Question On Foundation Project For Hillside House

Overall looks nicely done,but the siding will need some paint touch up and caulk. The trick will be getting a good paint match if is is a couple of years old and weathered.

Some contractors overlook it but good caulk is critical to keep the weather out.

I hope the contractor has insurance to cover this. What a crazy way to live though. The roof was right at the level of that road, right next to it, with no guard rail. A drunk could drive right into the house and come in through the roof. It's amazing that CA with all it's strict rules and regs, the govt there can't provide guard rails along a road like that?

Almost happened to me. I had a neighbor named Sloman. His drunken son parked his mother's car on the hill up from me and it slipped out of park and would have ended up in my living room if not for a large bush I had planted in that corner of my property. I called that bush, the Sloman Shield.

Aside from the whole discussion as to whether or not the government should be spending tax payer dollars to protect million dollar plus houses that the owners choose to place on a hillside, that would be quite a project. Maybe a "special assessment" funding method could be used so that the homeowners pay for it, not any other taxpayer. What a mess it would be trying to get the homeowners to buy into that. ;-)

So, funding issues aside...

It would take a lot of modifications to the road and/or mountain side to install guardrails. In most spots the road is too narrow for the guardrail to take up any space. There's no easy way to widen the road without major modifications or installation of retaining walls (sometimes on both sides), culverts, drainage pipes, etc.

In addition, there are so many open driveways and parking decks that the guardrail, while yes, protecting the area right at the homes, wouldn't prevent vehicles from launching off someone's parking deck or driveway and into the house.

While not a perfect example, this is what I mean. They can't put a guardrail across this guy's driveway so a vehicle missing that curve could launch right into the house. These setups are all over the neighborhood.

That looks like the road that our small development is off of. There are a half dozen houses below it between the creek that meanders near it. Houses are protected by trees along the road. One time a propane truck ended up in one of their yards but did not hit the house. The state has a few guard rails on the road but not near the houses. One of the places before they put a guard rail, I had seen a car in a ditch there one morning.

There are a couple of guardrails in the neighborhoods, but not many. I don't recall if any are near the houses. Some are wooden, some are metal, different materials from different eras.

I get the whole safety thing, but putting in guardrails between every driveway would completely change the character of the neighborhood.

Not to mention the length of time it would take, considering, like I said, every house-length section would be a complete project unto itself. I was there 3 years ago and then again last month. They are still working on replacing the power poles and I know that the project started more than 3 years ago. It's tough terrain to work in, you can't close the narrow road or people can't get home, etc.