30 Worst Things Seen During Structural Inspections (New Pics)

“I would say the tunnel somebody dug under the foundation put more fear into me than any of the creepy Items I have found. I’ve heard horror stories of people getting trapped under houses by attempting to squirm through those gaps. That’s a nightmare in itself. Thank the lord there was no scary doll or human skull staring me in the face while I was attempting to crawl through!”

During structural inspections, if Marier finds anything weird or creepy, he first takes photos of the items, then informs the homeowner about them, and then contacts the authorities. However, he contacts the police only if he finds things that are a bit ‘sketchy or require forensic investigation.’

“The Nkondi [a type of mystical doll] was just hanging out in somebody’s garage, as if it were normal to just have a spiritual statue from a Congo Tribe. I don’t think it was fake at all either,” he said, also mentioning that he has no idea where the 1,000-year-old skull ended up. The authorities took the skull for further investigation. I didn’t really stay in touch with them so I’m not entirely sure where it ended up. I can only assume it’s in some holding facility for contraband or at a local Peruvian Museum.”

“The dolls stayed there because I know better than to touch those! Most of the structural issues you see in the gallery were completely handled by our company. It’s definitely scary for the homeowner at first, but we’ve been doing this for 25+ years and are very experienced in structural repair. Especially if they’re labeled as ‘scary.’”

According to Marier, not all owners are aware that they have scary things hidden in their homes. “In the case of the skull, the owners didn’t know it was there. The previous owners brought it back some time in the 70s or 80s and just threw it under the home. They were just as surprised to see it as I was! The dolls were also found under the home creepily enough. Whether the owners knew they were there or not is beyond me. But they had no reason being there and that made me think it was either a prank or that they’ve been sitting under the home for decades becoming more and more evil looking.”

In a previous interview, foundation repair contracting firm Alpha Structural, Inc. talked to Bored Panda about poor structural conditions in some buildings, as well as giving advice to help homeowners make their homes safer. Company representative Ben Reinhart had this to say: “I would say one of the worst homes we inspected was back in 1992. We went to a 3-story hillside home located in Playa del Rey.”

“The condition of the soil supporting the home was so bad that, during our assessment, we found that the home was cracking and actually moving. We are not alarmists in any sense but this was the first time we had to evacuate. Temporary shoring was put in the next morning to prevent the home from collapsing. The complexity of the repair required, getting a large rig on a steep hillside to excavate a 55’ deepened foundation, made this one of the worst most challenging in our long history. Let’s just say if we were on a reality TV show, this episode would’ve been a season finale.”

According to Alpha Structural, Inc., there are lots of reasons why some homes aren’t repaired and have problems with their foundations, such as “budget constraints, timing, accessibility of workspace, etc.” However, the company believes that most of the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the contractors who are hired to repair their homes and don’t always do a good job.

The company also had some sound advice to help home-owners keep their homes safe: “Our advice would be to clean out gutters, ensure you have downspouts that direct water away from your foundation and see that the hardscape (walkways, patios, etc.) and landscape grade away from the home. Most foundation problems are caused by water and poor drainage.”

“If you look under your home, check to see that there is no earth to wood contact. Not only will moisture from the ground get to the wood and cause rot, it also allows for wood destroying organisms to get to the framing of your home. Additionally, earthquake retrofitting is a cost-effective upgrade encouraged by not only engineering communities, but also local and state officials.”