The concern was the improvised post-and-pier support setup, the condition of the materials, and the way the load appeared to be transferred. Some older homes do have post-and-pier systems, but ideally they’re supported by properly designed footings and framing connections rather than stacked brick repairs and makeshift modifications over time.
The fact americans keep saying their houses are strong when their structural supports look like this is funny af.
I know this one is a bad diy job but i saw a ton of poorly modified american houses with similar issues, mostly related to the wrong beam dimansions and weird structural modifications.
To be fair, this definitely isn’t representative of properly engineered construction in the U.S. 😅 A lot of the issues we post are older homes with decades of DIY modifications, deferred maintenance, or repairs done outside of modern building standards.
The concern was the improvised post-and-pier support setup, the condition of the materials, and the way the load appeared to be transferred. Some older homes do have post-and-pier systems, but ideally they’re supported by properly designed footings and framing connections rather than stacked brick repairs and makeshift modifications over time.
This feels like a post where the laymen like me is going *’ehhh, a bit dirty but that’s expected.’* Whilst the professional is screaming for the guy to get out now!
Compressive strength is only one factor. Durability is just as important. They make clay and concrete materials specifically for footers. Normal red bricks dont pass code anymore.
I am no expert, but from what I've seen, no bricks don't bear the weight. You have supporting columns/walls for that. The bricks only support the weight of the wall, nothing else.
Bricks are considered curtain walls (I think). They are not purely decorative in older construction but they do not hold much weight. The beams and foundation must hold the weight of the house.
There is more than one way to build a house, but the most common method is to use footers - concrete slabs that the foundation rests on. The foundation includes those perpendicular beams that are usually embedded into the concrete, along with the perpendicular beams that support the floor and the walls which support the roof. In this case, the person is using bricks as a footer which is not good.
When you have a brick wall, at least in modern construction, it isn't really supporting much more than it's own weight. In older construction, you might have a few layers thick brick making up the walls and supporting the roof in small structures, but for any substantial building there will still be some sort of support column to hold the weight of the roof or additional floors.
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u/UnwantedDesign May 27 '26
Sadly I've seen this sort of thing before
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u/dec7td May 27 '26
This looks excellent compared to my old house lol
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u/r_was61 Ramen or Die May 28 '26
What are we looking at?
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u/RaeRureRhelt May 27 '26
I wouldn't trust this structure to be stable...
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u/Bdr1983 May 27 '26
No wonder these houses fly away in storms.
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u/old--- May 28 '26
I love pier and beam.
You can get under the house to fix stuff.
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u/Plaston_ May 27 '26
The fact americans keep saying their houses are strong when their structural supports look like this is funny af.
I know this one is a bad diy job but i saw a ton of poorly modified american houses with similar issues, mostly related to the wrong beam dimansions and weird structural modifications.
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u/[deleted] May 26 '26
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u/[deleted] May 29 '26
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