Category: Architecture
50 Times People Encountered Such Over-Designed Things, They Just Had To Share
February 7, 2023
There’s good design. There’s bad design. And we can usually intuitively tell the two apart just by looking at it. But wait! There’s also ‘design design,’ a really weird category that straddles the line between quality aesthetics and truly awful taste. Some designers just don’t know when to stop designing their designy designs and go way overboard. Are we starting to sound redundant and over-complicated? Good, now you’re getting it!
The best (worst?) of these ‘designy designs’ end up being shared on the r/DesignDesign subreddit, an intriguing online community that both celebrates and criticizes these errr VeRy InTeReStInG aNd ArTiStIc ideas for products and furniture. We’ve collected some of the most bizarre and original pics to share with you, Pandas.
Scroll down, upvote the designs that really had an impact on you, and if you love what you see, consider becoming a member of the subreddit.
Bored Panda reached out to Matt Johnson, Ph.D., the host of the Consumer Psychology Blog and the Human Nature Blog, for a few insights on the importance of finding the right balance between the designer’s vision for their product, as well as what would appeal to consumers. He told us that, at its core, user experience is about empathy. Johnson is a professor of consumer psychology at Hult International Business School and Harvard University, and the author of ‘Branding that Means Business.’ Read on for our interview with him.
#1 Wall Outlets With Extension Cords Built Into The Wall
Image credits: joeepeterson03
#2 Stacked Seating At A Restaurant
Image credits: Xerxes2004
#3 Found On The Designp**n Frontpage
Image credits: Ryzasu
We were interested to learn more about the balance between what a designer wants from their product and what consumers look for. We asked Professor Johnson about what can help designers maintain a more grounded, user-friendly perspective.
“Ultimately, good UX is an act of empathy. You have to filter your creative vision for the product through the lens of the consumer’s needs, unique preferences, and tendencies. This means creating a balance between your own aspirations for the product (e.g. what you think it could be), and how it will intuitively seem to the end user (how the user will actually be used),” he explained to Bored Panda.
“Practically speaking, by inviting the consumer into the design process and getting feedback along the product development journey, the end result is much more likely to strike this balance.” However, if there’s only poor communication, you might end up with a disconnect between the two. Something that Piterskii-Punk-Wall accurately showed in their comic right over here.
#4 Hidden Fire Extinguishers
Image credits: peter-s
#5 A Nature Inspired Bathroom
Image credits: TheBrontosaurus
#6 Ok I Think I Found The Ultimate Decanter. This One Keeps Me Awake At Night
Image credits: living_legend6
Johnson, the host of the ‘Neuroscience Of’ blog, told Bored Panda that the best and most beloved products integrate both perspectives: that of the designer, as well as of the consumer.
“If the balance is tilted too far in the direction of the creator’s vision, as opposed to the user’s intuition and needs, it comes off too much as a standalone work of art, and not as a functional product,” he said.
“This feels immediately obvious to the consumer: it’s something that reflects an idea from a specific individual, but lacks the necessary translation to the broader world. In a word, it feels too much like ‘art,’” the professor told Bored Panda. He noted that this is perfectly fine and valuable in its own context. However, when it comes to the world of consumer products, there’s a necessity for this additional layer of consumer empathy.
#7 Drink The Rainbow
Image credits: AgainstTheAgainst
#8 Imagine Going Through All The Trouble Of Publishing Just To See This
Image credits: unicodePicasso
#9 Another Silverware Set… Another Useless Spoon
Image credits: elrolo123
As we see it, there are two main issues at play here when we’re talking about designy designs, aka over-designed products. Both explain, at least in part, why some creative professionals go completely overboard.
The first is a question of theory vs. practice and how even the best-laid plans don’t necessarily translate into reality. The second is about the relationship between the designer and their (real or imagined) audience—aka the end-users and consumers.
You might have an utterly amazing idea for a product or piece of furniture in your mind. Maybe you’ve even sketched it out! But even though the concept looks amazing on paper, it might not be the best fit for consumers. Something that any creator would be terrified to learn only after launching the idea into the market.
#10 Door Knob Design That Gives You A Fish Eye View Of The Room Ahead
Image credits: Immortalizd
#11 Possibly One Of The Worst Staircases I’ve Ever Seen
Image credits: FastGinFizz
#12 Holy F**king S**t
Image credits: reddit.com
Maybe what you’ve come up with is more akin to art and is radically impractical to use every single day. Or the item is incredibly complex and unintuitive to the average shopper on the highstreet: something that you might not realize because you’ve spent so long on the design, you know it like the back of your hand. It’s a case of design short-sightedness where the professional can’t see the forest for the trees.
Meanwhile, the professional in charge of designing the product might be completely disconnected from their intended consumers. This might happen due to a lack of information on buying trends or because of less-than-stellar communication between them and their customers. That means that the designer is essentially stuck inside a bubble with only their own ideas to consider, with very little (if any!) outside feedback.
#13 Swinging In The Conference Room
Image credits: Dr_Zol_Epstein_III
#14 A Banana Slide That Trains Your Determination. If You Get Lost, Your Crotch Will Die
Image credits: DonnySRT-10
#15 No Way This Can Go Wrong
Image credits: R1m1s4k
However, another possible explanation for this disconnect between designers and consumers can be attributed to a more human factor. Namely, arrogance. It’s perfectly fine, even praiseworthy, that you’re confident about your work and that you feel pride in what you’ve achieved. Unfortunately, this can sometimes overshadow the end goal of what’s being sold, namely, that people want to buy and use what you’re offering.
Perhaps the creator feels like they have far better taste than the would-be buyers. So they want to ‘enlighten the masses’ (or something equally as pompous). Here’s the thing, though. Even if it’s a well-intentioned idea to want to educate people about good taste, there are different ways to go about it.
