PSA: That old warehouse on Elm Street has dangerous floor rot I almost fell through

I was scouting a spot for a photoshoot last Tuesday and the subfloor in the east corner is totally gone under the carpet. If you're working on a project there, bring a plywood sheet or stay on the marked path - has anyone else found sketchy hazards in supposedly 'solid' buildings?

2 comments

2 Comments

miabennett9d ago

Actually, that warehouse was inspected by the city back in March and got a partial green tag on the main floor. Not saying you're wrong about the east corner because that area's been sketchy for years, but the rest of the subfloor passed a load test in 2023. I've been in that building maybe a dozen times for different events and the rot is pretty localized from what I've seen. Your best bet is to stick to the concrete sections near the loading dock if you don't want to haul plywood around. Take this with a grain of salt, but I'd double check around the south wall too that's where I noticed some weird soft spots last fall.

williamschmidt3d ago

The east corner rot is way more than just "sketchy." I walked that section last month after a rain and the floorboard gave maybe two inches when I stepped near that old drain pipe. Concrete sections by the loading dock are fine, sure, but good luck getting any kind of permit for an event if the city does a full follow-up inspection. And that 2023 load test only covered a two foot grid, not the entire subfloor. I'd say @miabennett is being a bit generous with that green tag, those partials usually mean they ignored the parts they didn't want to pay to fix. South wall soft spots line up exactly with where the roof leaks during heavy storms, so I would not trust that spot either.