Multi $millions Homes sliding away

[pwd72s]

Here's the story from this morn's Portland yellow pages. Maybe Tabby could suggest a good lawyer, and have ideas of whom to sue?

Harsh reality hits dream homes
Damage - What appears to be a slow landslide tears at the yards of two multimillion-dollar Street of Dreams houses east of Oregon City Saturday, February 17, 2007PETER ZUCKERMAN
OREGON CITY -- The Street of Dreams has turned into a nightmare for Tina Phan.

A landslide seems to be slowly sweeping around her and her husband Tu's 7,000-square-foot home, nicknamed "Moxie" and priced for last summer's tour at $2.9 million.

Around Thanksgiving, water pipes broke and flooded the backyard. A crack that opened in the ground about 8 inches from the house continues to grow. A few weeks ago, the Phans evacuated to a hotel while workers replaced a septic tank ruined by ground movement.

At a nearby home named "Romeo & Juliet," described in marketing materials as featuring a "Juliet hideaway, complete with balcony and ladder," cracks spider-web across the driveway, which appears to have fallen at least a foot.

The homes were two of six properties featured in the 2006 NW Natural Street of Dreams, a celebration of some of the most luxurious houses in Oregon. They were built in a rolling landscape east of Oregon City called Hidden Lake Estates.

"We don't know what's going to happen to the neighborhood," Tina Phan said.

She said a geologist and geo-technical engineer have examined her property, but she declined to discuss the results, other than to say she plans litigation.

Most of properties in the area appear unaffected, but several homeowners said their lawyers had discouraged them from talking about the situation.

You can't see most of the damage, said Phan, who works as a real estate broker.

Roger LeClair of Hidden Lake Development Co. in the Happy Valley area said he's investigating the cause.

"There's a situation surrounding the soil on the lots," he said. He said it would be unfair for him to elaborate because he doesn't yet have enough information.

Literature advertising the 2006 Street of Dreams described Phan's home -- complete with a golf simulator room, 14 televisions, a billiards room, a wine cellar and cigar humidor -- as "perfectly suited to a 'vacation every day' lifestyle."

Phan said the past few months haven't been much of a vacation, but she noted that the nickname of her home, "Moxie," stands for "the ability to face difficulty with spirit, courage, energy and determination."

Peter Zuckerman: 503-294-5919; peterzuckerman@news.oregonian

Hidden Lake Estates? Maybe they just discovered where the "hidden lake" is?

[on-ramp]

don't worry about it. I'm very sure insurance will cover it.

[john70t]

(Absolutely no connection, whatsoever, to her neighbor furthur up the hill clear-cutting his property.)

This seems like an engineering result of the upside-down pyrimid. Sue mother nature, 'cause the insurance co. ain't gonna pay.

[tabs]

There have to be Geological tests done before you can develope the lots into buildable sites. That shoulda shown that the sites were unstable. Being a RE Broker that gal shoulda been aware that that kind of problem can exist. I guess nobody thinks that the ground can give way under you, at least until U have been through it once.

[pwd72s]

The Irony here is that this "street of dreams" thing is heavily featured in the media, ohhhs and ahhhs from the unwashed masses, and to have a "street of dreams" home is a top level status symbol in Portland...Damn, another reason to be happy with what you've got..."Stuff" complicates life sometimes. "Stuff" bought to impress others rarely satisfies...

[john70t]

Gettin' "liberal" on us Paul?

[Jims5543]

There was an upscale neighborhood in the Merritt Island area of Florida we used to survey in. We always warned potential lot/home buys to get soil boring done. We would not say why but would strongly suggest it.

The ones that listened to us walked away from the sale. The ones that did not purchased a nightmare.

The developer, in an effort to save some money, buried all the fallen trees and other organic debri about 6 feet under the ground.

When it decomposed it cause the ground to shift and houses to be destroyed.

I would not be suprised to find out the same thing went on here.

[on-ramp]

so in this case, you lose your home PLUS you still owe the principle on your mortgage.

You have just been SERVED by the system!

[Rot 911]

There is a lot to be said in buying older homes. The one we live in now was built in 1926. Whatever settling was going to take place happened years ago. Not to mention the quality of the construction is so much better.

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by john70t
Gettin' "liberal" on us Paul?

Nope...just rethinking what I want to do with the years I have left, and having more "stuff" isn't on the list. Life isn't a dress rehearsal. So, by all means, please yourself first.

[Dantilla]

Originally posted by Kurt V
Not to mention the quality of the construction is so much better.

Sorry, but I don't agree. I used to frame houses, and I've bought and sold a few fixers. I'm amazed with some of the poor construction methods found on older homes. They used more lumber in some areas, but the way it was put together would be instantly red-tagged by any inspector today. Then there are the fire codes. In an old home, a fire in the basement can be all the way into the attic within seconds, with a total loss of the house being the only outcome.
Newer homes have lots of draft stops built in during construction.

I do like solid lumber over the new "engineered" stuff lots of builders are using. But they do still sell 2x4s at the lumberyard today.

[on-ramp]

Clapboard is not real building material?

[Flatbutt1]

where was FEMA during all this tragedy?

[MichiganMat]

$2.9 million for a home on "Street of Dreams"? Bah. That wouldn't buy you a houseboat in the Bay Area.

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by MichiganMat
$2.9 million for a home on "Street of Dreams"? Bah. That wouldn't buy you a houseboat in the Bay Area.

Aye, and that's why so much of Oregon's population is transplants from Californicate...

[island911]

Nah, PWD, MichiganMat is just trying to show how high he can pee up the pole.

Anyone here can go to Zillow, or HouseValues.com and see the average SF house is well below . . .well, they will see MichiganMat has at least a 3x exaggeration factor.

[pwd72s]

This IS a factor though. People can sell in California, buy a much nicer home up here, and have $$$ left over. I would suggest to anyone considering this to use due diligence...get some local knowledge. I've seen homes being built near this little town in places I'd never consider building on...slide areas, flood areas, you name it....