Things seen this week during structural assessments!

AlphaStructural

160241

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I’m an earthquake and this is what happens when your foundation is not up to code…

I feel like Mayhem from Allstate.

Long-term moisture intrusion and poor ventilation… enough for mushrooms to start growing. ??

Without proper protection measures, even minor moisture can migrate into the structure and lead to mold growth, wood damage, elevated humidity, and long-term structural issues.

I’m surprised they didn’t use ramen… cardboard was an interesting choice though.

Rather than performing a full long-term repair, portions of the foundation appear to have been patched over with cardboard. ?

Bluetooth connected. ?

This post-and-pier support system lacks a proper connection at the footing, preventing a secure load path for the structural framing above.

Structural Assessor POV: Brad comes across an original river rock foundation at a 1903 home. ?

As Brad explains in the video, the recommendation here is to install a sister retaining wall designed to help properly reinforce, support, and strengthen the existing foundation system over time.

While railroad tie retaining walls may appear stable from the surface, hidden rot, soil movement, and drainage issues underneath can lead to major structural concerns over time.

This retaining wall system is also considered nonconforming to current building standards and requires immediate structural attention.

Termites showed up uninvited this week!

Termites love dark, damp areas around older foundations, especially where drainage or ventilation issues exist.

This is a severe spalling condition with extensive reinforcing steel deterioration indicating long-term moisture intrusion throughout the surrounding area.

Stagnant water on balconies can become a serious issue when proper drainage is not in place.

It almost always comes down to water intrusion. One of the best ways to safeguard your property is to divert water away from critical structural elements.

construction

engineering

funny

midly_interesting

wtf

OhIfIMust

3 months ago |

CuileannDhu

These posts terrify me. There's so much that could be going wrong with your house that you can't even see happening.

A lot of structural issues unfortunately develop slowly over time behind walls, under floors, or around moisture-prone areas before homeowners ever notice visible symptoms. 👀

TheFastpaws

When I worked IT for a school we had termites return each year to an old building.

Moisture conditions around older structures can definitely keep termite activity coming back over time, especially if ventilation or drainage issues are present. 👀

LuIu

Obviously you know more than I do, but should you be chipping away at the foundation when you're under the building?

Good question — during assessments we’re typically only removing loose, already deteriorated concrete to evaluate the extent of the damage underneath. It's also only a small section, to show the real damage.

kc2syk

That 1903 foundation is lovely. Some real craftsmanship there. Is it not worth repointing the mortar?

The craftsmanship is definitely impressive for its age. The challenge is that many of these older systems were built long before current seismic standards and often require reinforcement to safely support the structure long-term.

Targe0

That won't improve the structural strength.
They look lovely, but are super weak.
Redoing the mortar is basically like putting cement over a sponge.
The outside will be reinforced, but the core will still be weak and vulnerable to give out.
All it would take is a good earthquake or water intrusion, and it would all fall apart.

VolcanoHerder

Agreed that it is pretty, and it's held up well, but even with new mortar, masonry or stone buildings aren't up to code in the Los Angeles area due to earthquake hazard potential. They are very prone to crumbling if not reinforced properly with things like rebar. In this case just building a new foundation to do the heavy lifting is the cheapest and safest way, and still technically leaves the river rock wall intact.

Very well explained. A lot of these older systems can sometimes be preserved, while still adding modern structural reinforcement behind or alongside them. 🚩

InsertUnimaginativeUsernameHere

😂😂😂

Kehy

So should someone want to compromise a structure over a long period of time, have the drains and downspouts send water towards the building?

Ironically… yes. Poor drainage and directing water toward a structure is one of the biggest contributors to long-term foundation deterioration we see. 💧

I didn't get my villain card for nothing. It does make me cringe a bit though seeing how many new structures, especially mass produced houses around here have really bad drainage setups. It was enough to get me to clean my gutters and check my downspouts

idontcareone

What's it like being an earthquake?

