You can get away with a sloppy handshake but with a carelessly built house? Not so much. Eventually, its qualities will deteriorate to the point when the only thing holding it together is pure luck. And you better call in the construction engineers before that runs out, too.
Alpha Structural, Inc. presents itself as the only company in Los Angeles County licensed to engineer and build any type of foundation or hillside repair. For its 25th birthday, the organization has decided to share some of the craziest structural construction fails they've found over the years, making many internet users question the sanity of some contractors. "Besides having a stellar reputation, we're called out to inspect and propose solutions to many structural issues," a spokesperson of Alpha Structural, In. told Bored Panda. "Specializing in advanced hillside foundation repair methods we mainly are called to inspect when there are issues such as sloping floors, failed retaining walls, etc."
"A very common engineering fail we see is mid-century hillside homes that are sinking. They were often built with shallow footings that are prone to sink over time. Additionally, there is a lot of expansive soil in Los Angeles which, due to its high clay content, expands and contracts. This leads to corners or sides of a home that sink."
Since the company has already inspected tens of thousands of properties, it's hard to catch its engineers off guard. "I would say we're more likely to be surprised by what's under the home than the structure itself! Although, while we are not alarmist in any way, every once in a while we will come across a structure that we are surprised is still standing."
According to Alpha Structural, Inc., everyone living in the area can take measures to make their building a safe place. "We always recommend earthquake retrofitting your home," they added. "It's no surprise seismic activity is prevalent in Los Angeles, so taking the time to retrofit your home is key. Also, most foundation problems are caused because of no drainage, or poor drainage around the home. The most cost-effective solution to preserve your foundation is to make sure your yard slopes away from the structure and that your gutters and downspouts are cleaned and route the water away.
However, it's easy to get carried away. "People tend to overreact when it comes to their home. Things such as hairline cracks and minor sticking of doors can cause quite a panic in most homeowners. Plenty of information about our services can be found on our website!"
Continue scrolling to check out what epic fails these guys find daily and upvote your favorite entries!
More info: alphastructural.com | Facebook
#101
This was an inspection of a soft story building in Los Angeles. These buildings are under a mandatory ordinance for earthquake retrofitting. While on the "discovery period" for this project, it was discovered that there was awful wood-rot and rusting of the bolts and straps.
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11points
#103
It's cracked on both ends. The mud sill was doubled as a part of a lifting process. It basically did nothing but cause more pressure down.
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10points
#104
A full foundation replacement + Caissons is in order. (Caissons are just steel reinforced concrete shafts going deep into bearing soil)
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10points
#106
It may look somewhat stable..but touching it with a hammer would turn it to dust. Also, the pipe on the ground broke in half when we moved it.
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10points
#108
Water intrusion causing some spalling (when water seeps into concrete and oxidizes the re-bar and causes the concrete to break) *breath*
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10points
#109
A poor excuse for a solid foundation. I think you should be concerned when you can fit your arm in the crack..... Don't make jokes, I'm serious.
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10points
#111
This homeowner thought it was a good idea to undermine the foundation and put in a few masonry blocks underneath. This was discovered by the city somehow. Tisk tisk. We are doing an entire sister foundation (built-in foundation right next to the existing) and I will be sure to share when we are done.
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9points
#112
Here's a better angle on the photos above. You can see how the mudsil (2x4 bolted to concrete foundation) is cracked in half and coming inward. No good.
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9points
#113
A crack from hell. This is a displaced and sinking foundation. This crack was probably the result of years and years of seismic movement in the area. (1909 home)
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9points
#115
That crack in between the tiered stem wall is dropping about 2 inches.
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8points
#116
Industrial concrete building with some bad water intrusion. Caused the steel inside the concrete to rust and break off.
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8points
#118
This is a beam. A DIY glulam beam. A glulam beam is laminated peace of wood made up of other layers that are glued together. There's 8 different pieces of lumber all glued together here. Not very stable and definitely not safe.
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8points
#120
This is a brick retaining wall that has been failing over the past 20 years. It leads right up to the house and would surely turn to dust in the case of an earthquake.
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8points