Throwback to when we discovered bolts that were glued to the foundation...

Apr 23, 2020 6:27 PM

AlphaStructural

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Upon inspection of this home’s foundation, we discovered that somebody had glued the foundation bolts onto the sill plate instead of actually bolting anchors into the concrete...

Not only is this unethical, but it puts the residents of the home and the home itself at risk during seismic activity. Luckily we ended up bolting it correctly.

My inspector checked BEFORE the sill plate was installed.

6 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

wow more work than doing right the first time

6 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

i love your weekly reports thanks dude

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

It's amazing to see the effort people put in to do a bad job. The same effort could have been used to do it correctly.

6 years ago | Likes 23 Dislikes 0

They probably forgot to put them in, and did this as a quick fix before the inspector got there.

6 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

That is rancid! Going to such great lengths as to fake bolts and washers....geez. Probably cheaper to do the actual job

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Typical geocaching

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

This seems like a lot of effort to avoid not putting effort into something.

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Fishing for repeat business... Same way so many roofing companies do shoddy work. Nuke/Phoenix the LLC, hire crew to new corp, profit.

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Thats some next level Chinese Engineering

6 years ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 1

FakeIphoneLooksReal.MPG

6 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Last level chinese engineering. NEXT level chinese engineering is gluing the windows default background wallpaper to the screen of a tv....

6 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

How did you figure this out?

6 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 0

If we are performing work or doing an inspection under a house, we almost always do a torque test on the bolts to ensure they are secure.

6 years ago | Likes 23 Dislikes 0

Ever have them shear right off?

6 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

Yes. Sometimes they’re in such bad condition from rusting that they rip off fairly easily or spin loose.

6 years ago | Likes 16 Dislikes 0

Ha, I'm pretty sure with how crooked my house is if i had an earthquake this whole building would end up in the basement.

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I worked on a house from the late 1800s that was in bad shape. I once fell through the roof, the staircase, and through the floor. It hurt.

6 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

Ouch :/

6 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

"It hurt." I LoL'ed. I fell through the third floor of an apartment building once. Luckily I stopped at the second floor ceiling...

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I felt like Tim Allen.

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

My brother works construction. They got a job to insulate a house built during the housing bubble that burst in 2007.

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Turns out the cinder blocks were laid in a checker board pattern.

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

So the contractor glued and bolted?

6 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Yes

6 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

DIN 897

6 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

Reminder: The Republican party constantly tells people that regulations hurt business.

6 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

This one is less dangerous, but when my Mum got her house, the previous owners put gloss on the hardwood floors, going around the furniture

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Seems like a silly place to put bolts when your keyboard is right there

6 years ago | Likes 55 Dislikes 1

Wow. That's so messed up.

6 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

So houses in America are bolted down? Why not just cement the bricks to the foundation?

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Really ?

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

You mean I have been wasting time anchoring them in the concrete?

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

Referred to as "lick em and stick em" here. People actually try to get away with that for earthquake bolts!!

6 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

I've seen similar with some structural work I've done. Crazy

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

A bolt move though.

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

When the shortcut is more work than the long cut.

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Sales guy: *Slaps roof of house* “This baby—“ Inspector: “Don’t do that."

6 years ago | Likes 1700 Dislikes 1

6 years ago | Likes 16 Dislikes 0

Does the front fall off?

6 years ago | Likes 55 Dislikes 1

But no cardboard derivatives were used.

6 years ago | Likes 19 Dislikes 0

This isn't just a front, the other sides of the houses come for free, as in they don't exist but *shh*

6 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Seismic activity? In California? Chance in a million

6 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

"Well, I'm not saying it wasn't safe it's just perhaps not quite as safe as some of the other ones."

6 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 0

6 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Ever consider that they really couldn't practice that scene?

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Beautiful!

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

6 years ago | Likes 131 Dislikes 0

This guy was a crazy military dictator or something, right? This gif always makes me chuckle. But I'm pretty sure he's a terrible human.

6 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

I just like the gif coz of the way he laughs.

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Idi Amin Dada Oumee aka "Butcher of Uganda", yeah not a very nice dude.

6 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

bad dude, infectious laugh though

6 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

A true mad man. We made a few of those.

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

every home built in my city was built by a company that was a shell company that folded as soon as the project was done. no one to sue.

6 years ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 0

Oh shit! O.O

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I think because required insurance policy in effect at the time of the occurrence/defect would provide relief. I've actually used this

6 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

the problem is that my city has no oversight on housing developments. I've lived in several places that were deathtraps waiting to happen.

