New answers tagged structural
1
It took me a while to figure our the drawing of the first floor are first floor and ceiling, not first floor and floor joists. (Is the first floor is a concrete slab?)
There's a 6x12 beam (triple 2x12) in the first floor ceiling supported at one end by the alcove wall.
Superimposing the top floor over the lower floor shows that above the wall with the alcove ...
2
It sounds like you're suggesting drilling the beam clear through from top to bottom, or notching the side of one of the outer 2x8s from top to bottom. Neither of these are allowed under modern building codes and they significantly compromise the capacity of the beam. It's like subtracting one of those 2x8s from the beam.
With that said, I previously owned ...
2
I live in northern maryland and I am assuming you live near APG or harford county. The house shaking is most likely the military base bombs/testing going off. My house shakes all the time from it. The closer you are the worse it is.
5
The Maryland Geological Survey, a division of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, operates the Maryland Seismic Network in cooperation with several colleges or universities. The tremors you're feeling are unlikely to be natural earthquakes. However, if they're strong enough to be detected by seismology stations, there's a good chance the operators ...
1
Could be:
-heavy machinery/trucks moving earth or dumping boulders. Sound waves are capable of transmitting great distances and if large enough can vibrate large obstacles.
-Thunder will do the same as above.
-The east coast although not as active as it's west counterpart do experience occasional seismic activity.
-other possibilities: house foundation/...
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