Browse Forums General Discussion Re: Slab Heave/Building Insurance 3Mar 23, 2022 2:00 am We are Expert Consultant's, and we are here to help. Re: Slab Heave/Building Insurance 5Mar 23, 2022 9:46 am Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Slab Heave/Building Insurance 12Apr 13, 2022 9:03 am Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Slab Heave/Building Insurance 17Apr 15, 2022 8:32 pm Just to be clear, a raft slab is not considered stronger then a waffle pod slab. (To engineers) Its the fact that a waffle slab is built on grade and its easier for water to get under it compared to a raft slab that has edge beams that go below the grade. We hear about slab heave from waffle pods but is it the slab or the piers that support it? The only reason it's a sensitive subject is because of the lack of understanding of foundation design and pigeon holing of problems being more accoiated the slab and not whats under it. Re: Slab Heave/Building Insurance 18Apr 24, 2022 11:35 pm Ardo Just to be clear, a raft slab is not considered stronger then a waffle pod slab. (To engineers) Its the fact that a waffle slab is built on grade and its easier for water to get under it compared to a raft slab that has edge beams that go below the grade. We hear about slab heave from waffle pods but is it the slab or the piers that support it? The only reason it's a sensitive subject is because of the lack of understanding of foundation design and pigeon holing of problems being more accoiated the slab and not whats under it. I agree it's the type of soil and the moisture changes to it under the slab that is the fundamental issue. It's not the piers themselves ,the slab can heave off bored piers as the slab is not directly connected to the piers. I have seen lots of both raft and waffle slabs heave but because waffle slabs are preferred but most builders then there tends to be much more waffle sam heave cases. The three combined factors that cause slab heave : 1. Dry soil conditions before construction. 2. Highly or extremely reactive soils. 3. A source of moisture during and/or after construction(poor drainage/leaking plumbing/poor landscaping etc). Removal of a nearby large tree after construction can also cause a type of heave called rebound but is generally less common. Re: Slab Heave/Building Insurance 19May 06, 2022 11:53 am Natalieanne Our builder has been deregistered and we have begun the process of having our homes slab heaveal and damages repaired through the building insurer. However the process is very confusing and I don't know what to expect. I hope someone here can provide their first hand experience or some guidance. The insurers building inspector came out and took some levels and documented the items we listed for repairs. But what happens now? How do we get a diagnoses of slab heave? How will it be fixed? Is taking a few level measurements enough to diagnose slab heave? Will we need to pay for additional inspections to have it addressed? Will we have to knock down and rebuild, and if not how will they fix every crack and imperfection created by the slab heave. We think we've resolved the slab heave but are now left with an extensive amount of cosmetic damage. Our homes life story is below. We built our home in 2017. In 2018 we noticed cracks developing in the plaster work. We weren't able to contact the builder, and were told by others that they had gone bust. As the year went on the cracks grew bigger and wider, tiles began to crack and lift, and bricks and morta began to crack. All signs were pointing to slab heave. Excessive moister during the build phase was a constant issue that was raised. They handed the house over to use with loose back fill around the house and this was brought up but we were told it meet code. We later added additional crushed rock and made sure it sloped away from the home correctly. But the house kept shifting. Cracks developed that span the whole width of the hallway. Multiple tiles began lifting and cracking. We contacted DBDRV and our case was closed as the builder was uncontactable. We explored the legal route but the lawyer said it would be useless as we couldn't get contact with the builder we would never get any money from them. We were told to wait it out, hope the builder claimed insolvency before our insurance policy hit 6 years. In the mean time we were told to try and address the excessive moister issue. We laid concrete down the blind side and back of the house and surprisingly this stopped the house from moving any further. The cracks and gap slowly began to close and we felt we addressed the issue. However now we are left with an extensive amount of cosmetic damage. We want to move on with our life and build or buy a new home, but we're worried our home has lost a significant amount of value due to the slab heave. We're worried the insurer won't assess the damages in our favour and we will have to front the cost of the damages. And, if the insurer does assess the damages as extensive slab heave we're worried about the cost of fixing them and the potential of rebuilding. I hope there are others out there that have walked this path and can shead some light on what to expect. Hi Natalieanne Since the builder has been deregistered, you can investigate whether or not you can claim on their home warranty insurance. A specialist construction lawyer may be able to help you with the finer details of your matter. Cheers John Get sound legal advice. We manage Building Disputes, Construction Contracts, Security of Payment. PM for queries. https://www.contractsspecialist.com.au/articles/ Hi Suku18 In NSW the statutory required insurances are: 1. HBCF ( Home Building Compensation Fund) - This is if the builder dies or goes broke. But this only covers 20%… 1 2712 Hi there, long-time lurker but first time posting. I've bought a house 2 and a bit years ago and last year we had some major water damage on a converted pergola area… 0 7934 I apologise for any confusion, but your understanding is correct. We approached our situation differently based on advice from… 11 53225 |