To put it mildly, it’s not the best idea to go about bragging to everyone how much more educated and intelligent you are while poking fun at them for being tasteless. However, when you come from a place of humility and a genuine desire to help, others are more open to what you have to say.
#16 A Car Fender Bicycle
Image credits: VOTROI
#17 This Is The New University Building Of Freiburg That At The Same Time Blinds The Road Traffic
Image credits: schalker1207
#18 Apartments In Amsterdam
Image credits: spitzyyy
At the same time, no matter how successful and well-received a designer’s work might have been in the past, it doesn’t guarantee that their next idea will be good. Multi-functional furniture might not have the mass appeal that they hope it will, meaning it’ll remain a niche product for very niche buyers.
Similarly, even if your lovingly-crafted set of cutlery is pleasant to look at, it might be utterly atrocious to eat with, so you’re left with a decorative piece that very few people actually like.
#19 Books And Bath
Image credits: hannahwith
#20 Injury Attorney’s Dream Staircase
Image credits: CaptainCaptain17
#21 Imagine What It Looks Like In Fall
Image credits: VexuBenny
The r/DesignDesign subreddit was founded a few years ago, in mid-July of 2018. Since then, they’ve amassed a following of 120k redditors. The moderators running the whole show stress the fact that the pics shared by the members of the community have to be, at the same time, examples of good and awful design. There should be a balance between the two.
#22 Just No
Image credits: Grown_Ass_Kid
#23 Found On Fb… I Can Hear This Image
Image credits: 12welveCreations
#24 Just No
Image credits: DavyBoyWonder
Meanwhile, the mods also ask their members to avoid reposting other people’s photos too much. “Reposts are OK as long as the post hasn’t been submitted in 6 months or more than 3 times,” they set out the rules. That way, the content’s kept fresher and it helps avoid people farming attention just for the sake of attention.
#25 Let Me Just Find My Keys
Image credits: braveNewWorldView
#26 Splash-Proof Urinals
Image credits: Ok-Antelope9334
#27 This Hallway Must Have Looked Awesome On The Blueprints
Image credits: mcwiggin
Broadly speaking, taste might be subjective (e.g. preferences for minimalism or maximalism), but there are many things that we can agree on that do and don’t make much sense. If a product is user-friendly, ergonomic, intuitive to use, and matches our expectations, then we can say that it’s an example of good design.
#28 Oh Yes, Reverse-Lamp
Image credits: Matuteconsuaj
#29 These Would Be Awful To Use
Image credits: mossycavities
#30 A Balcony Without Sun Or Fresh Air Is Just A People Shelf
Image credits: WithaK19
On the flip side, something that’s more like a puzzle that requires an IQ of 160 to figure out won’t get many smiles from the crowd (unless they bought it specifically because they love over-designed, over-complicated stuff). Put the user first and you can’t go wrong. Put your designs above them and you might end up in the grey zone where quality and awful taste meet.
#31 Does This Count?
Image credits: DavyBoyWonder
#32 This Fire Pit That Doubles As A Side Table When You Tip All The Ash On The Floor
Image credits: OhoBenderez
#33 For Me, The Juicy Salif Is The Pinnacle Of Design Design
Image credits: Willch4000
#34 Reinventing The Pint
Image credits: zeph_yr
#35 Why? Just Why?
Image credits: MIRIIE
#36 Thanks I Hate It
Image credits: Tacklefina
#37 When You Want The Guarantee Of A Broken Neck From Your Staircase
Image credits: Helpful-Substance685
#38 Clocks
Image credits: jesset77
#39 Because A Hat Would Be Far To Complicated
Image credits: echis
#40 The Lucky Knot Bridge In China
Image credits: reliseak
#41 This Sink. Spotted On A Facebook Ad
Image credits: reddit.com
#42 W Fart Free Water
Image credits: 20-CharactersAllowed
#43 A Bookshelf To Store Some Pebbles Or Something
Image credits: 2roK
#44 This Luxurious Toilet
Image credits: markkobarr
#45 That Looks Comfortable
Image credits: ffrsh
#46 Love Designy Cumbersome Roundware
Image credits: Used_envelopes
#47 Dear God I Just Needed To Pee
Image credits: mastermithi29
#48 A Maze Of Concentric Circles On The Back Of The Phone Fitting Its Earphones Perfectly
Image credits: airkiko
#49 Saw This On Insta
Image credits: paulekas_
#50 Stock Market Bench
Image credits: joshart
40 Homes That Feel Too Dreamy To Be Real, As Shared On The ‘Somewhere I Would Like To Live’ Instagram Account
May 7, 2022
If you live big city life, you probably know what it feels like to rent an overpriced studio, share an apartment with fellow grown-ups or cram yourself into a cupboard-sized flat that means lie-ins are simply impossible. No wonder more and more people on Earth find themselves living in tiny spaces, known as tiny apartments that can be as small as 10 square meters. Tokyo, anyone?
So if you are starting to feel a little claustrophobic in this busy world, this Instagram account comes as a breath of fresh air. Welcome to “Somewhere I Would Like To Live,” an account that offers a beautiful collection of mesmerizing places that truly exist somewhere. Curated by Ruben Ortiz and Katty Schiebeck, the founders of Katty Schiebeck interior design studio, the account is a real treat for interior design fans and anyone who appreciates aesthetically pleasing things.
Scroll down through the most beautiful posts shared on the page and hit upvote on the ones you’d like to live in!
#1
94-years-old Agnes Kasparkova turns a small village in her art gallery in Czech Republic.
Image credits: somewhereiwouldliketolive
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Our planet Earth is so full of breathtaking places, you would probably need a whole lifetime to travel them all. But let’s say you just decided to do just that. Where to start? How to plan it? What to do and more importantly, not to? These are some of the questions you should consider before buying a one-way flight ticket.