Constantly stressed and trying to shift everything at once. 😂

Snuggelapolous

Weird. Confusing. And Scary. It's like having major vertigo except it's not you that is dizzy, it's the world being dizzy around you.

The worst part is there is NO warning. Even tornados you can atleast see clouds and shit. You don't know what it happening right away and it is very discombobulating. You just hope you are in a relatively safe place when it does happen.

treissuncia

Lazy and cheapskate contractors, developers and handymen. Basically lazy humans in short.

We do often come across many 'short cut repairs' but also a lot of the issues we come across are usually long-term deferred maintenance, moisture intrusion, or older construction methods that have simply deteriorated over time.

DinkyDoinky

No. This is just capitalism working as designed.

lol. Why don't you communists and the nazi guys online just go and fight already. I've had enough of both of you morons.

Hey, the buildings my country built in the 50s are still in use with zero maintenance needed apart from facade work. built by communists. Your plywood shacks fall apart after a decade. Ps. If you think we are the same as nazis you are probably a nazi.

UWAGAGABLAGABLAGABA

Fuck termites. I hate the fuckers. I had to basically remodel the whole damn house in Hawaii because they got in all the cabinets.

Termites + moisture conditions together can unfortunately create major long-term structural deterioration if left untreated. Sorry about that remodel!!

Fortunately, they were drywood termites and only got into the cabinets and not the structure. It was still super gross when they decided to swarm the house. I came out with a much better downstairs because of it. - even if it cost 130k. I made double that back when i sold the place.

Ozimbah

"Fun" fact - termites are a type of cockroach - https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/814ua6/termites_are_now_officially_cockroaches_the/

Now that’s a structural assessment fact we wish we didn’t learn today. 😂

gaggedandgooped

I don’t like this

squillis

I learned only through ridding my house of them that they don't exterminate termites, just lure them outside your house till they move to someone else's house in your neighborhood

That's one way to do it! 😂

The only treatment is to tent the house and heat it up to about 150 for like 12 hours. That's the only way.

Termite treatment methods can definitely vary depending on the species, severity, and where the infestation is occurring within the structure.

mirrorz

I bought cypress mulch at home depot about 25years ago and didn't think anything of it. Put it in a few planting beds near the house. Turns out it was loaded with Formosan termites from Louisiana and they burrowed into my house pretty quickly. They don't need a trail back to dirt to thrive like other termite. The were getting water from my A/C drain lines. The entire east side of my house turned to paper pretty quickly.

That’s honestly one of the craziest termite stories we’ve heard. Moisture access from something as simple as drain lines can create major long-term structural damage over time.

Something you can do is put it in a big metal box of some sort and make sure to heat it over 150 degrees for a few hours. Should kill any live termites or their eggs.

I'm so sorry. That had to be super expensive, if not a total loss.

I had exterminators do termite treatments for about 14 years straight that never would fully kill them. Make shift repairs with PT for several more years. Luckily I was finally able to cut out all the rot when I renovated in March 2020. I finally had time on my hands. Demolished 3/4 of my house and built it back larger. Haven't seen them burrowing out of any walls since then so my fingers are crossed that I got them all.

That renovation sounds intense, but honestly props for tackling it correctly and addressing the deterioration fully instead of just patching over it. 👏

Drywood termites take 3~5 years to show signs. So, it would be showing by now if they were.

Tenzil

#4 whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...????

salligheri24

Cardboard mold to pour in a concrete patch. Mind, still not the way to do it...

Okay, but that only looks like a few millimeters of concrete?

Look like a blob of different consistency than the wall behind it. And then a coat spread on top.

But to be clear, not defending it, still not how it should be done.

Definitely looked like multiple layers/materials were present there. Situations like that usually warrant a closer structural evaluation underneath the surface.

The patch material itself looked fairly thin in some areas, which is part of why the underlying deterioration became more noticeable during assessment. 👀

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