35 Times These Structural Inspectors Spotted Horrifying Things While On The Job (New Pics)

Who else likes the corner pieces of a brownie better?

One of our Senior Structural Assessors, Kyle, can be seen here inspecting a failing retaining wall.

We did this assessment for a brand-new home in Los Angeles built in 2017. This is a 3.2-million-dollar home. When we went into the crawlspace, we noticed these wood pieces in odd places. We’ve seen a thing or two, so we knew we had to cut these off and inspect behind it. When we removed the wood pieces, we immediately knew why they were trying to hide what was behind it. Sloppy concrete work. We found several exposed spots. Leaving components of the home open to the elements can cause problems like this rusted beam. This beam is holding up three stories.

Many people do not know that concrete is porous. So when it is wet, the water can make its way into the other side, and as moisture begins to seep into the concrete eventually, the water will break it down, causing cracks and leaks. The combination of water and air encountering the rebar creates a chemical reaction called iron oxide, also known as rust. The rebar inside the concrete will begin to rust once it is exposed to these elements. Without them, the rebar will not rust. Once the rebar begins to rust, it can cause the steel components of the building to expand 6 times the original size. This force created by the expanding rusted rebar causes the cracking and gaps you see.

Wood rot at its best... or worst.

Just imagine for one second dragging your body through a very tight space over thousands of little jagged rocks. This one hurt.

Hmm, gap between the mudsill and stem wall... this homeowner is probably experiencing some sloping floors in this area.

Stick a knife in it. It's done and needs to be replaced.

The soil eroded and left a massive gap in the hill as it all came sliding down. All the extra weight causes the wall to get to a point that it is not strong enough to support the soil, it becomes overloaded, and fails. A drainage system behind a wall like this could’ve potentially helped. A drainage system can include a layer of gravel, drainpipes and weep holes that redirect the water that would usually sit behind the wall. Retaining walls typically are not designed to resist the weight of soil and water. So, when hydrostatic pressure builds up behind a wall, it can become overloaded and fail. The wall caused damage inside the home too. This could’ve been much worse.

This internal cripple wall is leaning to one side. I guess it's already doing half the work for the next earthquake.

This bolt has rusted and allowed the foundation wall to begin to spall. Horizontal foundation cracks are the most concerning. As you can see, the crack has been patched before, but this is something that needs to be replaced ASAP.

This home’s retaining wall failed during the heavy rainfall Los Angeles experienced a couple of weeks ago. A common reason why retaining walls fail is saturated soils, usually from rain, with a lack of a proper drainage system behind the wall.

Rebar, which is steel reinforcement, makes a wall stronger and reduces cracking and leaning. Older block walls may not have rebar in them and are more apt to crack or fail. The majority of maintenance and repairs on a block or concrete wall can be done by masonry or concrete wall contractors. In extreme circumstances, a geotechnical and/or structural engineer may be needed. I know it's hard but take your eyes off the wall and look up to the balcony... Yeah, that's not supposed to happen either.

Here we have some pretty serious spalling in a residential garage. Spalling is a term used to describe areas of concrete which have cracked and delaminated from the substrate. Concerning structural damage, it doesn't happen overnight but persistent water leaks and failure deferred maintenance could cause significant structural issues.

Name a better duo: crumbling piers and tilting posts.