Meanwhile, Big 7 Travel announced the list of the world’s top 50 bucket list destinations that shouldn’t surprise us. “White sandy beaches are still a must-visit for many, with vibrant cities also making an appearance on a lot of people’s bucket lists,” says Clayton-Lea, the head of the content at Big 7 Travel. In fact, countries with naturally beautiful scenery and world-famous landmarks came out on top: 22% of the destinations on the list have white sandy beaches, while 52% are iconic cities.
#4
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While Bali topped the list of the 50 most popular bucket list destinations on Earth, some travel picks were less expected. “The top 10 list has a lot of the expected dream destinations, but there are a few surprises on the list: Paro Valley in Bhutan, for example, or Virunga National Park in the Congo,” Clayton-Lea commented. “I think this shows a great appetite for a need to get off the grid and can only assume that social media (and Netflix, in the case of Virunga!) is responsible for spreading the word of these amazing places.”
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Bored Panda reached out to Jolene and Andrzej Ejmont, the serial travelers and creators of family travel blog “Wanderlust Storytellers” to find out some tips that you will find useful in case you set out on a mission to visit any of these places.“It’s no secret that often things go against the plan while traveling. But the best way to ensure that your mood stays good, even when things go not according to plan, is to pre-plan the ‘buffer time’ for when you are at a particular destination,” the Ejmont family told us. “For example: if you are going to Rome for three days exploring, book four days to be safe. And if that doesn’t help, there’s always cocktails, chocolate and ice cream.”
#10
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Moreover, little details count when you travel and hiring a car without a GPS is such an easy mistake to make, but it can surely make your travel go sour. “It is so much better to rely on the GPS than your personal phone’s maps. It doesn’t matter then if you happen to have no reception on your mobile phone,” Andrzej said.
#13
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#14
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#15
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When asked whether, in their opinion, people are generally more experienced at traveling these days, the Ejmont family said that’s definitely the case. “People are slowly venturing out to more and more of less-travelled destinations and experiencing travels like never before.”
“This, of course, creates more understanding for travel and as a side effect, enriches more and more souls with tolerance, humility and compassion,” Andrzej told us.
#16
Image credits: somewhereiwouldliketolive
#17
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#18
“‘The Scola Tower’ Built in the 17th century, It stands over 42 feet tall in the sea by La Spezia, #Italy The tower was originally designed, as part of a defensive system for the Senate of the Republic of Genoa”
Image credits: somewhereiwouldliketolive
When asked about solo traveling, which seems to be tending lately, Andrzej said that solo travels are filled with adventures like no other. “To lose yourself in passion for travel and be open-minded to whatever comes your way, whomever you meet… definitely an adventure in itself.”
#19
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#21
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#22
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#23
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#24
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#25
“Barcelona’s Liceu opera audience was made up of 2292 plants. A string quartet performed Puccini to the potted plants before they were donated to 2292 health workers”
Image credits: somewhereiwouldliketolive
#26
“The gardens of Eden”
Image credits: somewhereiwouldliketolive
#27
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#28
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#29
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#30
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#32
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#35
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#37
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#39
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#40
Paris
Image credits: somewhereiwouldliketolive
‘That’s It, I’m Architecture Shaming’: 40 Architecture Examples That Look So Bad, People Just Had To Shame Them
May 7, 2021
Some buildings will absolutely fascinate you with their stunning designs, genius architectural decisions, and the sheer power of their aesthetics. This article isn’t about these kinds of buildings, however. Nope! Not all buildings are made equal, you see, and the ‘bad’ ones need to be shamed publicly so that others don’t copy their designs. So we’ll be focusing exclusively on just plain terrible architectural decisions.
And the worst of the worst end up on the ‘That’s It, I’m Architecture Shaming’ Facebook group where users mercilessly prod and poke bad design. It’s fun, it’s educational, it’s something cool to scroll through during your next coffee break.
Remember to upvote your fave photos that you love to hate and be sure to follow the architecture-shaming Facebook group if you like their stuff. They’re a growing community with awesome content.
Bored Panda spoke about what separates good and bad design, the need to democratize the access to quirky private property designs, as well as about the roles that architecture plays with an expert in the field from Sweden who has a background in urban planning. You’ll find our full interview with her below.
#1 I Dunno, Slim Doesn’t Seem To Be Digging This Situation
Image credits: architectureshaming
#2 I Do Not Give A Damn How Well It’s Cantilevered Or How Strong The Struts Are. I Do Not Have The Kind Of Luck It Would Take To Set Foot In This House
Image credits: architectureshaming
#3 This Pillar Was Straight Last Week. This Is The First Floor Of A Seven-Floor Building
Image credits: architectureshaming
The Sweden-based urban planning expert explained to Bored Panda that while public spaces must meet safety and accessibility standards, aesthetic standards can be much more fluid for buildings. The expert spoke to Bored Panda on the condition that she remain anonymous. (Remember, just because you’re an expert in something and want to be helpful doesn’t mean that you always like the limelight… unlike quirky architecture which just begs you to look at it!)
“Most of the time, the elements of the built environment should be in harmony amidst each other and with the surroundings. However, sometimes, something bolder and out-of-the-box might form an engaging contrast,” she said. However, the urban planning expert shared with Bored Panda that, in her personal opinion, our built environments have to engage us, as well as stimulate our minds and senses. In fact, she believes that architecture’s ability to make us think is one of its most powerful aspects.
#4 The Cactus Is *chef’s Kiss
Image credits: architectureshaming
#5 This Is Not Photoshopped
Image credits: architectureshaming
#6 Opera And Ballet Theatre Of Cheboksary (Russia)
Top: original picture
Bottom: slightly photoshopped picture
Image credits: architectureshaming
“There are circumstances where the architecture should create a sense of calmness and safety, yet there are instances in which it is not bad if the architecture provokes us and makes us think, ‘Why don’t I like the look of this building?’”
