This morning storm damage in our area

[Smilingreen]

I live in Middle Tennessee. For the pastfew years, we have been having increased storms that do billions of dollars in damages everytime one comes through. I am starting to see a trend in the aftermath in the pictures of the storm damage. Shoddy construction practices. In our general area, home construction has exploded the past 5 years. They can't build them fast enough. But, in the effort to build these house fast, corners are being cut and construction methods are being utilized that resemble kids building a tree fort. The standard around here has turned into: Build them fast, build them out of cheap materials and utilize unskilled labor to slap them together and charge a half million dollars for one.

The winds this morning in the area that these pictures show were not even at F1 tornado strength. Winds were 75 to 80 MPH. Houses should be able to withstand more force than this. Look at the lack of mortar on these blocks.

 

[Smilingreen]

No wonder the whole house blew over




.

 

[Smilingreen]

Housing developers need to be taken to court.

 

[David L]

I remember a lady visiting from Europe telling us she looked around and saw all our houses were built out of match sticks

 

[TVille]

We live in SW VA, 6 miles from KY, and 20 from TN. Had the remnants of the storms roll through here a little while ago. I'm very glad we didn't have that kind of damage! Winds here were like 40 mph.

 

[looney2ns]

Builders being shoddy, is nothing new. Been that way for eons. People that buy house's only care about "pretty". They don't think about structure or know anything about structure.
That's why I built my own house 38 years ago.
So they don't want to pay for a properly beefed up house, that's insulated correctly.

 

[mat200]

I am shocked they are building homes without even using OSB as sheathing .. imho that's criminal to basically replace OSB with something significantly weaker ..

Why our homes FAIL | Planned Obsolescence
Nov 28, 2021
Belinda Carr

Planned obsolescence is a business strategy in which items are designed to be obsolete, unfashionable, unusable, or defective in a short period of time. This results in us throwing away things that are basically new, purchasing replacements at a higher price point with new features. It also results in higher profit margins for manufacturers and an economy driven by rabid consumerism.

 

[Smilingreen]

The unique thing about this: All of the homes that sustain major damage are all of the new houses built in the new subdivisions. The old homes that sit off to themselves on farms or in rural areas don't sustain any damage, unless a tree falls on them.

 

[TonyR]

Not a big fan of municipal construction, electrical, HVAC and plumbing inspectors and all the permits and tax increases they bring with them, but oftentimes it can benefit when there's a unscrupulous builder on site. Rural areas especially must rely on a combination of good self-knowledge and hiring reputable contractors with great references.

 

[Teken]

Sadly, it seems every profession and industry have examples of shoddy work, shitty products, to just plain stupid people. I've been a shade tree mechanic since I was twelve working on repairing bicycles to huge trackers. About five years ago I received a free oil change coupon from the local automotive GM dealer.

The timing was perfect as the change oil light just came on a day before!

I made the appointment for 7:00 AM and had a small breakfast in their customer lounge. What's pretty cool is this custom lounge over looks into the work area for tire & oil changes. I'm standing there eating my sammich with another fellow and out of no where he starts pounding on the window?!?!

He's pointing down at the guys below who obviously can't hear him from 25 feet above with all the noise a regular shop has going on. He continues to bang on the window and starts to wave his arms around like a mad chicken.

At this point the guys below see this, and all stop . . .

The fellow motions to one of the guys changing the tires on a brand new expedition. He continues to point at the guy and motions him to come up to where there's probably close to 30 people waiting in this lounge. The guy from the shop comes in and the fellow just rips into this lad from top to bottom which goes on for a solid three minutes!

You know why that guy was called on the carpet that fateful day???

Because this so called master mechanic was zipping on the lug nuts with a impact gun set to 200~350 ft. lbs. In the worst case scenario the gun would have a torque stick (they are not very accurate) but its something! The fellow screams out how long have you've been a mechanic???

The guy barks back and says more than 25 years.

The fellow screams out how much money do you have invested in the best Armstrong, Snap-On, Mac, tools.

The guy barks back more than your cars worth.

The fellow screams out with so much money in fancy tools is there a calibrated torque wrench anywhere in that shiny tool chest.

The guy barks back and say No less than five in various capacities and values.

The fellow screams back, why in the blue fuck didn't you use that shiny and fancy tool on my $5K worth of tires and rims???

The guy stands there face turning red and head begins to drop to the floor. The fellow screams out one more thing before the service manager comes running in. The fellows last comment is pretty much the fact and reality of what happens in 99% of the dealerships.

The fellow's last scream was How about you go down there to remove just one lug nut with the factory tools inside the trunk Show me a average sized person of normal strength could remove said nut from the side of the road in the dead of winter (-38'C) with that OEM tool!

Obviously, an average sized person (never mind a woman) could not remove the nut with the OEM tool.

