Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Foundation Shoring topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board upholds revised foundation plans after neighbor alleges excavation damage
Summary
The San Francisco Board of Appeals on Feb. 11 upheld a permit to revise foundation and shoring plans at 4121 Twentieth Street after the neighbor alleged excavation undermined his foundation. The board conditioned the permit on sharing revised plans with the appellant and accepted revised drawings to address ongoing safety concerns.
The San Francisco Board of Appeals on Feb. 11 upheld revised foundation plans for 4121 Twentieth Street after an adjoining homeowner showed photos of foundation damage he says resulted from a neighbor’s excavation.
Thomas Goddard, the appellant, told the board he discovered a quarter-inch settlement and separation of his foundation corner after his neighbor’s work and that a local contractor estimated repairs at about $7,000. "The foundation is separated from the concrete slab about a quarter of an inch," Goddard said, describing notices of violation and a lack of timely shoring work.
Permit-holder representatives told the board they had submitted revised plans in response to DBI direction and engineers’ comments. Jonathan Black said his team revised drawings after meetings with DBI and the neighbor’s engineer and asked the board to adopt the newest plans "subject to DBI’s approval." Engineer Brian Talmage confirmed he and the neighbor’s engineer had conferred and revised the plans.
Department of Building Inspection Senior Inspector Bernie Curran and DBI spokesman Joe Duffy described emergency shoring put in after heavy rains and said DBI’s engineers found the proposed design "would resolve the problem" if departments’ requested revisions were completed. Curran said the temporary shoring had been inspected several times to prevent further movement.
Commissioner Frank Fung moved to accept the appeal and to uphold the permit only by adopting the revised structural drawings dated Feb. 11 and on condition that those same plans be provided to the appellant. The board voted 3–0 to uphold the permit with those conditions. The board also noted that further foundation work would still require full departmental review and additional permits if DBI requested them.
Procedural next steps include DBI’s final plan review and any additional permits for permanent foundation work; the board limited its action to adopting the revised drawings and the condition that the appellant receive a copy.
The appellant pressed for a formal shoring permit and an inspection to measure undermining; DBI confirmed that additional work and a foundation permit would be subject to standard departmental review.