The urban planner said that we should give people the freedom to express themselves as they wish when it comes to designing their private property. As long as they have the means, nearly everything is allowed, in her opinion.
#7 That Gives Me Anxiety
Image credits: architectureshaming
#8 I Might Like This If Those Were Slides
Image credits: architectureshaming
#9 A Friend Of Mine Cross-Posted This And It Made Me Think Of Y’all
Image credits: architectureshaming
“Quirky architecture comes from our innate desire to demonstrate our uniqueness. However, not everyone who has the means has an average taste for aesthetics. Yet, as long as it is for the people who inhabit or use their private space, I mean why not?” she told Bored Panda that as long as you’re not actively harming anyone else with how bad your designs are, you should be able to be as unique as you want. Even if it falls short of objective aesthetic standards.
#10 This Looks Like A Place A Villain Would Live
Image credits: architectureshaming
#11 Who Remembers Those Gerbil Enclosures That Look Like This?
Image credits: architectureshaming
#12 I’ll Meet Your Brutalism, And Raise You This
Image credits: architectureshaming
However, the expert acknowledged that others in the industry might not see things the way that she does. Others, she said, believe that private property must be in harmony with the surroundings.
“But, I think that we should not cross that thin line where architecture becomes reserved for only the wealthy and for those with ‘good taste’ (whoever decides that). I’m only talking about private property here, though. When it comes to public space, there should be a consensus between the public and the professional about the design,” she said that the rules for the private and public spheres are very different.
#13 Art Nouveau On Psychedelics
Image credits: architectureshaming
#14 Um… What Is This?
Image credits: architectureshaming
#15 “Sharkitecture”
Image credits: architectureshaming
The urban planning expert also had some advice when it comes to design. “Firstly, even though I often advocate for unconventionally looking buildings, I do not encourage purposefully provocative architecture. The building should be designed with the intention to accommodate and protect society. It should create a sense of safety but not be boring,” she told Bored Panda that we ought to strike a balance between uniqueness and service, expression and community.
#16 A House I Used To Drive Past In A Little Iowa Town. All I Ever Heard From Locals Was That This Place Had A Terrible Leaking Problem When It Rained
Image credits: architectureshaming
#17 Toilet-Shaped House (Named Haewoojae), Built By Sim Jae-Duck, The Chairman Of The Organizing Committee Of The Inaugural General Assembly Of The World Toilet Association
Image credits: architectureshaming
#18 I Wonder Who Thought This Would Be A Good Idea
Image credits: architectureshaming
What’s more, the expert from Sweden pointed out that accessibility, inclusiveness, and empowerment should also be key features of any architectural project. “Also, I prefer somewhat complex but systemic designs. Minimalistic and box like floor plans are good in some cases where easy access is necessary (for example, hospitals) yet they can be completely mind-numbing while more complex floor plan designs are more mind-stimulating (for example, good for schools, in my opinion).”
#19 The “Snail House” In Bulgaria Actually Does Look Like A Snail
Image credits: architectureshaming
#20 You Too Can Have Your Own White Castle
Image credits: architectureshaming
#21 I Will Haunt Your Dreams! Residential Building In Belgium
Image credits: architectureshaming
At the time of writing, the ‘That’s It, I’m Architecture Shaming’ community had 64.1k members. However, it’s growing so rapidly, that by the time you’re reading this, dear Pandas, that number could be much, much higher. Just in the last week alone, the group grew by over 7.3k members. And they’ve made upwards of a thousand posts in the last month.
#22 Interesting Concept
Image credits: architectureshaming
#23 I Think Syndrome From The Incredibles Lived Here
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#24 Can We All Just Take A Moment And Acknowledge That Prince Produced Some Great Music, But He Lived In A Water Treatment Station
Image credits: architectureshaming
Because of this fast growth and the issues that came with it, the administrator of the ‘Architecture Shaming’ group, Oregon-based Matthew Brühn, addressed the community and the changes that took place in April. In short, the rules are much more structured now.
#25 Bangkok’s Elephant Building. The Tusks Are A Bowling Alley In My Imagination
Image credits: architectureshaming
#26 This Is Plane Awesome
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#27 They Drew The Line At A Fountain In The Kitchen
Image credits: architectureshaming
Matthew pointed out that the admins have been getting tired of the “massive influx of negativity” that came with more and more members joining the community. While the admin expressed his admiration for how wonderful many members are, he also noted that the group will start filtering out overly-aggressive posts.
#28 Why?
Image credits: architectureshaming
#29 Saw This On A Walk Today. A Table Lamp, In A Glass Box, Hanging From The Roof Of A Carport
Image credits: architectureshaming
#30 Spotted This Gem In Tel Aviv
Image credits: architectureshaming
“Don’t take it personally; we’re just trying to create an atmosphere where we can all have fun and be kind. There’s now the equivalent of a small city of us all here now, so that will be more difficult,” Matthew pointed out. He added that mentions of politics and religion will be deleted while all potential new members have to answer some questions before they get in. Which, at the end of the day, leads to a friendlier and happier community that, we’re sure, plenty of you Pandas will want to join.
