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I ~ ,I <br />I <br />February 28, 2001 <br />Davis Graham ~ Stubbs LLP <br />1550 Seventeenth Street <br />Suite 500 , <br />Denver, Colorado 80202 <br />Attention; Mr. Scot Anderson <br />Subject: Consultation <br />Tatum Residence <br />Las Animas County, Colorado <br />Job No. 32,485 <br />Dear Mr. Anderson: <br />At your request, I reviewed data from the February 2001 report by Pioneer <br />Engineering. In the data files attached to the report Point #21 is the analysis point <br />nearest to the Tatum residence. The total movement of this point in the 2001 analysis <br />is 0.002 feet with a change of 0.001 feet since the 1996 analysis. This converts to <br />approximately 118 inch. These analyses involve many assumptions which I <br />understand will be addressed by John Rold. <br />There are many publications regarding tolerance of structures to settlement. <br />Most of these tolerance limits are presented as total and differential settlement or as <br />angular ratios. It is standard practice in geotechnical engineering to select allowable <br />footing design pressures that assume up to 1 inch total settlement and 3/4 inch <br />differential settlement for residential structures. Very stiff masonry walls can <br />normally experience 0.5 inches differential movement prior to the on-set of cracking. <br />An adobe mud brick structure constructed with traditional methods should be more <br />flexible and more movement tolerant than a stiff brick wall. <br />The Pioneer Engineering report has the statements which we believe to be <br />inaccurate. The first on Page 6 "why the house would suddenly fail........." This is <br />inconsistent with statements made by Mr. E. Trujillo who guided our visit in 1994. <br />Mr. Trujillo indicated an elderly woman had applied mud plaster to the structure every <br />other year prior to the application of the hard stucco finish. This is maintenance <br />required because of nonnal cracking. The second statement occurs on Page 10. "A <br />rigid structure made of adobe could not sustain even very small movements, without <br />damage." Movements of up to 1 inch are well within normal expected movement. A <br />movement of 1/8 inch or 1/4 inch would not be expected to produce significant <br />damage. <br />CTL/THOMPSON, INC. <br />CONSULTING ENGINEERS <br />1971 WEST 12TH AVENUE • DENVER, COLORADO 80204 • (303) 825-0771 <br />