8mm Forum: House Repairs

This is topic House Repairs in forum General Yak at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on May 23, 2014, 03:32 PM:

Seven weeks gone and three more weeks to go then we can move back in [Smile]

.

I might sound strange, but its been 7 weeks without running any of my babies "projectors that is" I do miss them [Frown]

looking forward to getting back. I called in the other day and so far the new steel reinforced concrete ring foundation is looking good. The house had been lifted and supported while the old was removed with jack hammers etc...so its back down on the new stuff and at the moment all the interior cracking is being repaired, and hopefully all the storm water drains replaced. Its been quite a big job to get things done, with still more ahead in the coming weeks.

The last three years has been hard going dealing with insurance companies etc, its been a real grind. We are looking forward to getting back and for me "chilling" out and running my babies [Big Grin]

I will say this though, I never want to go through a repeat of those "earthquakes" and the after effects of all this ever again.

...da da... sitting on its new ring foundation.

Posted by Kevin Hassall (Member # 2352) on May 23, 2014, 04:15 PM:

hope you get everything up and runng soon my friend keep us posted

Posted by Ken Finch (Member # 2768) on May 24, 2014, 10:52 AM:

Hi Graham, Pleased to see your home is at last nearing completion with the repairs, and hope all goes well in the future. We visited New Zealand and Christchurch a few years ago just before the earthquake and it was sad to see the destruction it caused to such a lovely city on the news and your pics. It reminded me somewhat of the results of the the London blitz that I experienced as a young child. I also wonder if we will experience more serious earthquakes here if the government go ahead and start allowing Fracking to take place in what is left of the Weald of Kent to extract what is believed to be substantial oil deposits!! Ken Finch. :rolleyes.

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on May 24, 2014, 02:21 PM:

Ken, fracking in the USA is now getting very widespread, in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Dakota, and many more places yet to come.
I regard Fracking (hydraulic fracturing) as a ticking time bomb for the environment. The biggest problem will be ground water and aquifer contamination, rendering vast area of the USA as having undrinkable water. You can also include, ground collapse, sinkholes, and earthquakes, as the price to pay for the rush to cheap oil and gas.
I hope the British Government has more sense than to allow fracking in the UK.

Posted by Michael O'Regan (Member # 938) on May 24, 2014, 02:39 PM:

Wonderful to see that all is nearing completion and your ordeal coming to an end.
Sometimes trials such as these help open our eyes.
[Smile]

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on May 24, 2014, 05:03 PM:

It is always frightening to think that you can loose everything in a few minutes...

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on May 24, 2014, 05:10 PM:

Thanks everyone. [Smile]

Posted by Pasquale DAlessio (Member # 2052) on May 24, 2014, 05:43 PM:

Hi Graham

I so glad you will be back home soon. AS Paul mentioned we are experiencing things over here we never did before. The earth is falling apart. Earthquakes where they never happened before, sinkholes all over, tornedos when they never happened, tsunamis, and flooding like we have never seen. All due to global warming I think. Be well my friend.

PatD

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on May 24, 2014, 10:22 PM:

So glad construction is nearing completion Graham. There's no place like home [Smile]

Posted by Trevor Adams (Member # 42) on May 25, 2014, 12:13 AM:

Looking good Graham!Trev

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on May 25, 2014, 01:21 AM:

Thanks [Smile]

Posted by David M. Ballew (Member # 1818) on May 28, 2014, 03:00 PM:

Paul, I understand your misgivings about fracking. Lots of people share them, and I agree we must proceed with sensible caution. But if there is groundwater and aquifer contamination, it will undoubtedly come from aboveground spills, which ought to be guarded against in any event. The shale deposits being harvested from fracking are beneath dense layers of rock, typically thousands of feet thick. The aquifers are above those same layers. The only way contamination could occur is if mighty fissures open in the rock and travel thousands of feet, something that geologists assure us is unlikely. This same fact also explains why earthquakes, sinkholes, and other such catastrophes as a direct result of fracking are unlikely. But I want to stress, I advocate sensible caution as we proceed with this technology, as do many others.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on June 21, 2014, 02:47 PM:

Well we got the OK to move back in last weekend, although the house is not finished on the outside, but its getting there [Smile]

Its been interesting talking to the sub contractors and over those last 11 weeks have kept an eye on the quality of the work "tech drawings" being carried out, and its been good. The budget of $80.000 I would say, has well and truly gone and climbed to more like $100.000 dollars. Thank goodness the Earthquake commission and the insurance are paying for all of this, as its getting very expensive. [Eek!]

Still working at moving our stuff in around the builders, its amazing the junk you collect over the years [Eek!]

....and a good time for a clean out [Smile]

In a couple of weeks time I hope to sign of the repair work as all ok... we will be happy... the contractors will be happy, they will receive the final payments, and hope the quakes of 2011 never return.

Graham.

Posted by Pasquale DAlessio (Member # 2052) on June 21, 2014, 02:55 PM:

Hi Graham

Glad to hear things are progressing well. However, being collectors of sorts we need photos and videos! This look good from the other photos you posted. keep us informed please.

PatD

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on June 21, 2014, 03:00 PM:

Shall do Pat [Smile]

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on August 18, 2015, 01:39 AM:

Well its finally finished [Smile]

the engineers did a audit of the foundation last Friday and the repairs have passed. The "bill" for the repair work has just come in at $105.000 ie "One Hundred and Five Thousand Dollars" [Eek!]

Its been one long haul, but we got there and celebrated with a bottle of wine.

All up and apart from the three double big ones on Feb, June and Dec 2011 we completely lost track of the number of large aftershocks that continued almost nightly at one point right through 2011.

The one item in our house and that's this light was what we used to watch swinging away. One such night Yvonne watched it swing side ways until the edge of the shade was banging away on the ceiling while Yvonne held on in the kitchen, and that was just one of many aftershocks in the magnitude of just over 5 not the big ones which went into the 6 bracket, which would trigger the liquefaction.

We never want to go through anything like that "year" ever again our nerves just wont take it. Anyway better think "positive" and hope mother nature is finished with us for another 100 years [Smile]

Our swinging light...not anymore.

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on August 18, 2015, 03:44 AM:

Here's hoping your light fitting stays perfectly still for you Graham from here onwards!

Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 892) on August 18, 2015, 12:21 PM:

As a survivor of the Northridge earthquake (in Northridge), I must say congratulations, Graham, and so glad for you to have all that behind you. Go lace up and enjoy a movie for us!

Posted by Roger Shunk (Member # 2836) on August 18, 2015, 01:54 PM:

Yeah I agree with Pat the world seems to be falling apart and we have had nothing but record heat here in August of 117 all week which is not the normal at all for August!! Well what can I say we live in the desert.

Hang in there Graham and hope you can soon start enjoying the hobby
once again. Good luck with everything & try and stay positive!

RS

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on August 18, 2015, 05:36 PM:

Thanks everyone [Smile]

Roger.. Those incredibly high temperatures of 117... I do hope will come down soon for you.

Regards Graham.

Posted by Mathew James (Member # 4581) on August 18, 2015, 07:44 PM:

The build looks great Graham! What a hassle that must have been for you. 105,000 you say...wow...that is alot of super 8's he hee.
Glad it is done and all is safe!!
Cheers,
Matt

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