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For nearly 30 years, Alpha Structural, Inc. has developed a powerful reputation as the number one foundation engineering and repair, landslide repair, earthquake, and structural rehabilitation contractor in the Los Angeles area. The company has over 400 years of combined technical experience and all of it is hard-core and down-in-the-trenches, not managed from behind a computer.

Alpha Structural, Inc. also shares photos from its engineers' day-to-day work, including all the funniest, most bizarre, and downright dangerous things they discover. We've already covered their finds here, here, and here, but recently they've unearthed more surprising treasures, so we put together a new piece on them.

More info: AlphaStructural.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

#1

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

Life always finds a way...

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varwenea
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nature says, "I'm moving in!" (Fyi, in the US during home inspections, they always check for no plant growth within X inches from all sides of the house. Otherwise, this happens.)

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#2

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

Here we have a brick retaining wall experiencing surcharge from the neighboring hill. Structures that are settling can cause this surcharge in the soil. This creates a high-pressure situation which then pushes out the remaining soil and results in this type of damage to retaining walls.

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Since the company has already inspected tens of thousands of properties, it's hard to really surprise the engineers. But it still happens. "I would say we're more likely to be surprised by what's under the home than the structure itself! Although, while we are not alarmist in any way, every once in a while we will come across a structure that we are surprised is still standing."

"We've definitely inspected properties that should have been demolished too, though they never take our advice on that particular issue."

#3

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

Being that my company in LA does this sort of repair/prevention work, this was some scary news to see this morning. Torrential rain and debris caused a large chunk of Highway 1 on the West Coast of California to wash away.
You're going to need yourself a Yoshi if you're wanting to cross here. Back in 2017, a massive landslide covered up over a half mile of the road. It took months to clean up and there was no access around it. If it continues to rain, I wouldn't be surprised if more of this happened in and around Southern California.

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#4

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

If you're ever concerned about your slab foundation being cracked, look out for this

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The most nightmarish inspection we’ve done last year was the property in Portuguese Bend down on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. First off, because of soil conditions and high landslide risks, not much structural work can be performed there in the first place.

"The home had a very interesting foundation system made up of screw jacks, steel beams, and cribbing (commonly used for temporarily lifting a structure while work is being done underneath)," Derek Marier from Alpha Structural, Inc. told Bored Panda.

"The front portion of the deck and home was sinking and unfortunately, the homeowner can’t really do much about it. It could have toppled over at any given moment and that’s why the 'nightmarish' description fits well."

#5

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

I guess the original builder of this property chose the ancient Roman vibe for this foundation.

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#6

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

We think this takes the cake. This is not rebar. These are old Helical Piers from the 70s. It has never been a method that we have used as a company and this is why. They are very practical in many situations, but for steep hillside and seismic zones, they are not. We've seen this all too many times in LA.

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leodomitrix avatar
Leo Domitrix
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Helical piers, AKA "IKEA fastenings for foundations" ---- quoting my friend, a gen contractor

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#7

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

Please watch your step!

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marianne eliza
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can see that the ends of the joists were cut off and patched at some time in the past. Dry rot probably.

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Marier said that safety is a huge deal for employees at Alpha Structural, Inc. "Crawl suits, masks, gloves, steel-toed boots, and many other forms of safety precautions are taken. The chance that a building is actually going to fall over when we do our work is slim to none. Any actual danger is sniffed out pretty quickly and avoided. If our guys think it’s unsafe to inspect or work on a location, they’ll make a call based on their best judgment and sometimes they choose to not do it. That’s just our safety policy!"

#8

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

This concrete patio is sitting on a retaining wall that has been pushed outward due to what is known as a surcharge, or hydrostatic pressure build-up. Hollow areas formed under the patio, causing the cracking and further sinking of the patio from the roof load above

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#9

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

The side of this property is sinking, causing this column to lean backward, bringing the connecting beam forward in the other direction. It could slip in the future if it goes unhandled.

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Mark and Elmo
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3 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

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#10

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

Notice the compression of the posts into the girder. They go into the girder about an inch. This property has some crazy settlement and moisture problems

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Leo Domitrix
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OK, I'll ask: Does anyone run a grader and over property, or do they just build on loose fill? WTH?

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#11

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

It looks right and wrong at the same time

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coo coo cachoo
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

IT LOOKS LIKE A DOGO windows are the eyes window flap things ears the chimny thing is the nose and the garage is the mouth ITS A DOGO

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#12

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

This doesn't happen with just a gust of wind... though that might be all it would take to bring it down

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#13

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

This deck system uses an angled beam that attaches to the concrete patio below for support. The very edge of the deck is beginning to dip down, causing a lot of tension where the beam meets the patio. If you look closely, you can see the concrete lifting with the beam. No partying on this deck for a while!

