Our house was built by AHB almost a year ago. Now gaps are appearing in the garage between the concrete floor and walls. And the garage door for backyard has started to jam. I am suspecting the slab has moved or settling.
Also, within couple of weeks of the hand over gaps started to appear in the cornices. The builder fixed them at the time but they appearing now everywhere in the house and the gaps are widening.
I have looked into the Master Builder Website and found this:
"Cracking cornices and plaster cracks are a common feature that often occur naturally in a new home. Ground movement and natural settling can occur with minor cracks appearing in walls or cornices, often several years after the house has been completed.
Many homebuyers incorrectly believe that this type of cracking is the builders’ responsibility to rectify. Under the Builders’ Registration Act (1939) a builder is responsible for any faulty and defective work for a period of six years after practical completion. However the builder’s liability will not extend to purely maintenance items which are the owners responsibility. Just like a new car, you would not expect the manufacturer after say 3 or 4 years to fix a cracking seal, you cannot expect a builder to be responsible for minor cornice or plaster cracking years after the home has been completed and lived in."
Looks like the Masters Builders have almost gave immunity to builders for this sort of issues. What should be my course of action now and how should I approach the builder? Thanks in advance.
https://imgur.com/a/VWVVGnl
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[img:ohz7w27e]https://forum.homeone.com.au/u/84837_1592477760.jpg[/img:ohz7w27e]
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Faults appearing a year after building.What course of action
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Master Builders represent their members, not the buyers. Contracted referenced Standards are what you go by.
Unfortunately you can only notify the builder in writing, take photos that show a refernce to size of cracks and monitor the situation over the next 12 - 24 months. Cracks up to 2mm wide are not considered abnormal but you could consider having some slab levels taken to be used as this early reference point.
Your situation has been experienced many times before by other Homeone members, if you use appropriate key words to do a forum search, you will be able to read about the time frames and experience of others. The steps they took may assist to understanding your own situation a bit better.
Did you take many photos during construction that show the perimeter drainage and was the house handed over with the correct surface slope away from the house? If there is a slope or pooling problem, you need to rectify it ASAP.
Did you have a recorded CCTV inspection of all stormwater and drain pipes prior to handover?
Unfortunately you can only notify the builder in writing, take photos that show a refernce to size of cracks and monitor the situation over the next 12 - 24 months. Cracks up to 2mm wide are not considered abnormal but you could consider having some slab levels taken to be used as this early reference point.
Your situation has been experienced many times before by other Homeone members, if you use appropriate key words to do a forum search, you will be able to read about the time frames and experience of others. The steps they took may assist to understanding your own situation a bit better.
Did you take many photos during construction that show the perimeter drainage and was the house handed over with the correct surface slope away from the house? If there is a slope or pooling problem, you need to rectify it ASAP.
Did you have a recorded CCTV inspection of all stormwater and drain pipes prior to handover?
More photos of outside setup , right around your home,and inside problem areas,best to include a ruler/tape measure so it's easy to see sizes of problems,then you will get plenty of responses .
Just like a new car, you would not expect the manufacturer after say 3 or 4 years to fix a cracking seal,
I love Master Builders. Yes a cracking seal would be rectified if the car is still under warranty. Even up to 7 years if you have a Hyundai.
Hi guys, upon closer inspection, I discovered some big cracking in the house- inside and outside. Also the depression of the garage floor as I mentioned before. Please see the photos. The builder sent an inspector of their own. The builders are now saying that it's causing because of the movement of the slab due to the water pooling on the side of the property. I have attached a photo of the side for you to have a look.
There are some green stains can be seen on the ground which indicates waterlogging. The builders are saying that water is going under the slab and causing the movement. And they are putting the blame on me for that. However, I paid them for a turnkey package and landscaping was their responsibility too. Now if they haven't levelled the ground properly to create slope for the rainwater to trend away from the foundation of the building, can they blame me for that? They are saying my tenants could have moved soil which is ridiculous.
The builder is willing to fix the cracks for now but asking me to sort the grading/leveling of the ground. Also, they are not treating the gap between the garage floor and walls as an issue.
Should I hire an independent inspector now and get a report on the cause? The bulders are trying to avoid the responsibility and I feel I have to run around a lot with this issue. The independent inspector might produce a report in favour of me but I still have to fight with the builders and at this point, it looks like I might even have to go to VICAT (court). Are there organisers who could do all these on behalf of me? Do they charge a fortune?
