As a general category of structures, wood frame buildings perform fairly well. Wood is a ductile material that has the ability to absorb lots of energy. However, if a continuous load path is not provided or if there are irregularities such as soft stories, then significant damage may occur. Typical types of damage to wood frame structures is as follows:
- Partial Collapse (often due to soft or weak story irregularities)
- Severe Lean (soft or weak stories)
- Movement Off Foundation (poor or no foundation anchorage)
- Separation of Structure (discontinuous load path or portions of structures behaving independently)
- Cripple Walls (improperly braced walls below the first floor level)
- Chimneys (lightly reinforced or unreinforced masonry)
- Porches or Decks (inadequate bracing or anchorage to the main structure)
- Foundations (poor soils or portions of foundations which are heavily loaded)
