This is the kind of thing that happened to the Co
rvette museum a few years back.


https://youtu.be/G_Yv_9dNN9g

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by Ripley:
How deep can sinkholes be?

This U TN extension article says as much as 100’ deep in some types of geology

OP is in Middle TN. To give you an idea of the extreme end - Mammoth Caves National Park is in Middle TN.

Um.. no. It's in Kentucky (which is also Karst throughout a lot of the state)

The younger me would say " Let me string a line down there to see what you are up against".

The old fart in me wishes you luck in your endeavors!!

We have karst topology here in SW Wisconsin. A sinkhole opened up by our gravel road in a spot that had no previously known hole. In one big rainstorm, the funnel-shaped hole grew so big you could have set a semi-tractor in it upside down and been looking down at the wheels.

Lots of big rocks - the size of a king-sized bed and bigger - went into that hole to start with, then gradually smaller stuff as the hole filled until it was back to ground level.

The road crew was working on it for days.

quote:

Originally posted by ChuckFinley:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by Ripley:
How deep can sinkholes be?

This U TN extension article says as much as 100’ deep in some types of geology

OP is in Middle TN. To give you an idea of the extreme end - Mammoth Caves National Park is in Middle TN.

Um.. no. It's in Kentucky (which is also Karst throughout a lot of the state)

Oops, got a phone call and got distracted leading to posting without proofreading. What I should've posted, Figure 5 in the link shows the same karst region that runs through Middle TN also runs through Mammoth Caves National Park.

Thanks a million to everyone, especially the experts. It is really appreciated.

I found this map on a web site for a company that "fixes" sink holes. My hole is near the center, I marked it by placing a white donut in it's approximate location.

I cut it off in the screen grab, my area is listed as "Ordovician Limestone"

No utilities within 100 yards or more except my waterline to the building.
Never runs more then the minimum bill so no leak there.

Where in Middle TN are you?? Nashville, or further South? I would get a professional opinion. I know you are cheap, but you need to know what is going on here and what it might cost to remedy the situation. Let us know the outcome.
You never know it could be buried treasure like on Oak Island!

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Where in Middle TN are you?? Nashville, or further South?

See the little white donut I drew on the "Tennessee sinkhole map" I just posted above...
I am ~50 miles south, south east of Nashville.
The building is in Shelbyville, Bedford County.

And another thing,
How does this "self insured" thing work ?

And what are you self insured against ?

Thanks I know right where you are. A professional is not going to pick up the phone and call anyone. He works for you. Vandy has some pretty smart people that could give you an opinion. Asking someone at Church is not a good idea. They could,however, help with a referral.

quote:

And another thing,
How does this "self insured" thing work?

And what are you self insured against?

Self-insured means that a person is not carrying any insurance.

If you own a property outright you don't have to have insurance on it. If the place burns down, is destroyed, or if someone gets hurt on it. Then it is up to you to pay to replace what was lost. Or in case of a lawsuit resulting from a personal injury you have to pay that person if they win the lawsuit.

If you have a loan on your property, your home, a building, a car. Then the lender will require that you have an insurance policy in order to recover for what you own them.

Here is what Google will tell you
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...0insurance%20company.

Note for a car to be legal you must have PL/PD insurance. Thus you cannot be fully self-insured

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
And another thing,
How does this "self insured" thing work ?

And what are you self insured against ?

First off the entire business was fully licensed and insured... just not this Building.

In this case... I simply assume the risk of loss myself... I save the insurance cost and roll the dice. If I win I am thousands of $$$ ahead. If I lose, I rebuild on my dime. This works only if you can afford the hit with out placing an undue burden on your financial welfare. You can't do that if you are broke, in that case you must pay someone else to carry the risk.

We had very little invested in the property. Dad traded with his brother for the land and in addition to being a home builder he was a dealer for a national brand of metal buildings.
The insurance premiums for a commercial building that size would have been thousands a year for 48 years and counting... many times over what is invested there. The business is closed now.

I own the building, and I leased it to my Dad, who owned the Construction business, and I worked for him... but thats another story all together

Funny thing...
WalMart's realtor contacted me and wanted the property several years ago along with the surrounding properties to build a Super WalMart. We were still in business then but I did put a price on it. They ended up building on a different site which was fine with me at the time... We would have had to find other accommodations and move.

My estate can sell it when I'm gone... or perhaps give it away if it's just a hole in the ground

quote:

Originally posted by SOTAR:
Note for a car to be legal you must have PL/PD insurance. Thus you cannot be fully self-insured

Well... Tennessee Law says you only have to have to show proof of financial responsibility.

You can do that by carrying insurance on your car.

OR...
Post a bond with the Department of Revenue for $65,000.

OR...
Make a cash deposit with the Department of Revenue for $65,000.

I never knew this until I was hit by someone who had the bond thing. I wonder what a 65k bond would cost.

quote:

Originally posted by SOTAR:
Note for a car to be legal you must have PL/PD insurance. Thus you cannot be fully self-insured

I guess it depends on the state. In CA, you must have liability insurance or have a financial responsibility bond. I never looked into the details because I want more coverage than the required basic liability, but there are options.

I'd call the city, there might be a sewage or water supply pipe running under there that has burst, or a professional. A 20' deep hole is pretty serious and you have no idea how much of the underlying area around it is eroded. Look at what happened to the Corvette museum.....all fine and then one day boom, a giant hole that consumed half a dozen cars in a minute.

quote:

Originally posted by cparktd:
But NO one thinks I should just make it safe and watch it?.

With good reason. They don't go away, they don't fix themselves, you're in an area known for them...

While waiting for some professionals, I might suggest putting up something low-key that would temporarily restrict access to it without attracting incremental foot traffic. Some yokel sees something, wants to get close, and falls in, you'd be finding out quick how good your liability insurance policy coverage is.

Speaking of insurance, you might check and see whether you have title insurance from when you bought the property, and if so, whether there is any mention there of coverage relating to sinkholes.

Step 1: Excavate Sinkhole

Step 2: Advertise New Public Attraction

Step 3: Profit

Good idea Frank. It could rival Ruby Falls!!

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Good idea Frank. It could rival Ruby Falls!!

LOL! Free admission for Sig forum members.

Do you know anyone that has a good drone? Maybe a real estate professional? You could at least get a feel for size, but lack of control could be an issue if it goes to far down.