Also, are there specialist inspectors who specialise on post built faults? Thanks a lot for your input.
There are some green stains can be seen on the ground which indicates waterlogging. The builders are saying that water is going under the slab and causing the movement. And they are putting the blame on me for that. However, I paid them for a turnkey package and landscaping was their responsibility too. Now if they haven't levelled the ground properly to create slope for the rainwater to trend away from the foundation of the building, can they blame me for that? They are saying my tenants could have moved soil which is ridiculous.
The builder is willing to fix the cracks for now but asking me to sort the grading/leveling of the ground. Also, they are not treating the gap between the garage floor and walls as an issue.
Should I hire an independent inspector now and get a report on the cause? The bulders are trying to avoid the responsibility and I feel I have to run around a lot with this issue. The independent inspector might produce a report in favour of me but I still have to fight with the builders and at this point, it looks like I might even have to go to VICAT (court). Are there organisers who could do all these on behalf of me? Do they charge a fortune?
Also, are there specialist inspectors who specialise on post built faults? Thanks a lot for your input.
Do you have photos of the site drainage during construction and what is your soil classification?
Given that the builder was contracted to provide the landscaping, l can't see how they could possibly blame you but in asserting blame the way they have, they have inadvertently admitted that there is damage caused by inadequate site drainage. Was their advice/conclusion in writing?
The suitability or otherwise of the landscaping done is heavily dependent on the soil classification.
I have linked another AHB thread where the OP had near identical issues as you. Maybe you could also contact him/her re their experience and outcome.
viewtopic.php?f=31&t=85369
Given that the builder was contracted to provide the landscaping, l can't see how they could possibly blame you but in asserting blame the way they have, they have inadvertently admitted that there is damage caused by inadequate site drainage. Was their advice/conclusion in writing?
The suitability or otherwise of the landscaping done is heavily dependent on the soil classification.
I have linked another AHB thread where the OP had near identical issues as you. Maybe you could also contact him/her re their experience and outcome.
viewtopic.php?f=31&t=85369
Do you have photos of the site drainage during construction and what is your soil classification?
Given that the builder was contracted to provide the landscaping, l can't see how they could possibly blame you but in asserting blame the way they have, they have inadvertently admitted that there is damage caused by inadequate site drainage. Was their advice/conclusion in writing?
Given that the builder was contracted to provide the landscaping, l can't see how they could possibly blame you but in asserting blame the way they have, they have inadvertently admitted that there is damage caused by inadequate site drainage. Was their advice/conclusion in writing?
The guys that came from AHB for inspection explained that to me and this is what they advised me in writing:
"Also as reported there is a sectioned externally on the Right and left-hand sides that will need to be addressed by your good self, this may be an attributing factor.
This is where some excessive moisture, please find an attached photo that indicated water pooling stain this is where a low point may be. Fill will need to be to level this out to ensure it has a fall away from the home."
It's not only the cracking I am worried about, there is a depression on the garage floor that can be clearly seen. It has created a sort of shallow arch underneath the walls (especially the wall between the garage and the adjacent bedroom).
Would it be good to engage an expert at this point to push it back to AHB?
Your other posts show that you are in Victoria.
Homeone Forums have a large number of experts in various fields who have joined as advertisers which also supports the forum's continuance and some of these experts also give their time to provide advice to forum members. Two of the best Victorian experts in this field are "insider" who has had a lot of experience with heaved sites and also "building-expert", a highly credentialled former builder who does inspections and has often given expert witness at VCAT. I strongly suggest that you get in touch with building-expert. I have linked his website's blog below. Have a read through it before contacting him.
https://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog/
You have also started a new thread dealing with this subject and provided additional information in that thread that should have been posted in this thread.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=99576
As per information you have posted in the new thread and what has been posted here, I offer the following.
I don't know whether the finished surface level has been compacted but if so and if it is considered not permeable, it is still not compliant with the BCA regulation that requires an impermeable surface level in your zone of rainfall intensity to be a minimum 50mm below the DPC and sloped away from the house. If the surface is permeable, the gap must be 150mm.
One photo indicates that the finished surface level is above the DPC in some areas. The builder's documented written advice to raise the lower finished surface levels is ridiculous.
As per the NCC, Part 2.
Click on the above to enlarge.
The stormwater grate seen in one photo is above the minimum 50mm gap required for an impermeable finished surface level to be below the DPC.
