Poor Girder To Post Connection
This method of building homes has been around for years
and relatively works okay. However, if you live in earthquake country,
your home could easily be thrown off of the foundation and severely
damaged.
I have worked on plenty of homes in Southern California with a similar
situation as the one above and these homes haven't suffered any damage.
There are better ways to make this connection and I would recommend them
if you are building a new home or adding on to an existing one.
The biggest problem with this post to girder connection is during an
earthquake that has a rolling effect. The house can actually be raised
off of the foundation and piers. This could cause the loose blocks
underneath the girder beam to become dislocated.
Now as the house is thrown back down during the earthquake, the floor or
framing of the home could become damaged. This wouldn't have happened if
the girder to post connection was securely fastened together with a
good metal connector.