Everyday there are stupid monkeys like this who tout to be a professional with gobs of experience and years under their belt. Yet, these are the same lazy and inept assholes charged with the care and control of something another person spent a long time working hard to buy!

As an aside, guess who's in the lounge that fateful day???

GM Canada's SVP . . .

Long story short the SVP made the dealership purchase a validation torque wrench. This specific tool costs more than most peoples small cars as the tools must be certified every X months. The benefit of the tool is it allows a person / company to track, store, recall, and print off the torque value applied at the time and linked to the history of whatever.

Besides that expansive take on, he made the dealership remove every stud bolt from that brand new vehicle and install new ones. The rims that were already zipped on were replaced, the brake rotor too. All said, this is an example of how this specific industry operates all the while every mechanic is in debt up to their eye balls to Snap-On / whoever!

Yet, won't use that really expansive tools sitting in a box used - once?!?!?

Now, don't get me going on so called master plumbers!

 

[TonyR]

@Teken ,

That happened on my '99 Ranger's left rear tire several years ago, I ran over a big hex head bolt like a 1/2" x 3 that stood up and punched a H-U-G-E hole in the left rear which went down super fast.

So for the first time in 15 years I used the factory tool to lower the spare tired tucked underneath at the rear, placed the factory scissor jack underneath the truck and factory tire tool to remove the lug nuts....you got the picture. I got three off but no way on the last 2. I strained so hard I could see white spots in my eyes and got dizzy.

So I called AAA Road service which I've had since '86 and told them to make sure the guy has a compressor and hi-torque impact wrench or a LONG pry bar. I didn't call them right off because I was in a hurry and pictured myself taking 15 minutes but AAA taking 45 minutes just to reach me.

The AAA man arrived and with a socket, a 12" socket extension and a 2 foot long piece of galvanized rigid steel pipe placed over the ratchet handle and got the 2 nuts off.......lots of squeaking, squealing and then BANG....he had to break both lugs and it had to be done. Not his fault and I figured that's what it would take.

Needless to say I had a one-sided conversation with the young man at the local tire shop that had put them on previosly.

 

[Teken]

@Teken ,

That happened on my '99 Ranger's left rear tire several years ago, I ran over a big hex head bolt like a 1/2" x 3 that stood up and punched a H-U-G-E hole in the left rear which when down super fast.

So for the first time in 15 years I used the factory tool to lower the spare tired tucked underneath at the rear, placed the factory scissor jack underneath the truck and factory tire tool to remove the lug nuts....you got the picture. I got three off but no way on the last 2. I strained so hard I could see white spots in my eyes and got dizzy.

So I called AAA Road service which I've had since '86 and told them to make sure the guy has a compressor and hi-torque impact wrench or a LONG pry bar. I didn't call them right off because I was in a hurry and pictured myself taking 15 minutes but AAA taking 45 minutes just to reach me.

The AAA man arrived and with a socket, a 12" socket extension and a 2 foot long piece of galvanized rigid steel pipe placed over the ratchet handle and got the 2 nuts off.......lots of squeaking, squealing and then BANG....he had to break both lugs and it had to be done. Not his fault and I figured that's what it would take.

Needless to say I had a one-sided conversation with the young man at the local tire shop that had put them on previosly.

Great story, sadly this type of problem is ongoing in the automotive world. Like you the first thing I learned and took to heart was to understand basic science of Leverage. Same as the young lad that came for you that fateful day I walked into the local builder supply (many moons ago) and picked up various lengths of galvanized pipe for those days more leverage was needed.

In 2021 I haven't used a cheater pipe in more than fifteen years . . .

When you follow the OEM manual, know the specifications, and use a properly calibrated torque wrench its pretty rare to need a cheater bar. Having said that living in the rust belt using anti-seize and using a wet torque setting is the difference between ever getting something off or stripping a bolt / nut / lug!

Nothing is worse to remove all the lug nuts from a car and wondering why the tire is still firmly stuck to the hub?!?!

Only to realize its literally fused on to the back side by rust . . .

The best tool(s) to remove said fused tire / rim from the rotor hub assembly is a insulated flat board that's the same width as the tire and a BFH! A little tap at the bottom center of the tire and the entire wheel will plop off. Having spent my fair share pulling, yanking, and kicking tires all the while almost blowing out a blood vessel in my head.

The above solution works every time without damage and wasted time!

 

[TonyR]

Great story, sadly this type of problem is ongoing in the automotive world. Like you the first thing I learned and took to heart was to understand basic science of Leverage.

I only went to that kid (that over-tightened) that 1 time because the tire man I had been using for years and trusted had temporarily closed due to a family death when I needed him and so I went to the new, first time shop....scratched them off my list!

