Added support in Crawlspace

[David D. Whitt]

Hey guys,
I have seen this situation several times over the past few days and have called it out as being improperly supported, pier construction suspect, leaning piers, piers not supported, end bearing suspect you name it i have called it.
It was told to me that this particular home that you see with these pictures had an overspanning issue and was corrected. The pictures show the attempt at correction. Now the correction needs correcting. I am requesting further evaluation and comments please. What would you say?

[James Duffin]

I would say what you said and recommend repair by a licensed GC.

[Markus Keller]

Actually what I'm seeing is a scumbag rehab job. The statement that there was an overspanning issue could be sort of legitimate but probably BS. Does this place have a new remodeled kitchen?
Pic 3 is the clearest to me. Old wood for midspan support, new wood for floor joists. There may have been an overspanning issues, however that doesn't make people put in a whole new floor system generally.
My guess is the old floor joists were rotted out and had to be replaced. They cheated and left the vintage midspan support basically as-is.
Not only would I be writing the improper midspan support but I would also write the new floor structure, load calculations for joist size based on span, documentation for proper joist attachment, end support, separation the masonry wall and plywood thickness and attachment to joists, and of course the Plans and Permit.
Then I write the crawl in general. Bad insulation, vapor barrier, blah, blah you know the drill.
You bad little deal killer you.:D

[David D. Whitt]

I wrote up the vapor barrier, the insulation all of what you said Markus and yes the home was purchased by the previous homeowner when a remodel was "completed". It was so tight down there, I couldnt crawl the entire space due to all of the additional supports not to mention the supply plenum running down the middle of the home. It pisses me off to no end that now I have a young newly engaged couple, probably in their early twenties having an opportunity to buy a home with the parents living across the street, to inheret this. And this is a FSBO. The parents know the people selling the property. And the Kicker.......Federal Pacific "Stab-lok" main panel and breakers.....:(
and yes Markus...Monkeys installed this.
Frustrating!
Question: If the overspanning was/is an issue, and i cannot verify whether it is or not, what would one say about the additional supports. If everything else was good, it appears that the supports were added to possibly control the "bounciness" of the floor. "It appears that the repair/added support piers and beams has become ineffective and needs to be readjusted/corrected by a qualified licensed contractor who is experienced in floor support technology." OR "Recommend structural engineer to recommend repair options".
Comments

[Bruce Ramsey]

All the additional supports are installed incorrectly. Numerous reasons, lack of footing, wrong orientation of CMUs, improper nailing/fastening, cracked concrete blocks, etc.

Have structure reviewed by structural engineer to determine the need for the additional piers. Repair if needed or remove/ignore if not needed.

[James Duffin]

This is just my opinion of course but I don't see a need for a structural engineer is this case. The repairs that are needed are standard building practices that a GC should be able to handle with no problem. A permit would be required due to the amount of work involved. Or if you wanted to break the bank you could get a foundation repair company to do the repairs.

[Markus Keller]

As much as I agree with James, that you don't 'need' a structural engineer, you really have to put it in the report as a recommendation. A good carpenter/contractor who's been doing it for years knows what to do.
However, that isn't the issue. We don't have any control over who the client calls, if the guy is a good contractor, scumbag or salesman who pawns it off on subs looking to make a fast buck.
The client is unlikely to know what a legitimate repair is. With an SE report the client can tell bidders, 'Do This'.
If the contractor does it according to plan, great. If what's installed is different and the owner can see it or calls David to inspect it, then the contractor doesn't get paid legitimately.