Leslieville fallen home

Leslieville-Falling-Home image bad construction

What happened to this Leslieville Fallen Home?

You might have heard about the Leslieville fallen home on the news or read about it in the paper(Star Article Link) We thought that, given this happened right in our own backyard so to speak, it presented a perfect opportunity to explain to everyone what really happened here and how this could very well happen again. We are actually surprised it doesn’t happen more often given the way most new homes and additions are framed or left once framing has been completed.

With this Leslieville fallen home, it all came down to a lack of proper framing techniques and how the materials were not designed to withstand those high wind forces on their own. At the end of the day, this was completely avoidable if a little more care had been taken with the framing of the building itself.

We will walk you through a site photo and list the various areas that failed due to improper workmanship. Each item is numbered so you can fully understand what we are referring to.

Leslieville Fallen Home Explained

5 Key Factors

As you can see we have highlighted 5 key factors that contributed to the home falling down. They are by no means the only factors but I do believe they were the main ones. Now we must keep in mind that I am not putting these in any particular order and of course, none of these would be a factor at all without the high winds of that night.

 1.  Pieces of OSB ply used around windows and doors. I see this everywhere and it is a very bad practice indeed. An opening for a window or a door is a hole in your wall. The more holes or the bigger the holes are, the weaker the wall becomes. As you can clearly see there is nothing really left of the ground floor rear exterior wall once you take out the openings. What was left was clad with thin strips going perpendicular to each other. That type of application provides zero shear resistance and was probably the single largest contributing factor to this building falling over. Without shear resistance built into the framing on large openings, any building can topple. I can’t speak to the mindset of the contractor involved but this was careless and should never of happened. OSB and ply are cheap in comparison to what has to be paid for now. Ask for engineers to design shear walls if you have large openings at the rear of your building. Make sure external ply is one solid piece that has the window and door openings cut out of it.  It is not worth the risk at all.

2.  Again a mistake with the installation of the exterior ply. Not only should you use full pieces around windows and doors but you should also overlap ply between floors.  Good practice is min 12″ but we like to go around 16″ where we can. Joints should also always be staggered and small pieces should be avoided as much as possible. Your exterior ply is the skin that holds you building together and if it weak so is the rest of the structure underneath it.

3. Improper window framing and or nailing.  As you can see at the bottom of this window, things have fully separated but at the top they have just shifted. If this window was framed properly and nailed together it should not have separated like that. Also there are no cross bracing pieces anywhere around that opening or on the first floor for that matter. It is good practice to always cross brace large openings until you can get some windows in them. If cross bracing had been installed, it would have probably stopped all this from ever happening .

4.  This one leads into number 5 and is another major mess up. No overlap onto ground floor framing. Again no ply even installed this time and as you can see the same goes with the Dens shield Gold installed down the side of the building. There was literally nothing to stop this building from falling over or tying it to the ground floor or foundation properly.

5. The wind force acting on what seems to be a relatively decent installation of the Dens shield Gold down the side of the building. In normal situations this would have been ok but with the weakened rear wall structure, this was the final nail in the coffin. Once the force of the wind hit hard against the solid surface of the side of the building, the force proved too much for the framed building to withstand. A framed home is a fragile box until everything is completed and this was a great example of why the entire box has to built with attention and care.

Woodmsith Construction hopes this article has been helpful in clearing up what went wrong in Leslieville. There seems way too much poor construction going on in our community. We want to make sure our community is better informed so this doesn’t happen in the future.  Your home is the biggest investment you will ever make and we need to make sure that investment is safe. If you ever have any questions or concerns about how a construction project is being done in your area. Or if you are looking for a quality construction company that won’t take short cuts with your home.

Please don’t hesitate to give us a call anytime @ 416 937-5874

Woodsmith Construction is first and foremost one of the leading contractors serving the GTA. We at Rigid Frame Structural Engineers Inc. provide structural engineering consulting for them. Woodsmith always adhere to the drawings and regulations in all of their construction projects. We also find Chris and all his crews to be very respectful. We recommend Woodsmith to all our clients who like to tackle renovations.

We worked with Chris Smith and Woodsmith Construction Inc. on the design for a garage addition, and the experience was fantastic. The project included adding attic trusses to create a new walk-in closet and laundry room that seamlessly connected to our existing main bedroom. Chris’s goal was to make the addition feel like it had always been part of the home, and he absolutely nailed it.From the start, Chris took the time to understand what we needed and came up with a design that not only maximized the functionality of the space but also kept the style consistent with the rest of the house. He paid close attention to every detail, from the layout to the finishes, ensuring everything worked perfectly with our main bedroom.The design makes such smart use of the space, and it feels like a natural extension of the home rather than an afterthought. Chris was great to work with—responsive, creative, and incredibly knowledgeable. He even provided advice on how to approach the construction phase, which made us feel confident moving forward.If you’re looking for someone to bring your vision to life with a thoughtful and practical design, we highly recommend Chris Smith and Woodsmith Construction. The design he created for us has truly enhanced our home. Our construction is well under way and we are already seeing the great design come to life!

Steve F
Steve F2024-12-03
Google

Cristina Blesa
Cristina Blesa2023-12-06
Google

We worked with Chris Smith and Woodsmith Construction Inc. on a large-scale renovation of our east-end semi and we couldn’t be happier with the finished product. The project included adding a third floor, underpinning the basement, and updating the interior throughout the house. Chris handled both the design and the build, and he is incredibly knowledgeable about all stages of the process. He was professional and responsive and always had our best interests at heart. His team was hard-working and respectful and they were all a pleasure to work with.Chris was professional, calm, and reasonable in working with our neighbours at all stages of the process and earned a very positive reputation among people on the street who saw the process and admired the result. The final product maintains the same exterior character of the home while updating the interior and making it a hundred times more functional for our family. It is a total transformation from what it used to be and we thank Chris for his vision and guidance throughout the process.Chris and his team were organized, professional, and always on top of the details. They kept us in the loop throughout the project and made sure everything was done to the highest standard. We would not hesitate to recommend Woodsmith to anyone undertaking a residential renovation – he is one of the hardest-working people we know and we are very grateful for his expertise and dedication.

D Volpe
D Volpe2024-12-01
Google

Woodsmith Construction completed a project for us in a timely and professional manner. The quality of their workmanship is superb. Communication between them and us was informative, courteous and collaborative. We would highly recommend them.

Rick Wilson
Rick Wilson2020-03-31
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Emmanuel Moysis
Emmanuel Moysis2019-03-31
Google

Woodsmith construction just completed a gut job and garage addition for my husband and I and it was the best experience I could have hoped for especially given all the renovation horror stories we have heard. They were so professional, helpful, diligent and responsive and the quality of the renovation was first class. I would recommend anyone to hire Woodsmith construction for all their needs whether it is a renovation or a new build. We could not be happier with the outcome and our newly renovated home.

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