#31 Surrealist Neighborhood
Image credits: architectureshaming
#32 This Building Has My City In A Uproar
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#33 Forbidden Waffle In Santiago
Image credits: architectureshaming
#34 The Glorious Flower Of Communist Brutalism That Is The Former Central Post Office In Skopje, Macedonia. Some People Want It Preserved
#35 This Place Is All Curb Appeal
Image credits: architectureshaming
#36 Please Don’t Take It Too Seriously, Just A Surprised House
Image credits: architectureshaming
#37 Kind Of Reminds Me Of A Church (Granted, A Strange One) But It’s Actually A House With A 6,000 Sq. Ft. Garage… And Its Own Car Wash
Image credits: architectureshaming
#38 I’ve Been Looking At Homes Trying To Get Ideas For When We Move In A Few Years And I Came Across A House That Was Perfect In Every Way Except One
What in the ever living fudge is this – one pass thru is ‘eh, but this one has three-at different levels plus the added detriment of the worlds worst architectural detailing around it. Please someone else tell me that you hate this as much as I do. I know it’s probably more interior design but it’s just so ugly.
Image credits: architectureshaming
#39 Just
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#40 Car Dealership Trying For More Of A Classy Look!
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30 ‘Nightmares’ And ‘Miracles’ Spotted During Structural Inspections (New Pics)
August 7, 2019
You might be unpleasantly surprised by what structural inspectors can find in buildings, even the ones that apparently look safe and sound. From faulty foundations and cracked floors to frankly dangerous attempts by home-owners to fix huge flaws, there are some buildings that are simply best to avoid.
The company Alpha Structural, Inc. posts the most jaw-dropping photos from their inspections online. The pictures are often so shocking that it’s a wonder the buildings are still standing, and that nobody got hurt. The number of dangerous things the California-based company spots on a day-to-day basis is mind-boggling, so here are the very best examples.
Keep scrolling down, upvote what you think are the worst things seen on structural inspections, and share with your friends. And if you’re in the mood for some more architectural weirdness, here’s Bored Panda’s other list of horrible stuff spied during inspections by Alpha Structural, Inc.
More info: alphastructural.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
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This is an old turntable used for cars back in the day. Some also may call this a Lazy Susan! It was used for cars back in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s for easy access and movement. Cars back had a bigger turning radius so they had the turntable to help out.
The build date and fabrication number was stamped into the center of the steel. You can see that the turntable was built on Dec 11th, 1917. This thing was discovered while doing an earthquake inspection for a large industrial building in DTLA.
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Image 1: This is a retaining wall failure that happened up the Hollywood Hills.
Image 2: As you can see, the soil began to give way under this driveway and retaining wall which caused quite the problem.
Image 3: It began to pull away from the rest of the concrete driveway and started to tilt towards the down slope of the hill. You can clearly see the separation take place with the cracking wall and concrete slab in this photo.
Image 4: This even effected the home itself, causing the now undermined foundation to settle and dip down on that side of the home.
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Image 1: This was a column on a soft-story retrofit project we have in Los Angeles. As you can see, the column has rusted to a point that it has become very brittle and weak. At the time this was discovered, emergency shoring was put into place for additional support.
That very same night, the Ridgecrest Earthquake happened. A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Ridgecrest, California, some 100 miles away from Los Angeles.
Image2: Once we came back to the property the very next day, we noticed the entire column had snapped in half due to the movement from the quake! If we hadn’t installed that additional shoring, the unit above may have met the ground…
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This was some pretty bad spall damage on an old 1900’s foundation we inspected. This section will probably have to be replaced.
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This is a few generations of post & piers. The one in the foreground is the oldest, to the right of that you have one built a little later on, and the other two are from the past few decades. A supporting family.
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This was a nasty brick foundation we inspected. Tons of wood rot accompanied the decaying brick and made for a foundation in need of drastic work.
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An older pier that wasn’t even in contact with the post above. This would normally cause some dipping in the floors over time.
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This is a post that had been spliced together with another random piece of wood. Why somebody would do this is beyond me.
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MDF, or Medium Density Fiber Board, is used in a lot of furniture and aesthetic pieces. This type of material should NOT be used for anything structural. A lot of the time it isn’t treated well for moisture or natural elements. This is what happens when it becomes exposed to water over a short period of time… it will begin to fray out and decay. It looks like mold, but it’s actually the wood fibers being pulled apart due to moisture. Don’t use MDF for your structural work!
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Right at the entry to this crawlspace was an exposed, broken sewage line. It was active and it was pooling up for quite some time. We skipped this crawl until it was fixed. (Insert barf emoji here)
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This is quite the shabby foundation. I’ve showed many like it but this one shows a bit more detail. You can clearly see the degradation of the concrete with the exposure of aggregate. There is also many signs of water intrusion, such as the white, chalky substance known as efflorescence (mineral deposits left behind after water intrusion). This foundation can’t even be properly retrofitted because the concrete isn’t capable of holding in the bolts.
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We found some vintage… booklets in the crawlspace of this home. No, we did not take them and sell them to collectors.
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This was an interesting boat-shaped home we inspected up in the Hollywood Hills. Unfortunately it was the only angle we got but it was still a very unique home that I wanted to share. If the floods come, they will be ready.
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This is a 3-story structure we inspected in LA. Tons of pressure was exerted downward onto these framing top plates and they began to absorb some of the pressure. This, over time, can cause some serious issues.
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This is a concrete foundation that had some pretty bad stress cracking on one side. Somebody had tried to epoxy inject the cracks, but the settlement caused them to simply reopen and expand even further down the wall.
The cracking continued for about 10 feet before stopping. There were also some signs of water intrusion.
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This was a foundation that had very bad spall damage. Spalling concrete occurs when water penetrates the concrete and causes the rebar to rust/oxidize. This will then cause it to expand and break the surrounding concrete.
That piece of concrete fell right off with not much effort at all. This exposed the rusted rebar underneath. The cause of this is usually due to poor waterproofing or an area of land being graded towards the structure’s foundation. With nowhere else for the water to go, it penetrates the porous concrete. This section will have to be replaced.
