Mines and Subsidence

[otowi]

Originally Posted by Vision67

For most families, their house represents their most valuable asset. Why anybody would risk building over an old coal mine instead of building farther out east over stable soils is beyond me.

Furthermore, why would a bank approve a mortgage?

I'll bet that area will not be developed.

If logic prevailed, I would agree, but look at Gold Hill Mesa....

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by Vision67

For most families, their house represents their most valuable asset. Why anybody would risk building over an old coal mine instead of building farther out east over stable soils is beyond me.

Furthermore, why would a bank approve a mortgage?

I'll bet that area will not be developed.

But risk isn't just a matter of the consequences. It's a matter of likelihood, too. I would hate to live out East. I'd be okay with living in Rockrimmon. If the risk of a subsidence issue destroying my house was 1 in 2, I wouldn't take that risk. But would I accept living in a place I don't want to live to avoid a 1 in 1,000 risk? Probably not, and that's closer to the order of magnitude we are talking about here....it might even be more like 1 in 10,000.

I think we'd all agree that our families are more important than our houses, yet we risk the lives of our families by driving to do trivial things all the time. The risk is low enough, and the downside of staying home all the time is high enough, that we consider the risk to be worth it.

With that said, I wouldn't buy a house in the development mentioned in the article. If a technical expert is suggesting I buy private insurance, that is a big red flag.

[Vision67]

Need more stress in you life? Just buy a house in an area that has subsidence or expansive clay soils.

As time goes on you'll see cracks opening in basement walls, have stuck windows, have doors that won't shut and cracks opening in walls too. You'll observe gaps between the garage door bottom and floor and your flatwork will also shift around.

Next, you'll discover that your insurance policy won't cover it and when you finally consult an engineering firm to mitigate the damage, you will learn that they won't guarantee their fix in spite of the $40K initial cost.

I lived in Rockrimmon in the 70s and had several neighbors who experienced this.

Furthermore, even if your house is not affected, that guy down the street who dumps his broken house on the cheap just set the value of your house.

No thanks.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by Vision67

Need more stress in you life? Just buy a house in an area that has subsidence or expansive clay soils.

As time goes on you'll see cracks opening in basement walls, have stuck windows, have doors that won't shut and cracks opening in walls too. You'll observe gaps between the garage door bottom and floor and your flatwork will also shift around.

Next, you'll discover that your insurance policy won't cover it and when you finally consult an engineering firm to mitigate the damage, you will learn that they won't guarantee their fix in spite of the $40K initial cost.

I lived in Rockrimmon in the 70s and had several neighbors who experienced this.

Furthermore, even if your house is not affected, that guy down the street who dumps his broken house on the cheap just set the value of your house.

No thanks.

In my non-expert opinion, this sounds more like expansive soils that subsidence. And I DO think people should take expansive soils into consideration when buying a house. The odds of this being a big deal are much, much higher.

[Hebrews12]

Thanks to everyone for your input! I was surprised to learn about the coal mine issues on the west side considering all the housing there. About expansive soils--having lived in other parts of Colorado, I figure this is pretty much an issue all over the state...clay-like soil.
Any thoughts on neighborhoods where this is less of a problem?

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Hebrews12

Thanks to everyone for your input! I was surprised to learn about the coal mine issues on the west side considering all the housing there. About expansive soils--having lived in other parts of Colorado, I figure this is pretty much an issue all over the state...clay-like soil.
Any thoughts on neighborhoods where this is less of a problem?

That same set of maps from Post #2 also has expansive soils, see here.

All new homes are supposed to have a soils report as standard procedure.

[Hebrews12]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

That same set of maps from Post #2 also has expansive soils, see here.

All new homes are supposed to have a soils report as standard procedure.

ok, thank you Mike!

Basically, if you go through all the hazard maps (fire, flood, landslides, expansive soils etc) it looks like nowhere is safe! LOL

[TCHP]

Every place has some risk. Typically, the oldest neighborhoods are the safest from natural disasters as civil engineering 100- years ago was not applied at the residential level like it is now. Lack of insurance and self preservation lead most antique neighborhoods to be located in the safest overall positions possible.

Our perceived mastery of our physical environment has led us to take risks our great grandparents and previous generations would never would have considered unless it was for some significant purpose.