It’s natural for us lớn worry. It can be useful, even productive, if done in moderation. Worrying about what could happen helps us anticipate problems & brainstorm ways to lớn resolve them. But too much worry can have a negative effect, not just our state of mind but even on our physical health. Countless studies have made it clear: too much worry = too much stress = increased health problems.
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Many things are out of our control. We can’t fix everything. But we can learn more about the problems we’re facing, và that can reduce how much we worry about them.
At Acculevel, we want every homeowner lớn have the information you need to make the best decision for you and your home. We specialize in foundation repair & waterproofing, và have been helping homeowners to restore stability lớn their homes and regain peace of mind since 1996.
In this article, we’re going khổng lồ address three major concerns our customers have admitted they privately worry about, but are hesitant lớn ask.
Will My House Fall Down?
No, it probably won’t. Builders in the Midwest are conscious of the varying weather conditions throughout our region. Houses are designed to lớn withstand a wide variety of stresses and pressures: high winds, heavy snows, hydrostatic pressure, even minor tremors.
Even if one of your basement walls collapses, it’s not likely to lớn take out the entire house. It will cause major structural damage. It could compromise your plumbing, causing major water damage. And it certainly won’t be safe for you khổng lồ live there until an engineer or a highly qualified contractor has evaluated the structure and assessed the damage. But your home is not likely to fold up lượt thích a house of cards.
There are clear warning signs that indicate your foundation is at risk:
Cracks in the exterior of the houseWindows and doors stick- not opening or closing smoothly
Cracks in the drywall around those sticking doors/windows
Long cracks or bowing in the basement/crawl space walls
Are My Foundation Problems Dangerous?
Yes, serious foundation issues vì put your home’s stability at risk. This is why, if a foundation wall collapses, you need a structural engineer or a highly qualified contractor lớn assess the damage. They will know if it’s safe for you khổng lồ stay in the trang chủ during repairs, where stabilizing jacks or beams need lớn be installed before rebuilding can occur, etc.
If you are still worried about your trang chủ and would lượt thích to take immediate action, you should find an experienced & knowledgeable foundation company khổng lồ evaluate your home. Before you meet with a contractor of any kind, we urge you to lớn verify that the company is reputable, insured, and accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
Not sure what questions lớn ask, or what information you should acquire about the company you hire? Please use our guide to lớn questions you should ask a contractor, with a không tính phí downloadable form.
If you live in Indiana or the surrounding states, tương tác Acculevel. We are a family-owned and operated company, & we provide không tính tiền written estimates. One of our experienced project managers will evaluate your foundation, basement or crawl space, then recommend the best course of kích hoạt for you. Our goal is khổng lồ help you keep your home strong and healthy for years to lớn come.
“The tenants of this building are pretty active,” Davenport's director of development và neighborhood services said. “They’ve called the đô thị numerous times with complaints.”
Former & recent tenants of the historic Iowa apartment building that partially collapsed over the weekend say they had complained to lớn management for years about cracks in the walls, a lack of heat và air conditioning, and plumbing woes — but were consistently ignored.
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A portion of the 116-year-old, six-story Davenport building fell into a rubble heap Sunday evening, prompting a frantic evacuation. Authorities said Tuesday that five people are unaccounted for & two are thought lớn be inside the building.
Since the collapse, people who once lived at 324 Main Street have shared their experiences with issues they said plagued the building & of feeling brushed off by management.
Schlaan Murray, 46, moved out in February after a year. He said that while he lived at the building, he struggled with no AC or heat, faulty plumbing and a toilet that wasn"t bolted to lớn the floor.
Murray said he contacted the building"s management office, Village Property Management, more than 15 times with different complaints và only once was a maintenance worker sent to lớn address the nhà wc problem.
“My toilet was all cracked, it came off
He said he often complained about the lack of heating, especially during the Midwestern winter. One time after talking to management, he said he came home to find a small space heater at his front door, a move he called “a slap in the face.”
Murray said he wasn"t the only one suffering.
“Every time I came in và there was a tenant there, we’d talk. Lượt thích "Hey, is this going on? Is your heat working? Is your AC working?""
Murray said despite messaging và calling management, "nothing was ever done." He said he notified the city of Davenport twice, leaving his contact information and complaint information, but never heard back.
Village Property Management did not address the allegations of mishandling tenant complaints when reached for phản hồi Wednesday.