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There is a lot going on in this one. First off, the post and “pier” to the left is made up of damp wood and decaying bricks. Secondly, in the back you can see that there is some parts of the framing/cripple wall that aren’t connected. The foundation is brick and has settled drastically. The framing above that has been covered in concrete on the exterior, done as a sort of “sister foundation.” Lots of moisture was also discovered.
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A dead rat… nothing more.
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This was the skull of some very large animal we found under a crawlspace. It isn’t just a normal rat or opossum skull as it was the size of a basketball. My guess would be some sort of alien (such as E.T.) or a Silver Back Gorilla, but I’m not too sure.
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Rip whatever animal this was. I can’t tell what type of animal it was but it seemed like a nice guy/girl.
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This had to be the first image because it is by far my favorite this week. The absolute definition of a “DIY” project. This entire crawlspace was filled with tree branch posts, many of which were resting upon rocks and logs. I like to think it’s just a person’s bad hiding spot in a game of prop hunt. This one will fall some day. I will keep you posted.
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This was some very bad wood rot caused by years of leaking water and neglect. As you can see, the cantilevered area is starting to bow down due to the weight of the now very damaged and saturated framing. Tis but a minor leak.
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This was a deteriorating foundation that had some significant spall damage. You can see the old, now rusted rebar with chunks missing.
This can cause some pretty significant damage to the rest of the home, especially on a hillside property.
This may just seem like stucco cracks, but I assure you it’s a bid more serious than that.
This sort of thing can be spotted pretty early on if one takes the time to look.
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A displaced structural beam under a few dwelling units. This was an inspection for an earthquake retrofit.
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A brick pyramid made by the ancients to hold up this post.
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A surprisingly intact brick foundation. Not very common to see a masonry wall from the early 1900’s still standing with solid mortar. However, the cripple wall isn’t braced and should be upgraded.
Another part of this brick foundation. This portion was deteriorating but a decent amount of this foundation was still intact.
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This property had very bad drainage and began sinking on one side. At length, this brought the perimeter foundation and exterior concrete pathway to wedge together at the connection point. This caused the concrete pathway to crack and break apart and lift. Gnarly.
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And here we have the entrance to the next level of Super Mario Bros. It doesn’t actually go through the foundation wall, though by the looks of it, that wall could be easily broken apart. The whole foundation needs to be replaced. Very brittle.
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If you’re ever dealing with old concrete, one thing you can always look out for is exposed aggregate. Aggregate is any material (usually stone, chunks of old concrete, sand, gravel) that is used to mend the concrete and hold it together. If the aggregate is clearly visible and exposed on the exterior, that’s usually a sign that it’s in bad shape.
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Another very brittle foundation with no original retrofitting or anything.
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This is a very poorly done cripple wall with DIY shear walls. A cripple wall is simply a wall with “cripples” (or short studs) to help with lateral movement in seismic activity. They act as a cushion for when the house shakes. The shear wall is used to reinforce these cripple walls so they don’t just collapse to the side. They help resist lateral motions.
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A nice little girder with no bracing. It’s also just smashing down the existing “post” and pier.
You’ll see this sort of thing all over LA. Instead of putting in a proper post, people will install random pieces of wood under a girder to help support the home. The problem with this is that it’s almost never braced and the wood used is often untreated. They rot much faster than most pieces. I’ll also add that this doesn’t necessarily compromise the structure.
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This is a unreinforced brick foundation. If you’ve ever dealt with older foundations, especially ones made of river rock or brick, you’ll know that they can’t be properly retrofitted up to current code. Some contractor/homeowner decided to circumvent this by pulling out some bricks, putting in a patch of concrete and then putting in an anchor bolt. This is pretty funny and maddening at the same time.
This is the same brick foundation. This time we have the opening to another dimension to the right. This whole foundation needs to be replaced or sistered.
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This was a gnarly stilt home we inspected for seismic reinforcement. I’m not entirely sure what the outcome will be but it should be an awesome project!
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As I was thinking of what to say for this caption I forgot there was a plastic skeleton and giant skull to the left and felt any other comment besides mentioning those would be a disservice to you guys. But the post is a bit wonky too.
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This is another property with burrowed holes going under the concrete foundation. This time there were 8 of these… It’s like a maze down there.
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Our office manager was in Venice, Italy and saw this poor little wall in need of some help. I’m happy to announce we will be expanding to the EU!
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Here we have a classic garden wall with improper footings and tie-ins to the other wall. It could also be the result of a “surcharge.” A surcharge is the result of pressure being built up against a surface, usually caused by the settlement of nearby structures, such as a house. I put that in layman’s terms so don’t yell at me for not being technical.
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As you can see, the slab foundation has a decent sized crack running through it, causing sloping and other areas of the home to crack.
Here is another photo of the kitchen tile that has separated and cracked down the grout line. To the left of that gap is a large retaining wall on the front portion of the home. The hillside in the back was giving way and pulling the rest of the home with it. This then created a gap between the retaining wall and the rest of the structure. It was sloping about 8 inches down toward the back and creating many cracks along the way. You can see down into the crawlspace from this gap.
This is a shot from the exterior of the home. This isn’t your normal stucco crack, it’s a massive structural fracture caused by the severe settlement. These are the cracks you should be worried about.
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This was an old 1900’s apartment building that was being held up by some less then effective stud supports. You can see the newer members to the right and left of the original support. They had to trim down the newer ones to compensate for the sagging that was caused by the originals. Scary stuff.
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This is just a mess.
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This is what we call an undermined footing. It sits below the post & pier for deepened support but is exposed and could fail if the dirt was moved.
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Universal foundation plates bolted right next to each other. They did this because they were required to put a certain amount per code, but the concrete to the right couldn’t hold a bolt without crumbling. This whole foundation should have been replaced.
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I’ll let you guys tell me what’s going on with this one.
