This is a 12 story condo building in China lying on the ground. The roof of the building is at the bottom of the photo.

It is perhaps the ultimate example of foundation failure – a 100% loss of the structure. What happened? The photo above shows the bottom of the building and the broken concrete pilings jutting out from the base.

Now here is a foundation problem. To make a long story short, contractors were in the process of digging an underground garage around the foundation when it began to rain heavily. The building started to lean, and then it leaned some more, and then the concrete foundation pilings broke. Doesn’t that sound odd? Concrete foundation pilings breaking? Well, if you look at the pictures carefully you will see that the concrete foundation pilings are hollow. If you make them hollow then you can save money on the amount of concrete that is used in the construction process. Wait there is more — or maybe less! If you look a bit more closely you will notice that there is NO steel rebar in the hollow concrete pilings. The contractor was able to save additional money by not purchasing any steel. WOW! The contractor saved a lot of money by building cheaper foundation pilings. When contractors build “fast” and “cheap” this is what you get.

One more thing. There is a reason Dawson Foundation Repair only installs Bell Bottom Piers under home foundations. They are poured, solid concrete piers with steel rebar. We do it the old fashioned way – proven, time-tested, and permanent.

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If you notice the warning signs of foundation problems in your home, contact us today for  A Home Foundation Inspection.

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