“Our thoughts & prayers are with our tenants and families during this difficult time,” a statement signed by Andrew Wold, who purchased the property in June 2021, và the property management team, said.
“We have been working closely with the American Red Cross and other agencies khổng lồ assist the displaced tenants affected by this event. We are forever grateful lớn them for all of their assistance with our tenants,” the brief statement said.
Clothing hanging in an apartment of the building that partially collapsed.Erin Hooley / AP
Survivors saw cracks growing on walls
Aaron Voorhis, whose 58-year-old father, Fred Voorhis, was in the building when it collapsed, said he also visited the management office at least three times lớn raise concerns.He complained that his father, who has lived alone there for two years, had plumbing issues, central air that didn’t work và “pretty deep” cracks in the unit.
But his complaints were “completely ignored,” he said.
“I actually talked to the landlord about it, they acted like I didn’t know what I was talking about,” Aaron Voorhis said.
He said his father was shaken và "traumatized" by the collapse.
Fred Voorhis was sleeping when a part of the building gave way và woke up to what sounded lượt thích banging on his door.
“When he opened it all he saw was the ground, he could see the ground all the way down,” as a part of his unit had collapsed, his son said.
He started “freaking out,” and called his son for help. Eventually, he was rescued by firefighters, unharmed.
“He never thought this was going to lớn happen. He said you only see something like this in the movies,” his son said.
A tenant who escaped from the sixth-floor apartment eats lunch inside a Red Cross shelter in Davenport, Iowa, on Wednesday.Erin Hooley / AP
Lexus Berry, a 27-year-old resident of the building, said she noticed new cracks in her unit on Saturday that grew on Sunday ahead of the collapse. She và her wife grabbed their cats & were headed out the door when the building caved in. Her wife, Quanishia White-Berry, was pulled from the rubble Monday.
Moving out
Aurea Monet had moved out just eight days before the collapse after living there for seven months.
She told NBC News’ vị trí cao nhất Story on Monday she grappled with major plumbing issues và noticed the back wall of the building “bowing” & a crack growing in her kitchen wall when construction on the building"s exterior was underway.
Monet said she "gave up" contacting management for help because they were not responsive.
She e-mailed management lớn break her lease on May 4 saying: “despite numerous requests lớn address these issues, they have not been resolved … I am concerned about the safety of other residents in the building.” Monet shared an e-mail with NBC in which Village Property Management replied khổng lồ her, saying: “There are no structural deficiencies within the building.”
Monet called the collapse “100% avoidable” noting, “If I had stayed, I would have been in that entire unit that collapsed.”
City acknowledged complaints, but reports claimed building was "structurally sound"
City officials acknowledged after the disaster that there had been numerous resident complaints about the property.
“The tenants of this building are pretty active,” Rich Oswald, the city’s director of development and neighborhood services, said this week. “They’ve called the đô thị numerous times with complaints.”
On Tuesday, officials said that twice this year, the property owner had an outside engineering firm conduct assessment reports. Both times, once in January and again earlier this month, the property was deemed structurally safe.
NBC News has submitted a FOIA request for those reports and reached out to the engineering firm for comment.
Murray called the claims that the structure was deemed safe "BS."
He also said the mayor appeared khổng lồ downplay the number of complaints made about the building.
“It was a lot, a lot of complaints. Maybe they"re not keeping a record or not taking responsibility. I think that’s what the whole thing is right now — responsibility," he said.
Aaron Aguilar, a maintenance employee at the property from năm 2016 to 2020, said that the building had notable damage after a derecho storm in August 2020, which brought high winds and rain.
He said a part of the rooftop was peeled back roughly six khổng lồ eight feet, forming an "almost swimming pool" on the roof. A deluge of water fell on one side of the building from the rooftop khổng lồ the first floor — the same side of the building that collapsed, he said.
“We had bricks that started crumbling after that storm. It was a very old historic building. All that water was rushing down the backside of the brick and eroding away the mortar. Essentially, the bricks were separating. Just nobody ever took us serious about it,” he said.
Aguilar said that he reported issues khổng lồ the đô thị at least six times & was told that inspectors would speak with the owner.
Aguilar said the owner of the building and contractors were aware of the issue.
“I feel it’s a combination of the city và owner being responsible, in my opinion,” he said.