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We’ve seen a few dolls under homes before, but this one may take the cake on the creepiest one so far.
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A nasty, old brick foundation under an early 1900’s home. This house was resting right on top of these dusty and decaying bricks and had no other reinforcement. Scary.
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Yes, that is a stone acting as a concrete pier for the post. *Insert joke about the post being stoned here*
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Similar to a BLT sandwich, this is a concoction of random materials used to hold up a girder! Wonderful!
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ometimes you just have to let the photo speak for itself. This is one of those photos.
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A sign seen on one of our job-sites.
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Somebody has some serious Jenga skills!
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This girder was rotted to oblivion and had the actual texture of a sponge. Additionally, the old concrete foundation and other chunks of slab filled this crawlspace to the brim. Very hard to traverse.
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Imagine crawling under a home with a brick foundation. Okay good, now imagine those bricks could be pushed out easier than the first block in a Jenga game (that’s right… two Jenga jokes). Now these metal side anchors are specifically made to be bolted into concrete. Some other “foundation specialist” decided to retrofit this brick foundation and implement these metal plates. This was also passed by the city inspector and filed as a complete retrofit. If somebody ever tells you that they can retrofit your brick foundation, they are sorely misinformed or trying get a quick buck. This will do NOTHING to help secure your home and resist seismic activity.
I want to briefly explain this one. Again, these plates are for securing your home’s framing to the foundation. This helps stop the house from sliding off the foundation during an earthquake. This side anchor is bolted into the old mudsill and the masonry blocks above the brick foundation. Both materials that have been bolted into are old, decayed and would move with ease in a sizable quake. Another example of how not to retrofit a foundation.
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The illuminated aura around this post makes it seem like it has a quest for me.
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I want you guys to tell me how this being bolted makes no sense. There’s a few things here, so let me know what you think!
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This was an attempted sister wall of an existing brick foundation. As you can see, this must have been done by a professional. Here’s another part of the foundation, this time in the middle. This was not formed correctly, there’s rebar exposed and there’s no actual connection besides the concrete drying and solidifying onto the brick. Not good.
There were also these odd, makeshift concrete pillars to help support the perimeter framing. These were bolted down but don’t really hold much structural value if the brick gives way in an earthquake.
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If you’ve never seen wood rot before, here you go. This is usually caused by leaking pipes or water intrusion. Termites also got a hold of it and made it worse.
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Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.
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This is an older concrete foundation that is really beginning to deteriorate and crumble. It’s been seismically retrofitted but not up to code. Tons of moisture was down under the home as well, so most of the foundation was like this.
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This is a retaining wall that had a massive vertical crack going right down the middle of it. You can see the exposed rebar in the hole and quite a sizable gap.
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This was an 8′ tall brick foundation under an apartment building in Los Angeles. We usually recommend replacing old brick foundations, but this one actually seemed to be in decent shape. The interesting part is just how massive the wall is.
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Those nails are doing a great job holding nothing together.
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Two things here: The foundation itself is in rough shape and is badly deteriorated. Also, the anchor bolt you see to the right (used for seismic retrofits) was installed at an angle into brittle concrete. There is no point in having that bolt (which was installed in the past couple years) drilled into that bad of concrete. It does nothing.
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“Can you help me? I am missing my post!”
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This was a sizable crack in the concrete stem wall of an old foundation. In addition to the crack, the framing of the home isn’t even making contact with the concrete.
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Here is another shot, just so you get the actual size of the crack.
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This is what we call “spall damage.” This occurs when moisture gets into the concrete from either side and the rebar inside begins to rust. This particular property in K-Town had plenty of spall damage.
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This is how not to retrofit a property. These are UFPs (Universal Foundation Plates). They are used for connecting the framing of the home to the foundation. Like I mentioned in one of the other pictures, there’s no point in retrofitting this foundation with its current condition. The concrete is over 80 years old and very brittle. Additionally, the spalling would call for a replacement of that section, which would mean that the other so called “foundation specialist” that did this was aware of the condition of the concrete and did the retrofit anyways. Some contractors just don’t have the wherewithal to do real, honest work.
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This was a property in Pasadena that had tons of these 2x4s acting as posts, which were resting on bricks. Some of them weren’t even held up by bricks, just another piece of wood on the dirt!
Here is the back house to that same Pasadena property. This whole foundation needs to be replaced. The aggregate material (rock and sand) which concrete holds together, is chipping away with ease and no bolting or other seismic upgrades could be done without the concrete cracking in half.
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While doing this inspection there was a section of the foundation that was undermined by previous contractors. We ended up having to squirm our way under that stem-wall and come up on the other, much tighter section of the crawlspace. For those with claustrophobia, this would have been a nightmare.
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Sometimes the access points to these crawlspaces can be a bit rough…
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Here we have a shoddy concrete rubble retaining wall. There has since been a new masonry wall built above the old concrete rubble retaining wall. It was surprisingly sturdy.
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Do you see all that white, chalky stuff on the CMU foundation? That is called efflorescence. Efflorescence is caused by traces of mineral deposits and calcium build-up resulting from water intrusion. This wall was subterranean and had zero waterproofing done to the exterior. Also, free cotton candy all over!
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Here we have a concrete masonry foundation. Usually these are completely filled with steel reinforcement bar and concrete. This is almost always a part of city code, but this property had nothing. No concrete, no rebar… nothing. You can see the mudsill above, which is somewhat hanging over the hollow foundation.
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Image 1: There is very bad spall damage on many areas of this foundation. Spall damage is when water gets into the concrete and causes oxidation in the steel rebar. This causes the steel to expand and breaks the concrete around it.
Image 2: If you look close at the steel UFP (Universal Foundation Plate used for seismic retrofitting) you can see that there are bolts missing from the bottom. Which means that it isn’t bolted into the foundation and is useless.