6 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I sympathize. Hard to find a reputable builder when most home are spec built

6 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

What the..... how often do you see something like that....

6 years ago | Likes 100 Dislikes 2

Im assuming in the US not as much. China? Probably standard

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

Most builders with any kind of reputation would never do such a thing. This kind of thing happens if you hire fly-by-night lowest bidders.

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I saw it once, on a bridge over the highway. There was a geocache in it.

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I've never seen it, but I'm in michigan and I've never heard of a house blowing off the foundation, even though most of the old houses don't

6 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

have them.

6 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Probably don't get too many hurricanes or earthquakes up there though.

6 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Depends how often people check for it. I'd say more than you're comfortable considering.

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Not a whole lot. People don't stoop down to that level often...

6 years ago | Likes 99 Dislikes 0

That’s the kind of thing it seems like it would be worth searching for who did it and setting an example, but I imagine that might be hard

6 years ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 0

Perfect icon for that comment

6 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

I meant to say thanks as well, I like seeing your posts, they are interesting!!

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

How did you even notice that?

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Do you have a way to find out which contractor did this and report it?

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

To foundation level?

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

seems like it'd be more effort to cut and mock them up than just anchor them properly

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Well compared to doing it correctly when their pouring the wall. After when the sill plate and floor is down... gonna be a pain to drill it.

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

That level? The foundation level?

6 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 2

gods i hope not... but you've given me a ton of shit to check for whenever i purchase a bigger house (hopefully)

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

But you’ve seen it more than once?

6 years ago | Likes 19 Dislikes 0

Oh they definitely have seen things like that more than once. A lot of the time it's the homeowner's idea too because they don't want to pay

6 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

Damn

6 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

There isn't an iron worker around who hasn't thought about it. You're a scumbag if you do it.

6 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 0

Seems like more work than just putting some titens in

6 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

How hard is it, really, to sink bolts into the foundation when it's poured? I mean, the wall layout is RIGHT THERE...

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I've forgotten it twice. You get the rotary hammer and some wedge anchors and fix it. Half an hour to do it right no matter how bad it was.

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Ok that's fair. When putting up my dad's new garage, we didn't have enough bolts sunk in either, so we ran some 3/4" redhead bolts in 1/

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

and also set a small pile of sawdust on fire because I set the drill too close to the chopsaw after drilling the holes...2/2

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Wish you guys were country wide, my house is deciding to do all sorts of not nice things. Starting to think there is a collapsing cavern 1/2

6 years ago | Likes 197 Dislikes 5

read this as "County Wide" and was wondering why they hated your part of the county... lol

6 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 1

Im right there with ya Crasher2003. I have a couple old family homes in desprate need of foundation inspection.

6 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

The crap part is it's two slabs each end with block in the middle. And it looks like the back part is trying to pull away from the front.

6 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 1

Hopefully we will someday in the near future :)

6 years ago | Likes 86 Dislikes 2

Honestly you are the only guys I'd trust to do a home inspection when I'm looking to buy a house

6 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

Please let imgur know when you are spreading to other areas!

6 years ago | Likes 23 Dislikes 0

CovidStructural. Now across the US!

6 years ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 1

/a/WNIP8y1 recently noticed my rented house is held up by some sketchy bricks, can you tell me how fucked this is lol

6 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Based on their other posts that looks pretty fucked. I’d talk to the owner stat.

6 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

Oh fuck. No more running or intense sex in the house, okay?

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Yah our doors or either too loose or too tight depending on the day because the frame shifts so bad. Good thing we are renting. We might die

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Think renter's insurance covers that?

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Or you could do this guy a solid and do a free road trip to inspect his place. :V

6 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Ok, maybe not free. PREMIUM.

6 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Hell I'd settle for a video call and see what he thinks. The few companies in our are are no good.

6 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

Hm...remote telepresence drone? I think that's a thing.

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Under the back of the house, but my only exp is foundation lifting not too keen on the eval side of things.

6 years ago | Likes 63 Dislikes 3

I'd be happy to come take a look.

6 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

I'm sure there is some sort of structural inspector in your state, just gonna cost a bit.

6 years ago | Likes 36 Dislikes 1

Sink hole?

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Maybe if it is it's not visible yet

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 1

One family in our town had a sink hole open up underneath their house without any warning. Insurance sucked, they are still paying mortgage!

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

They were evacuated and could not go back in for anything. It really sucks for them.

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

What state are you located in?

6 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Va

6 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

Dang not located near there. Can't recommend any other structural engineers. If you were New England I'd see what I could do.

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0