[familyop]

"None of the codes, state, county, or federal required supports to go down to bed rock, or some such."

I've worked on builds that required such piers. They were steel structurals, were pounded to great depths and were very expensive. Wish I had a better answer for such a place. The best that I can come up with is to avoid worrying about it, fix what you can if necessary and enjoy living there. Things could be worse.

I'm sorry. Only some geologists would see such a hazard in advance. To complicate the matter further, seismicity is increasing in many areas that weren't known for it in the past (natural, once-in-great-while geomagnetic field, outer core and lower mantle change, also contributing to increased volcanism, methane leakage, drought, etc.).

When the time comes, maybe I should build the next one on an extra tough monoslab, Army style.

[greeneyes]

I don’t really worry about it too much. Now and then I notice a crack in the brick right where about where the basement meets the upstairs, and wonder if we should put some mortar In the qtr inch by 1 inch space or not.

I figure I only have 15 years left, if my family medical history stays the same as the last 4 generations. So it will likely last long enough for me.

The footings were more than most of the other houses, since we did the plans etc. ourselves. The other houses haven’t really had major breakdowns, and some were built 10 years before we built ours.