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#14

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

Our firm was brought into this project to lower the basement down two feet and to add additional supports for framing and brand new concrete foundation walls. The structure had some bad rot as well. The project began with a demo of all the drywall and lath to expose rotting elements of the basement area. It didn't take long to open everything up. We exposed tons of rotting wood and plenty of termite damage, which is always a pleasant surprise. The rim joists were in very bad shape, as were the studs connecting to them. It turned out to be quite the rot repair and we had plenty of replacing to do along with the concrete foundation. After ripping open the walls and exposing everything, engineered shoring was installed to support the stories above. You may be asking, "why does the shoring go down into the ground?" Good questions. Since we are lowering the slab 2 feet, we needed to make sure the structure was supported down to that level where the new slab will be poured, at least until the concrete foundation walls were in! Demolition of the existing walls and slab came next. Additional shoring was added toward the higher elevated area to minimize any risk of buckling in the floors above. It looked wicked from an exterior viewpoint. I'll add that these guys did such a fantastic job of staying on track and getting everything done in an efficient and safe manner. After the concrete was demolished, everything was cleaned up and concrete forming and steel reinforcement was installed in preparation of the walls to be poured. Rebar dowels were set at the bottom of the wall to make the process of connecting the slab grid much easier. Anchor bolts were suspended into the concrete forming so they would set nicely into the new foundation. These will connect the framing of the building to the new foundation walls. Once the foundation walls were cured, the shoring remained in until the additional framing was installed. The forms were stripped and everything came out perfect. No honey comb or pockets. They did such a good job. Internal footings were used to help support the newly replaced framing and beam in the center of the room. Then they added a vapor barrier and sand, and finally put in the steel grid for the concrete slab. The pour came and went and the finishers did what th Thus, the project (at least for our end of the work) was complete.ey had to do in less than two hours. It came out perfect (as it should) and the client was very happy.

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Anna Simpson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think I needed to see some satisfying repairs after all the dodgy jobs

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#15

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I'm not sure what his bottom jaw is doing near his rear end, but always a "fun" find.

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#16

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

This isn't what you want to see greeting you as you enter the crawlspace.

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Bruce Scheiman
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm trying to figure what century, this died in? Because.... This animal looks GINORMOUS! I'm being really honest! I am not sure what kind of 🐕 or 🐈, is that big? Not only that, how the heck did this precious animal end up with the legs ripped off the body? We can only imagine, that doesn't happen during death. Unless, someone/something did it! POOR LITTLE ANIMAL! Raine Soo, YOU ARE 💯 % RIGHT! It absolutely looks, like it died in agony!

rhodabike6 avatar
Seabeast
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Most likely it happened after death. The joints would become disarticulated and then scavengers would pull at the legs while eating it.

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Anne
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As the flesh decays, the mouth will look like this. It may have just died in peace, but that's just how a body decays. As for what other people mention - legs do fall off and bodies usually don't decay on their own, without some bugs helping so. that's the explanation for that. It is sad that someone probably misses this poor animal and wonders what happened.

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rl_2 avatar
R L
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Judging by the length of the humerus vs the femur and tibia, and the shape of the skull, I would think a cat. The angle of the photo makes it appear larger, and the scattered bones don't help.

the_true_opifex avatar
Katie Lutesinger
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Someone somewhere never found out what happened to their missing cat. :(

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b o o p
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

it's a dead pitbull. most likely got trapped in the crawlspace and died.

321555 avatar
Mark and Elmo
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

IT'S HIS OPINION! LEAVE HIM ALONE! HE HAS HIS OWN RIGHTS TO SHARE A COMMENT! Damn.

6bean80 avatar
tmw
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

omg..... getting past the horror of the dead thing.... look at all the bug bodies in the dirt around it..... and on the wall.... the horror lives on!!

daveyvanes avatar
Dave van Es
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you hear something move near you, close your eyes. You never know if it was a basilisks meal

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#18

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

We’re earthquake retrofitting this building and discovered a few columns that were completely corroded at the bottom. Scary...

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#19

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

A flight of stairs that goes directly to the hospital!

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#20

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

When your friends help support you but they slowly leave you over time.

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#21

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

Part of your retaining wall/house seems to be missing, sir

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#22

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

"Frankenstein's basement" - Aptly put by one of our assessors.

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Sarah McManus
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Are there no building laws in it USA?! In the UK this sort of thing wouldn't be signed off by a building inspector!

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#23

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

Anyone want to take a dip the sewage pool under this house?

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#24

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

A car hit the side of this house and caused some pretty significant structural damage.
Not much can be seen from the inside surprisingly, except water damage and some cracking.

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#25

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

Out with the old, in with the... new?
This is a very early 1900s home with a brick foundation that we inspected.
In addition to the foundation needing a replacement/sister foundation, much of the framing needs to be replaced as well.
It's hard to consider this as a foundation since the concrete is as stable as the dirt underneath it.

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kjorn avatar
kjorn
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

even my patio i made myself has better foundation... and i really suck at that.

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#26

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

This masonry wall supported the back half of the home, as well as a deck in the back. Tons of moisture and hillside erosion caused the wall to lose its grip on the hillside and rest of the structure. This type of failure tends to happen in the rainy season in Los Angeles.

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leodomitrix avatar
Leo Domitrix
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's almost like Nature is saying: "Humans shouldn't live in the LA area. We're either quaking, sliding, eroding, or dehydrating". Hmm...

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#27

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

Nature wins this episode of man vs. wild!

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Seabeast
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The vines are all that is holding the wall together, by the look of it.

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#28

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

This is why you always remove stucco before you engineer a solution!

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#29

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

A nice pile of dust supporting a home.
This is a very bad spalling concrete foundation. I assume most of you know what that is by now, but if you don't feel free to ask.
Here's some more spall damage on a different property!

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Truett Neathery
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ive had real estate appraisers tell me "They only look under the house (and in the attic) if it's for an FHA loan !! Hopefully, some will see these pix !!

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#30

Horrible-Structural-Inspections

Who wants to guess what happened to this poor girder? Luckily it was sistered a while back, but it's a shocking scene with that old one still there

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Note: this post originally had 151 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.