Big rock in a hole. How to remove?

First post! Had pretty much the same situation with a big rock about two feet down. Before getting a backhoe we asked the building inspector if it would be OK pour a little concrete to square things up and go from there, and fortunately he didn't have a problem with it.

www.micro-blaster.com- or a bigger hole?

Keep making the hole bigger until the rock can be removed. Some of my holes were very oversized, that's okay. The only thing you have to worry about is if the rock is a boulder, like a VW bug. I was setting poles at about this time last year. The frame of a pole building goes up really fast.

Do you know what kind of rock it is? If it is limestone some acid will weaken it maybe to the point you can bust it up. Hannibal cut a path through a rock slide in the Alps by heating rocks REALLY hot then quenching them quickly. The rapid cooling cracked it. Might be fun to try anyway...

Jack hammer?

Do you have a local tool rental place? If so, give a gas-powered jackhammer a try. I used one last year when I took my old porch steps out (they were solid poured concrete with HUGE sandstones thrown in the mix). Worked like a charm. Those two-cycle jackhammers are pretty slick.

Don't wait for the inspection, call him on the phone. Ask if you can drill 4 holes and tie into the rock with rebar.

Ehouse

Bingo.
Use the rock as an anchor/base for a foundation.
The only time we have had this refused is when the rock is above the frost line.
With your location I am guessing you are already below that elevation.
Side note; if you are in an earthquake area code may have alot to say about how you anchor to the rock.

& yes call the inspector tomorrow AM. Be prepared to email photos.

Check out Dexpan® Non-Explosive Controlled Demolition Agent by Silent Cracking.

You drill some holes, mix this stuff up and put it in holes. It expands as it sets.

This is a pole building. The poles must be a certain depth and the hole a certain width to provide vertical strength (pole sinking) and to restrain lateral loads like the wind. Imagine a fence post. You wouldn't want a shallow fence post because a rock was in the way, it would just blow over and you wouldn't want to attach the fence post to a rock of unknown size even if you could. You need to get the bottom of the hole to full depth. Get that rock out of there.

BG lives in the puget sound. These big rocks were deposited when the glaciers dug it out. The rocks are smooth on the outside and can be very large. They are not limestone and are generally cemented in place with hardpan clay type soil. Most of the rocks are basalt.

Is the inspector coming out to see the empty holes to measure depth, diameter, and location? That was my only inspection prior to final approval. They wanted to be sure I put the building where I said I would.

And the pole has a HUGE amount of leverage on any mickey mouse attachment method. I was required to go 48" to bottom of pole. Pole on top of 8" thick footing and hole backfilled with concrete and two bars of rebar tying the backfill to the slab.

My kids could hide in the holes.

Yes sir. Apparently very common in this area as the concrete supplier had done many this way. The engineering required it.

You might try a boring drill. My son has a set that goes up to 5" diameter .diamond edge bores thru just about any kind of rock. I have an electric jackhammer but some rocks are just too hard for it. YOu could rent those boring drills at a tool rental center.