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
#121
Same property except somehow it has gotten worse. It's quite obvious this is a non-permitted area will multiple issues. Brick garden wall is failing, brick and masonry wall is failing, material strewn around the yard, broken irrigation, and a sign that really helps people only in the back yard.
Report
8points
#122
Sorry for the bad quality photo, but this is a one-story brick warehouse from 1947. The lower half of the brick wall is completely tilted and days away from falling apart.
Report
8points
#123
This is the house equivalent of breaking your femur bone. This is a very large crack in the foundation that is causing some settling, displacement and bowing of the wall above.
Report
8points
#124
I posted this a while back but recently disappeared from the page. In short, the wall to the left is bowing very badly. Working in that garage would be a dance with the devil. #fails
Report
8points
#125
A foundation made of rock and an old chimney made of un-reinforced masonry brick. A collapse just waiting to happen.
Report
8points
#126
This was underneath a 1920's home in East Los Angeles. A black widow's paradise. There was some pretty bad wood rot from an ongoing leak and the property was not seismically retrofitted.
Report
8points
#127
Occasionally, we go out to a property before we do the work for a 'discovery period" where it is known what is happening but we must find it and expose it for repairs. That was the case with this massive foundation crack. The stucco on the outside was fine, but once it was removed, we found our problem. And for those who I know are going to ask, the crawlspace was inaccessible due to asbestos and minimal working space, that's why it was done from the exterior!
Report
8points
#128
The owner attempted to shore it up with this tin siding sheet and it didn't do much...
Report
8points
#129
This was a retaining wall that was leaning roughly 20%. About anything under 10% can be fixed in most cases, but something like this would need to be replaced.
As you can see at the bottom, the concrete walkway is beginning to displace and sink near the footing of the wall. This causes the weight from above to choose a side to put it's weight down onto. Since there is dirt on the other side, of course the wall starts leaning in, causing this potential wall collapse over the walkway.
Report
8points
#130
This is the result of an overgrown oak tree that was way too close the structure. It ended up breaking through the wall and foundation of the garage.
Report
8points
#131
Not sure if you can see this one that well but the piece of wood on the left is horizontal. It's suppose to be upright and attached to that support beam. The floor was sinking a good foot.
Report
7points
#133
When water seeps into a hole for so long it starts to take advantage
Report
7points
#136
A railroad-tie retaining wall that was simply not holding up. Efforts were made to "retrofit" the wall but it was only months, if not weeks from failing.
Report
7points
#137
You can't really see it much in the photo, but the wall to the left is completely bowing inward. It was not bolted and the concrete foundation was sinking in.
Report
7points
#138
This photo doesn't do it justice but that wooden support girder is tilting a good 2 inches toward the slope. The post it's resting on is leaning outward and sinking back. Replacing that post and re-securing the connections is the way to go. No imminent danger, but that deck could have fallen over time.
Report
7points
#139
Also posted this about a month ago but was randomly deleted last week and thought I would share it again. This is an exposed, exterior footing on an old 1910 property in LA. The house is basically tilting downward, away from the rest of the property. Displacement with a crack like this is a big problem.
Report
7points
#140
Don't let the paint fool you, those stones are as unstable as the 1940's stock market. I will be sure to share some undated photos when the job is completed!
Report
7points