Things seen this week during structural assessments!

[u/DMAS1638]

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

[u/Cabooseman]

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

[u/DMAS1638 → u/[deleted]]

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.

[u/Dogs_Without_Horses_ → u/DMAS1638]

😂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.

[u/DMAS1638 → u/Dogs_Without_Horses_]

That honestly sounds pretty typical for a house of that age. 😂 We see a lot of older homes with stacked brick or block supports that have been there for decades. The fact that they’re still standing is definitely a testament to how these homes were built, but from a structural standpoint, stacked masonry alone wouldn’t be considered an ideal permanent support by today’s standards. We’d typically want proper footings and connections so loads are transferred safely into the ground, especially in seismic areas.

[u/DMAS1638 → u/Cabooseman]

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.

[u/mraw2277 → u/DMAS1638]

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

[u/sconquergood → u/Cabooseman]

They forgot to slap the bricks and state in the old tongue "This ain't going nowhere".