Regina Gadacz July 15, 2019

The WOW Factor: Like a Brick, House

Renovation Contractor

While doing some interior renovations at a client's home a few years back, I noticed a significant sag in the centre of the garage roof. My curiosity got the best of me so I grabbed a ladder, lifted the attic access lid, and got the shock of my life.

Illustration: Brett Lamb

Fred Feyen of Feyen Construction in Chatham, Ont., shares this weighty story.

While doing some interior renovations at a client’s home a few years back, I noticed a significant sag in the centre of the garage roof. My curiosity got the best of me so I grabbed a ladder, lifted the attic access lid, and got the shock of my life. Sitting on three trusses in the centre of the attic was a pallet of 300 bricks weighing about 2,000 lbs.

Apparently the previous owner built an addition years’ earlier and decided to save the extra bricks, storing them right in the middle of the garage attic, pulling the trusses down. To top it off, there was a beautiful sports car sitting in the garage right underneath the bricks.

The solution was an easy fix: His two teenage sons were recruited to remove the bricks immediately.

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What’s the worst thing you’ve ever stumbled upon? And how did you fix it? Take a load off and share your scary story with us. You could win a great prize, like this DeWalt 20V Atomic Drill/Impact Driver Kit worth $299.