This South Jordan, Utah home is striking; it’s tall, open, and wrapped in glass from front to back. The family room and kitchen fills the left side, rising more than two stories with almost no interior walls. That openness, combined with this location’s strong wind storms, has left the structure vulnerable to sway.
Built to 2000s year’s standards, this home shows clear signs of movement. We recommend adding about 200 square feet of new shear wall in both directions, mainly along the side walls and near windows. The instalment of these shear walls is to stiffen the structure against wind and external seismic forces.
On the right side of the foundation, a slight outward rotation, roughly an inch of movement, was observed. This is likely from poor water drainage. Though it can’t be straightened, it should remain stable if the soil is kept dry. The roof, sprinklers, and grading all need to direct water away from the foundation to keep the soil near the home dry.
A house of glass is beautiful, but without strong shear walls and good drainage, beauty can bend with the wind.
