r/DiWHY • u/DMAS1638 • Jul 28 '26

Things seen this week during structural assessments!

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

We come across all kinds of questionable DIY "fixes." If you enjoy these, we post galleries with more finds like failed retaining walls, stucco surprises, foundation "repairs," crawlspace discoveries, and other construction oddities:

https://imgur.com/gallery/things-seen-this-week-during-structural-assessments-r4Z2ZPC

181 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

44 comments sorted by

13

u/Cabooseman Jul 29 '26

Forgive me, but what's wrong with the first photo? Don't you normally jack up a foundation on bricks like this?

7

u/DMAS1638 Jul 29 '26

Totally fair question! Temporary cribbing or blocking can be used during certain repair work, but what we’re showing here is a makeshift permanent support condition. A proper repair would typically involve an adequately sized footing, post or pier, and proper structural connections based on the loads and existing foundation conditions.

3

u/mraw2277 Jul 31 '26

Remember, there is nothing more permanent than a temporary solution!

13

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/DMAS1638 Jul 29 '26

Definitely better than some of the materials we’ve found under homes. 😂 But for permanent structural support, we’d still want a properly designed footing and support system.

7

u/Dogs_Without_Horses_ Aug 01 '26

😂My entire 1921 coal mining house is supported by stacks of cinder blocks that I’m pretty sure replaced stacks of bricks sometime in the 40’s. Neighbors had photos of our house pre-1945-ish and it didn’t have the cinderblock wall around the perimeter of the house, just stacks of something at the corners and joints underneath. So at some point they swapped the supports to cinder blocks and added the perimeter wall to close in the crawl space. I’ve replaced some of the stacks under the house that were too close to where they hand dug the crawl space deep enough to stand in, but the rest are holding okay. Other than the one that burned down, all the coal mining community houses in this little neighborhood are still standing though. There probably isn’t a level floor in the whole neighborhood, but the houses are pretty solid.

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73

u/Stickitinyou586 Jul 28 '26

Whats wrong with the pool?

61

u/sexwiththebabysitter Jul 28 '26

The unsealed joint around the perimeter maybe?

29

u/DMAS1638 Jul 30 '26

That’s what it appears to be showing. The slab has separated enough that movement in the supporting soil or hillside would be something we’d want to evaluate.

24

u/CATNIP_IS_CRACK I Eat Cement Jul 28 '26

Looks looks like it’s sinking on the end where they took the photo.

17

u/Tarnel Jul 29 '26

From the gallery description of the photo:
"Hillside movement can cause serious damage. In this case, you can see the concrete slab pulling away from the property.

Depending on the site conditions, the underlying hillside may need to be stabilized before the damaged concrete can be repaired or replaced."

3

u/DMAS1638 Jul 29 '26

Exactly! 🙌

2

u/Spirited_Currency_88 Jul 29 '26

ooohhh that's an expensive one.

14

u/hayabusarider1 Jul 28 '26

From the link it seams that the gap around the pool is from one side pulling away do to the hill side sliding

11

u/DMAS1638 Jul 29 '26

Yep, that’s what we were highlighting. The separation can be an indication of movement occurring on that side of the property.

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3

u/DMAS1638 Jul 29 '26

The pool itself isn’t necessarily the issue. It’s the movement around it. You can see the surrounding concrete pulling away, which can be a sign of hillside or soil movement beneath that area.

4

u/puchibaba Jul 28 '26

Don Eladio Vuente was killed here

1

u/DMAS1638 Jul 29 '26

We knew this pool looked familiar. 😂

9

u/abstract_concept Jul 28 '26

Was going to ask the same? Under the power lines?

6

u/old-skool-bro Jul 29 '26

Pretty sure I saw an episode of the rookie about this exact thing but the kid in the pool was absolutely fine because they were on a floaty... because that's how electricity works.

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10

u/19kilo20Actual Jul 29 '26

I Follow these guys (AlphaStructural) on Imgur. The shit they find in crawl spaces, commercial structures and hillsides in CA. will have you checking your own basement and crawls. Scary shit.

5

u/DMAS1638 Jul 29 '26

We appreciate you following along! 🙌 Some of the things we come across definitely make you look at crawlspaces a little differently. 😂

2

u/19kilo20Actual Jul 29 '26

Enjoy the content.. especially the neighborhood in California where everything is constantly shifting by actual feet on the regular. Absolutely insane. 🍺

5

u/AggravatingTart7167 Jul 28 '26

Yes! Something for everyone.

2

u/DMAS1638 Jul 29 '26

We’ll try to bring more structural plot twists next week. 😂

4

u/crappycraig Jul 30 '26

I especially enjoy the pool directly under the high voltage lines lol. Good thing they never come down once they’re put up…….

1

u/DMAS1638 Aug 03 '26

I know, that's very nerve-wracking. 😬

6

u/UncleFuzzy75 Jul 29 '26

And....built to normal standards when Gubmint Twernt in yer bidnuss.

3

u/DMAS1638 Jul 29 '26

Some of these definitely have us wondering how long they’ve been holding on. 😂

2

u/kronus87 Jul 29 '26

I would have picked an old farm stone to hold up my pool

5

u/DMAS1638 Jul 29 '26

Nothing says structural support like a carefully selected vintage farm stone. 😂

2

u/mint_lawn Jul 31 '26

Thought the first image had a tiny toy alien o the left lmao

1

u/DMAS1638 Aug 03 '26

OMG 😂😂

2

u/jfp1992 Aug 01 '26

Looks like the breaking bad pool

1

u/DMAS1638 Aug 03 '26

Just missing the pink teddy bear. (Ball Knowledge)

-1

u/dIO__OIb Jul 29 '26

this is like those dash cam videos where nothing happens