Building on layered limestone bedrock

[broth]

What is the best procedure for building on top of a cleared-off layered limestone bedrock? As far as I can tell, this layered limestone goes down for well over 10 feet.

I want to build a house and workshop on top of this rock formation.

 

[Mccoy]

What I've been doing for about 20 years, in similar instances:

1. Make sure the surface is all rockmass, not partly rockmass partly soil, as it has happened to me in a few rare occasions.
2. Make sure the bedrock is homogeneous, that is, there are no soft soil inclusions occupying a significant area
3. Just to provide some geotech analysis, I would calculate phi', c' and E based on the Hoek & Bray RocLab software, quick procedure based upon just a few easy parameters plus a visual rating of the outcrop
4. The above point #3 is really only useful in case of a high-rise building, or bridge abutments, or very concentrated loads, in a rock mass like the one depicted above, usual loads will not result in any significant settlements, let alone bearing failure. Young modulus may be in the region of a few gigapascals.

There are more elaborate schemes in the case of layered rock, which we have been discussing in the past, but I would use them only if the loads are substantial.

 

[Mccoy]