The cracking needs to be monitored and recorded. As per information in the other thread, the builder has shown poor judgement by instructing painters to attend and fill the cracked sections as you and others now have no visible indication of the true extent of the cracking. Filling and painting cracks is not fixing the issue, it is disguising the consequence of the issue. The builder's directive in this matter is 'puzzling', particularly given discovery of the builder's prior experience with such issues.
The house has apparently been handed over with non compliant site drainage away from the house. Do you have photos of the site drainage during construction and again, what is your soil classification?
EDIT: If the top surface is permeable, the original (compacted) soil slope underneath determines the slope away from the slab, NOT the slope of the pervious top soil/toppings/woodchip/whatever layer.
Homeone Forums have a large number of experts in various fields who have joined as advertisers which also supports the forum's continuance and some of these experts also give their time to provide advice to forum members. Two of the best Victorian experts in this field are "insider" who has had a lot of experience with heaved sites and also "building-expert", a highly credentialled former builder who does inspections and has often given expert witness at VCAT. I strongly suggest that you get in touch with building-expert. I have linked his website's blog below. Have a read through it before contacting him.
https://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog/
You have also started a new thread dealing with this subject and provided additional information in that thread that should have been posted in this thread.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=99576
As per information you have posted in the new thread and what has been posted here, I offer the following.
I don't know whether the finished surface level has been compacted but if so and if it is considered not permeable, it is still not compliant with the BCA regulation that requires an impermeable surface level in your zone of rainfall intensity to be a minimum 50mm below the DPC and sloped away from the house. If the surface is permeable, the gap must be 150mm.
One photo indicates that the finished surface level is above the DPC in some areas. The builder's documented written advice to raise the lower finished surface levels is ridiculous.
As per the NCC, Part 2.
Click on the above to enlarge.
The stormwater grate seen in one photo is above the minimum 50mm gap required for an impermeable finished surface level to be below the DPC.
The cracking needs to be monitored and recorded. As per information in the other thread, the builder has shown poor judgement by instructing painters to attend and fill the cracked sections as you and others now have no visible indication of the true extent of the cracking. Filling and painting cracks is not fixing the issue, it is disguising the consequence of the issue. The builder's directive in this matter is 'puzzling', particularly given discovery of the builder's prior experience with such issues.
The house has apparently been handed over with non compliant site drainage away from the house. Do you have photos of the site drainage during construction and again, what is your soil classification?
EDIT: If the top surface is permeable, the original (compacted) soil slope underneath determines the slope away from the slab, NOT the slope of the pervious top soil/toppings/woodchip/whatever layer.
Your other posts show that you are in Victoria.
Homeone Forums have a large number of experts in various fields who have joined as advertisers which also supports the forum's continuance and some of these experts also give their time to provide advice to forum members. Two of the best Victorian experts in this field are "insider" who has had a lot of experience with heaved sites and also "building-expert", a highly credentialled former builder who does inspections and has often given expert witness at VCAT. I strongly suggest that you get in touch with building-expert. I have linked his website's blog below. Have a read through it before contacting him.
https://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog/
You have also started a new thread dealing with this subject and provided additional information in that thread that should have been posted in this thread.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=99576
As per information you have posted in the new thread and what has been posted here, I offer the following.
I don't know whether the finished surface level has been compacted but if so and if it is considered not permeable, it is still not compliant with the BCA regulation that requires an impermeable surface level in your zone of rainfall intensity to be a minimum 75mm below the DPC and sloped away from the house. If the surface is permeable, the gap must be 150mm.
One photo indicates that the finished surface level is above the DPC in some areas. The builder's documented written advice to raise the lower finished surface levels is ridiculous.
As per the NCC, Part 2.
Click on the above to enlarge.
The stormwater grate seen in one photo is above the minimum 75mm gap required for an impermeable finished surface level to be below the DPC.
The cracking needs to be monitored and recorded. As per information in the other thread, the builder has shown poor judgement by instructing painters to attend and fill the cracked sections as you and others now have no visible indication of the true extent of the cracking. Filling and painting cracks is not fixing the issue, it is disguising the consequence of the issue. The builder's directive in this matter is 'puzzling', particularly given discovery of the builder's prior experience with such issues.
The house has apparently been handed over with non compliant site drainage away from the house. Do you have photos of the site drainage during construction and again, what is your soil classification?
