Compare Foundation Repair Methods

Frequently Asked Questions

1. QUESTION:
   What does it mean that a “roof is bowing”? what causes it? any remedies?
   I am also having foundation problems with part sinking, could this be a cause or are they likely to be independent of each other

   Thanks for any help

   • ANSWER:
     The foundation settling is likely the cause, or part of the cause of the roof bowing. This is a serious problem at both levels ( pardon the pun! ). The roof could be bowing because the rafters are inadequate, either in their number of rafters installed or their size of lumber used. The foundation problem could also be to blame if the structure is being pulled off center in one direction. You didn’t say, but I hope this problem is with an out building and not the house itself. If it indeed is the house, you need to get some professional help in there right away to determine the cause and a solution. The foundation would be the place to start. They’d have to test the soil to make sure it is able to handle the weight of a structure. They need to determine why the foundation is sinking in one area, and if there’s a possibility of the problem getting worse in the future. If the soil is adequate, then it will have to be determined how to best “jack” up the foundation back to a point of being level and stabilizing the area. Once this has been done, then you can turn your attention to the roof that is bowed. Make sure that you have proper drainage from your downspouts to get rain water away from the foundation. This is the problem many times when soil is being washed away from a foundation! The roof repair will be simple to handle as compared to the foundation repair. Once again, a contractor you trust can repair the bowed roof for you. There may be more than one option for the roof repair, depending on how much you want to spend. There’s an old saying that a house isn’t any better than the foundation it’s built on! Unfortunately, you’re finding that out first hand! Hope everything turns out okay. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about either project and get more than one estimate for the work to be done. If you have a friend that is knowledgeable in construction methods, seek their advice. The cheapest repair isn’t always the best way to go. The repairs will likely depend on your financial status during this time. good luck and I hope any project goes well!

2. QUESTION:
   are there any bacteria that forecast the spread of earthquakes?
   thaT BECOME PROMINENT BEFORE A QUAKE

   • ANSWER:
     I could not find any…the only connection of bacteria with earthquakes has to do with strengthening building structures:

     Soil bacteria could be used to help steady buildings against earthquakes, according to researchers at UC Davis. The microbes can literally convert loose, sandy soil into rock.

     When a major earthquake strikes, deep, sandy soils can turn to liquid, with disastrous consequences for buildings sitting on them. Currently, civil engineers can inject chemicals into the soil to bind loose grains together. But these epoxy chemicals may have toxic effects on soil and water, said Jason DeJong, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis.

     The new process, so far tested only at a laboratory scale, takes advantage of a natural soil bacterium, Bacillus pasteurii. The microbe causes calcite (calcium carbonate) to be deposited around sand grains, cementing them together. By injecting bacterial cultures, additional nutrients and oxygen, DeJong and his colleagues found that they could turn loose, liquefiable sand into a solid cylinder.

     “Starting from a sand pile, you turn it back into sandstone,” DeJong said. Similar techniques have been used on a smaller scale, for example, to repair cracks in statues, but not to reinforce soil.

     The new method has several advantages, DeJong said. There are no toxicity problems, compared with chemical methods. The treatment could be done after construction or on an existing building, and the structure of the soil is not changed — some of the void spaces between grains are just filled in.

     DeJong and his collaborators are working on scaling the method up to a practical size, and applying for funds to test the method in the earthquake-simulating centrifuge at UC Davis’ Center for Geotechnical Modeling. The centrifuge is part of the national Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation, funded by the National Science Foundation.
     http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8040

3. QUESTION:
   Nine motorcycle questions asked by an ignoramus (me). Help please?
   Hey hey, I’m a 19 year old college student and I don’t have money or patience to buy and maintain a car. So I was thinking about buying a motorcycle, since I’ve heard that they’re easy to maintain and they tend to sip gasoline along with generally having smaller price tags. Just had a few questions about them, please excuse my ignorance.