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This is a bird-of-paradise plant. A very beautiful but destructive plant from South Africa. These plants, if next to a structure, can make its way under a property and lift the entire foundation. That was the case with this particular home. Nature 1, homeowner 0.
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A hillside deck with some inward leaning posts. I would not want to be that guy up top.
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This isn’t crazy or anything but we were interviewed by ABC 7 LA on seismic retrofitting of apartment buildings.
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This was a hillside deck that had rotted and been damaged by termites over many years. The result is a decayed, unstable and leaning deck that is ready to slip.
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Many people will call us out to check why their floors/home is leaning and sloping. It could be settlement or missing structural elements, but half the time it’s caused by rotting supports under the home. Things begin to decay due to water intrusion and termite damage, which results in some serious issues down the road.
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This is a landslide that occurred on a steep slope in Glendale, CA. As you may or may not know, it rained like crazy this past winter in Los Angeles. This caused many unstable hillsides to erode and mudslides were very prominent.
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This was a very old foundation we inspected in LA. Almost every post/stud down there would crumble with the slightest scrape from a knife.
This is the same property where a section of the concrete foundation was cracked in half and was displaced from the rest of the wall.
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Would you feel safe with framing like this holding up your home? Me neither.
This is pretty common in older homes around Los Angeles. Years of water damage and those pesky termites will eventual cause some pretty bad rotting and instability.
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Took me a while to realize what this was.
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This was a pretty old retaining wall that has just about seen its final days. It will have to be replaced for sure!
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I call this foundation the “Thanos Foundation” because it has turned into dust. I bet the builder thought this wouldn’t go through the gauntlet of nature’s weathering process, but it did. I hope you understand and enjoy my terrible Marvel references.
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No bolting/retrofitting will be possible due to the fact that it is made of brick. This whole foundation will need to be replaced.
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We inspected this house that had some pretty bad fire damage from a recent blaze. Much of the underside of the home was torched and needed to be completely replaced. There is some good news: termites are similar to humans in a sense that they don’t like burnt food. This was the underside of the deck with a charred platform to walk on. Watch your step, you might fall through!
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This is a 100-year-old foundation that is in need of a solid replacement. It has no retrofitting, plenty of water damage and earth-to-wood contact.
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These were some very old U.S.E.D. engraved blocks that we found during an inspection of a property in LA. It’s hard to even know what that department was back then because there is very little record of it online. If anybody has more data on that, I would love to hear it!
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Never plant oak trees next to your foundation… It will cause nothing but issues. They are a protected tree as well and it can take a whole lot of back and forth with the city to deal with them.
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Straight as a worm in water.
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This was an old light bulb found in the attic of an old 1910 home. Nothing structural but something cool nonetheless.
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This was a very old cabin-like property in Benedict Canyon. It’s practically going back in time. Over 100-years-old and has some pretty crazy things going on. Since the property was very old and somewhat neglected, the exterior was the first sign it was gonna be an interesting one.
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There had been some foundation work done within the last 10 years, but nothing crazy.
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There was definitely a lot of rotting wood throughout the crawlspace and sub-floor areas.
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There were more than a few missing post & piers down there and the concrete itself was pretty brittle and easy to break apart.
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There’s a lot going on in this particular photo. You can see that the end of the girder is being held up by a stack of masonry blocks, the concrete foundation seems to be fused with plywood sheathing and there’s a line of masonry blocks waiting for their turn to help out.
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Most of this concrete foundation was brittle and crumbling to bits. Tons of efflorescence was present and cracks were all over. Additionally, part of the foundation had a sister wall next to it. A sister wall is a brand new stem wall that is tied into the existing concrete foundation. This was recently done and the concrete itself was in good shape, but the way it was formed had to have been done by a true amateur. There were gaps, honeycombs and cracks all over the new wall. There’s no way this was done with a permit.
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This was a very large hillside deck that had some bad rotting on some of the supporting girders. The deck itself wasn’t in horrible shape, but termites were beginning to destroy most of the girder supports.
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This is a wall that we will be replacing later this year. There was a serious lack of supporting footings on this staircase and retaining wall. Rainstorms and soil erosion slowly made the topsoil very unstable and caused the retaining wall & stairs to crack and slip.
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The saturated hillside burst through his wall during a remodel and caused some serious damage.
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Possibly the best earthquake safety/prevention I’ve seen so far. Also looks like the middle bin is a spider and is telling secrets to the other bins in the corner.
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These are two elements of a home that should not be separated the way the are. Not only is it missing bolts, but it has a gap bigger than the Grand Canyon.
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Earthquake safe? I don’t think so.
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If you go around East Los Angeles, you’ll see this sort of crack in retaining walls on almost every single block. These homes in Silver Lake, East LA, Mount Washington, etc. are all on a moving land mass and when mixed with water and quakes, it makes for a good damage sandwich.
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A fake foundation made of plaster that could easily be punctured by an accidental kick.
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Obviously I didn’t take this photo, but this was a crack in Trona Rd near Ridgecrest, CA where the most recent 6.4 and 7.1 earthquakes occurred in Southern California. There was much more damage than just this crack in the road, but you can imagine if a home was sitting over this area… it would have a hard time staying in place.
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This was a pretty awesome rock and mortar retaining wall, but was unfortunately leaning pretty badly. It will have to be knocked down and redone.
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The concrete is in real bad shape and much of it needs to be replaced and then bolted.
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This is a home in the Hollywood Hills that’s sitting on piles. As you can see, the piles are disagreeing with each other and can’t come to an agreement on where to go. Also, notice the cracking above where the piles are. This is a significant structural issue and needs a repairing as soon as possible.
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“I have sloping floors.”
The girder was also cracked pretty badly on the other side.