Subsidence is when the hillside gets so saturated with water that it can't support itself any longer and then the hillside starts to slide and flow much like molten lava might. This is very heavy soil movement. As you can see by the lumping the soil with grass on it is moving much like molten lava might move down a hillside. This is very unstable land. Very wet and you might even sink down into it a bit if you were to walk on it in this wet state.
This particular example isn't in Lafayette but is a good example of what we have seen with subsidence.
Can it be cured? Yes in many cases. Is it costly,Yes in most cases it is or can be.
Look at the first small tree to the right... nice and growing straight up (a temporary condition on this site)
Now focus to the right about 3/4 across the page and see the tree that is leaning slightly to the left. It is being pushed over by the land as the earth moves the roots try to hold on and the tree starts to lean. This property is in the Oakland HIlls and is a big reason the city has a moratorium on any hillside construction during the wet months.
Now lok right in the middle where the arrow is pointing and again at the far right where the arrow is pointing. Those are fallen trees that were pushed over by the lumping or subsidence on this hillside.
When FannieMae put this foreclosure back on the market the didn't know about this issue. They did know that the existing foundation was shot and required replacement and adjusted the price of the home by $180,000 for a new foundation. Is that enough... NOT, this home even on a new foundation would be sitting in the street by the next year if we don't deal with the underlying problem of the subsidence. It would be pushed over just like the trees on this hillside.
First it would start leaning, the more and more, till it was turned on it's side.
Here is another scene in Pleasanton.
Thanks for stopping by.
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