   1. Is it true they have great gas mileage? What’s an average gas mileage?
   2. Is it true that they’re generally easier to maintain? How often do they need professional help assuming the owner is a common idiot with a few tools and a model-specific maintenance manual?
   3. How often are motorcycles stolen/burglarized? Is it more or less often then four wheel motor vehicles?
   4. How often are motorcycles vandalized compared to four wheel motor vehicles?
   5. What’s the process of getting a permit and then a license in the United States if I don’t know anyone else who drives a motorcycle? (if you can answer, specifically New York State)
   6. Is insurance for motorcycles more or less costly than insurance for four wheel vehicles?
   7. Do motorcyclists tend to get into more accidents? Is there a good example of how “safe” they are? (I understand that if you get into an accident you’re likely to get badly injured, I mean ‘safe’ in terms of the vehicle’s ability to avoid collisions or other serious accidents and its tendency to be involved in accidents)
   8. How do you judge a “good” motorcycle? What sort of rig can you get for what sort of price? How do I know if I’m getting swindled if I’m buying used?
   9. Lastly (just for kicks) in your opinion, who (brand) sells the best motorcycles? (best meaning the most reliable, the longest lasting, easiest to maintain and of course style)

   • ANSWER:
     1. Yes, motorcycles consistantly get much better mileage than most cars. there is no average, but my 600 shadow got 50mpg and my 06 victory kingpin gets about 36mpg. It all depends on the size of the motor and the actions of your right wrist.

     2. If you do your own wrenching, they are relatively cheap to maintain. There is less to go wrong, but there is more maintenence required. Plan on new tires atleast every 10k miles, oil changes every 3-5k, and cosmetic damage from dropping your first bike a few times.

     3. Sport bikes are stolen at a much higher rate than cruisers. Learner bikes are generally not stolen much. Check with your insurance company for real stats.

     4. As far as I am concerned, unless you have a pissed off ex or pissed of the wrong person, all vandalism towards bikes is random and quite rare.

     5. For your age, take the motorcycle safety foundation course. Im almost positive it is required in new york. This will earn you your motorcycle endorsement and make your insurance cheaper.

     6. Insurance on bikes is like insurance on everything, your age, experience (or lack thereof), driving record, and bike determine what your insurance company charges you. Ill put it this way, my 2007 Honda shadow 600 ( a fantastic learner bike) was 0 per year for full coverage for a 23 year old male with 0 experience and a few speeding tickets. My 05 kawi zx6r, a race bike for the street, cost around 2 grand per year to insure. If money is an issue, stay away from anything that even looks like a sport bike. Cruisers are the way to go, and they tend to last longer than crotchrockets.

     7. Your safety on the bike depends on your ability as a rider, comes only with experience, and your willingness to ride defensively and sanely. Invest in good gear. If this is your only method of transportation, that means a good helmet, a quality cold weather jacket, and warm weather jacket, good boots, and gloves. If you want stats, google the Hurt study, it is the most famous and respected study about motorcycle safety and accident prevention. Taking the MSF class will greatly help your level of awareness and will give you some good tools to ride safely.

     8. I cant tell you if you are getting swindled over the internet. Find a friend or family member who knows about motorcycles to go with you when you go to buy a bike. Experience is the best judge. Generally, you want to look for a clean title, good rubber, few scrapes, straight handlebars, low mileage, and maintenence records. I do not buy a used bike that doesnt have records. You may pay a little more, but 9 times out of ten the guy that keeps records on his bike has really taken care of it.

     9. I have owned a honda shadow 600, kawi ninja 250, kawi ninja zx6r, harley vrod, harley fatboy, and currently ride a victory kingpin. In my opinion, victory makes the best bike that I have owned, and there is no bike on the market, outside of a honda vtr just for fun, to accompany my KP, that i would consider buying other than another victory, the cross country. However, for a beginner, there IS NO BETTER OPTION THAN THE HONDA SHADOW. Either the 600 or 750 will be perfect. They are cheap to buy, cheap to insure, cheap to repair, and extremely reliable.

     Thank you for asking a great question. This is the first of a while that was an actually thought out question and not just a which bike should i get. I sincerely hope you get trained, get a bike, and start riding. Good luck and I hope I helped.

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