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When I was looking at SF real estate I was surprised to discover nearly half the housing market was built on landfill. And surprisingly few of those buildings a
by atarian 5y ago
When I was looking at SF real estate I was surprised to discover nearly half the housing market was built on landfill. And surprisingly few of those buildings are built on bedrock.
- divbzero 5y agoThat’s especially surprising in an area known for earthquakes.
- LarryMade2 5y agoThere's documentaries on the post 1906 earthquake rebuild where they were going to build to be earthquake safe but as time went on and demand increased that got thrown out the window. Though at some point I think code enforcement returned, especially for large buildings.
- ericbarrett 5y agoThe most at-risk buildings in SF are so-called "soft story" buildings, low-rise multifamily dwellings built on top of a parking garage or commercial space, especially those constructed before increased regulation (I believe in the 70s or 80s): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_story_building https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_story_building
- bcrosby95 5y agoI used to live in the former garage of a soft story building (they built a kitchen/bathroom/etc - it was around 1,000 square feet). It was a great deal because we got sole access to the backyard (it was a house). But after reading about how they relaxed building standards after '06 rather than increased them, I couldn't wait to get out - the house was built in 1918. The landlady would always talk about how the house held up great during the '89 earthquake. But that didn't impress me considering the epicenter was in Santa Cruz.
- wpietri 5y agoI was going to make a joke about San Francisco culture, but honestly this kind of thinking happens everywhere. Look at all the people buying or building in areas with flood potential that is high and increasing.
- ricardobeat 5y agoHello from the Netherlands!
- MomoXenosaga 5y agoGekoloniseerd from the sea.
- wpietri 5y agoOoh, not just a word I didn't know, but a whole meme complex I didn't know: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/gekoloniseerd https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/gekoloniseerd
- wpietri 5y agoAt least there you folks had the sense to confront the problem and control it. In the US we've just been insuring people for floods so they keep rebuilding: https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2018-07-31/national-flood-insurance-program-encourages-risky-behavior-at-taxpayer-expense https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2018-07-3...
- mywittyname 5y agoI believe there's a neighborhood in Houston that was build on land specifically left undeveloped in the past because it floods every time there's a hurricane. Where there's enough money to be made, you'll find shady business people and corrupt politicians willing to risk people's lives and livelihoods for a buck. Plus, the federal government will keep giving people enough money to rebuild on flood plains, so it makes financial sense to keep building in places that keep getting washed away.
- djbusby 5y agoLoma Prieta earth quake (1989) was when I learned a bunch of the Bay Area landfill is also sunken ships that have been mudded over.
- hellbannedguy 5y agoIt's pretty rare to have a house, or a building, build on bedrock in the Bay Area. As a contractor with a foundation that settled it's nerve racking. That said, very few foundations that settle need to be repaired. The average homeowner thinks the opposite though. I stopped my settling by draining mine, and the neighbor's roof downspouts to the street. Even without that fix, I doubt my house would have settled further. It's true that most buildings/houses settle.