 

[Arjun]

They need to follow Japanese standards. If they can earthquake proof their buildings, they should institute similar such building codes in natural disaster prone areas here as well

 

[David L]

I broke a welded 4 Way Cross Lug Nut Wrench trying to take off a lug nut, went back to the Dealership / Quicklane and slammed my broken wrench on the counter, this wasn't their first time to do this. One time I had a Manager come out and try to take off the Lug Nut with a hand wrench, when he couldn't he fixed the issue. Unfortunately this place won't hand tighten, I use to make my other Tire Rotation/ Oil Change place I went to Hand Tighten...So glad I never had to change a flat tire and discover that. I found out when I did my brake jobs...


So thinking back, I do remember replacing it with a better built 4 Way...possible the one that broke was from Harbor Freight

 

[rolibr24]

Builders being shoddy, is nothing new. Been that way for eons. People that buy house's only care about "pretty". They don't think about structure or know anything about structure.
That's why I built my own house 38 years ago.
So they don't want to pay for a properly beefed up house, that's insulated correctly.

I live in a old farmhouse that was built in te early 1900’s. All oak 2x4’s. I’ve remodeled the whole house throughout the years. Remodeling sucked, I learned to ditch all nails because that’s almost impossible. It’s built like a tank.

Yes, by the end of winter I have a lot of icecicles hanging off my roof, and there are certain areas where you can feel drafts. Not a greeny approved house, but I’m not worried about it tipping over with wind either.

 

[looney2ns]

The unique thing about this: All of the homes that sustain major damage are all of the new houses built in the new subdivisions. The old homes that sit off to themselves on farms or in rural areas don't sustain any damage, unless a tree falls on them.

Many 80-90 year old homes destroyed in Kentucky Friday night.
Lots of times, "They don't build them like they used to" is answered by "Thank god they don't".
Many old house's had a foundation of rocks thrown on top of the ground and then built on.

First off, proper screws should be used, not nails in current day house's.
Proper tiying of the roof and walls all the way down to the foundation would go a long way, and it's not "that expensive" to accomplish.
We have a few contractors around here that do it "right".

 

[Teken]

Many 80-90 year old homes destroyed in Kentucky Friday night.
Lots of times, "They don't build them like they used to" is answered by "Thank god they don't".
Many old house's had a foundation of rocks thrown on top of the ground and then built on.

First off, proper screws should be used, not nails in current day house's.
Proper tiying of the roof and walls all the way down to the foundation would go a long way, and it's not "that expensive" to accomplish.
We have a few contractors around here that do it "right".

Just to clarify one point as it relates to screws vs nails. In most parts of the North America where there are tornado / hurricane building codes in force. Nails are required and mandated as they are tested for Shear Strength vs the vast majority of screws are not.

In 2021, there are indeed screws rated for shear strength but you're not going to find them very plentiful or at all in the hardware store without a special order. Locations which build to earth quake / hurricane / tornado standards generally speaking are extremely solid homes.

But, than again if the outside wall is only made out of cray paper all of the hurricane tie straps, hurricane rated doors, windows, don't matter much!

I don't recall what State this was in but I just shook my head in disbelief that people would have building codes to strengthen a home against such a epic event but not also mandate the parts that really matter like the walls be required to use at least 5/8" OSB / Plywood! Yet, they are allowed to use what best can be described as some kind of paper wall board???

 

[Coldair]

that crappy building would not fly in SWFL.

we have a small 30-50-18 metal building out back and it has a 3*3 footer with rebar and a center footer section 30 foot by 12 foot by 6 foot deep footer

 

[David L]

Just to clarify one point as it relates to screws vs nails. In most parts of the North America where there are tornado / hurricane building codes in force. Nails are required and mandated as they are tested for Shear Strength vs the vast majority of screws are not.

In 2021, there are indeed screws rated for shear strength but you're not going to find them very plentiful or at all in the hardware store without a special order. Locations which build to earth quake / hurricane / tornado standards generally speaking are extremely solid homes.

But, than again if the outside wall is only made out of cray paper all of the hurricane tie straps, hurricane rated doors, windows, don't matter much!

I don't recall what State this was in but I just shook my head in disbelief that people would have building codes to strengthen a home against such a epic event but not also mandate the parts that really matter like the walls be required to use at least 5/8" OSB / Plywood! Yet, they are allowed to use what best can be described as some kind of paper wall board???

My experience with screws is this, I have built fences with both nails and screws, the nails hold way better over time. I don't know why but the boards with the screws got loose over the years, I stopped using screws for fencing. Maybe it was the type of screws I used even though I tried different types, not sure but I have found this to be true for other wood projects I have built. The screws don't back out like nails but have found screws get loose in the wood where nails don't, of course this is mainly for outside wood, I live in the South, if that matters.. I do have screws for a work bench I built but only to keep the plywood top down with L brackets. This 2x4 bench has been moved several times, even from a few houses to another, it is still solid after 3 decades. The bench is almost the length of my garage, two sections, in the old house it was setup L shaped and the two sections were held together with bolts.