting an engineer to inspect
your house and write an opinion. Be sure to get estimates for repairs. Armed
with this report you can then interview a few lawyers. After hiring a lawyer
follow his advice on further testing and inspections.
However, your insurer has already sent experts to examine your house.
They have concluded that you won't be able to prove a relationship between
your problems and blasting. So be aware that your experts will be contested
in court.
From your posts it sounds as if you do not want expert opinions; you want
opinions that support your beliefs. That is not a good way to resolve your
problem.

Good luck,
Dave M.



I live just under a mile away from a commercial limestone quarry, and
I'm with Dave. Bad things happen to good cinderblock even in places
where blasting never happens; worse things happen to mortar even sooner.
Just because it never happened in 11 years doesn't mean that it would
*never* happen to you.

Or, as my structural engineer friend likes to say, "There's three things
that are absolutely true true about concrete: 1. It's hard. 2. It's
gray. 3. It all cracks eventually.

Personally, I don't think the insurance industry is out to screw you.
I've had my homewoner's insurance company gladly fork over settlement
checks for stupier ****.

Like Dave said, you have to *prove* your protest within the context of
*your own* troubles. And unless all your neighbors with the same type of
house built at the same time by the same contractor are also having the
exact same problems you are, good luck ****ing into the wind.

AJS

AJS