Homeone Forums have a large number of experts in various fields who have joined as advertisers which also supports the forum's continuance and some of these experts also give their time to provide advice to forum members. Two of the best Victorian experts in this field are "insider" who has had a lot of experience with heaved sites and also "building-expert", a highly credentialled former builder who does inspections and has often given expert witness at VCAT. I strongly suggest that you get in touch with building-expert. I have linked his website's blog below. Have a read through it before contacting him.
https://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog/
You have also started a new thread dealing with this subject and provided additional information in that thread that should have been posted in this thread.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=99576
As per information you have posted in the new thread and what has been posted here, I offer the following.
I don't know whether the finished surface level has been compacted but if so and if it is considered not permeable, it is still not compliant with the BCA regulation that requires an impermeable surface level in your zone of rainfall intensity to be a minimum 75mm below the DPC and sloped away from the house. If the surface is permeable, the gap must be 150mm.
One photo indicates that the finished surface level is above the DPC in some areas. The builder's documented written advice to raise the lower finished surface levels is ridiculous.
As per the NCC, Part 2.
Click on the above to enlarge.
The stormwater grate seen in one photo is above the minimum 75mm gap required for an impermeable finished surface level to be below the DPC.
The cracking needs to be monitored and recorded. As per information in the other thread, the builder has shown poor judgement by instructing painters to attend and fill the cracked sections as you and others now have no visible indication of the true extent of the cracking. Filling and painting cracks is not fixing the issue, it is disguising the consequence of the issue. The builder's directive in this matter is 'puzzling', particularly given discovery of the builder's prior experience with such issues.
The house has apparently been handed over with non compliant site drainage away from the house. Do you have photos of the site drainage during construction and again, what is your soil classification?
Thank you for the recommendation. I have now booked an inspection with Building Experts. I was originally going with New Home Inspections as I have seen their inspection reports before which were very comprehensive but went with Building Experts based on their reputation in this forum. Hope it pays off.
Master Builders represent their members, not the buyers. Contracted referenced Standards are what you go by.
Unfortunately you can only notify the builder in writing, take photos that show a refernce to size of cracks and monitor the situation over the next 12 - 24 months. Cracks up to 2mm wide are not considered abnormal but you could consider having some slab levels taken to be used as this early reference point.
Your situation has been experienced many times before by other Homeone members, if you use appropriate key words to do a forum search, you will be able to read about the time frames and experience of others. The steps they took may assist to understanding your own situation a bit better.
Did you take many photos during construction that show the perimeter drainage and was the house handed over with the correct surface slope away from the house? If there is a slope or pooling problem, you need to rectify it ASAP.
Did you have a recorded CCTV inspection of all stormwater and drain pipes prior to handover?
Unfortunately you can only notify the builder in writing, take photos that show a refernce to size of cracks and monitor the situation over the next 12 - 24 months. Cracks up to 2mm wide are not considered abnormal but you could consider having some slab levels taken to be used as this early reference point.
Your situation has been experienced many times before by other Homeone members, if you use appropriate key words to do a forum search, you will be able to read about the time frames and experience of others. The steps they took may assist to understanding your own situation a bit better.
Did you take many photos during construction that show the perimeter drainage and was the house handed over with the correct surface slope away from the house? If there is a slope or pooling problem, you need to rectify it ASAP.
Did you have a recorded CCTV inspection of all stormwater and drain pipes prior to handover?
Hi there - do you have any contacts that could assist with a cctv inspection of storm water and drain pipes? Do any building inspectors offer this service? Is it recommended prior to handover?
Metropolis Solutions do forensic plumbing investigations and are the go to people. If you do a forum search, their name will come up in several threads.
Have a read of their website before contacting them.
https://metropolis.melbourne/
I have always highly recommended that new home buyers have a forensic plumbing inspection prior to handover, particularly when building on reactive soil. In Victoria, about 50% of drain pipe installations inspected have been found to be non compliant and H1 is littered with with posts detailing major problems stemming from faulty installations.
Again in Victoria, most probably more than 50% of all new home builds over many years have had non compliant roof/stormwater drainage.
https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/news/news/20 ... fix-issues
Have a read of their website before contacting them.
https://metropolis.melbourne/
I have always highly recommended that new home buyers have a forensic plumbing inspection prior to handover, particularly when building on reactive soil. In Victoria, about 50% of drain pipe installations inspected have been found to be non compliant and H1 is littered with with posts detailing major problems stemming from faulty installations.
Again in Victoria, most probably more than 50% of all new home builds over many years have had non compliant roof/stormwater drainage.
https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/news/news/20 ... fix-issues
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