[Greenbuilding] Earthquakes and older houses

[Michael O'Brien]

Hi, Bob—

Sounds worrisome!

Here is Portland the advice is to make sure your home’s frame structure is securely tied to the foundation so a major earthquake will not knock the house off, rendering it uninhabitable and probably unrepairable. If the house stays of the foundation, thinking goes, other repairs will likely be more practical. Attaching the house to the foundation is done with metal straps connected to the stem walls or basement walls and to the framing.

Best of luck,

Mike O’Brien

On Mar 29, 2016, at 10:41 AM, Bob Waldrop <bwaldrop1952 at att.net> wrote:

So here in central Oklahoma, we have been experiencing a growing series of earthquakes over the last few years.   The USGS just released a map showing the risk of human-induced earthquakes, and Okie City is right there. The news said we were at perhaps a 10% risk of a level 6 earthquake.  Most of the thus far have been in the 2 to 4 range.

Now we are not only tornado alley, but also earthquake central, more earthquakes last year even than California had.

I lived in the Bay Area of California and in SLC (on top of the actual wasatch fault a geologist friend told me), and never experienced a quake, but I've felt several here.  I've also been watching the cracks in the interior plaster/lathe walls and my exterior brick veneer develop and progress.

I do have earthquake insurance, but it is really only good for a complete catastrophe.  It has a 10% deductible, and it doesn't cover masonry.

The house has always seemed very sturdy.  It was built in 1929, the studs are on 12 to 14 inch centers and are a hard wood.  THe sheathing is 1 x 8 planks.  Then there is brick veneer over that. The foundation is brick.  The back and front porch construction seems separate from the rest of the house. The concrete front porch is certainly pulling away from the rest of the house over the 16 years I've lived here.

Any thoughts about retrofits that would strengthen the house in the face of the growing earthquake risk here?

Bob Waldrop, Okie and Shaky City

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