Browse Forums General Discussion Re: 3 Year old slab moving, now blamed on Landscaping 66Mar 17, 2012 11:38 am Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: 3 Year old slab moving, now blamed on Landscaping 72Aug 01, 2014 6:59 pm Yes this is on the plan of the slab. I don't have all of the sizes in front of me right now. I still haven't heard anything from the builders since their "goodwill" inspection. Re: 3 Year old slab moving, now blamed on Landscaping 73Aug 04, 2014 2:32 pm JimmyL After all of this i get a random call from the builder stating they have hired a new guy and he would like to see the house. He came around and said certain people have left the company and thing have changed for the better. I have sent through the engineer report and awaiting to hear back This sounds positive though - they could have done what many would do and continue to wash their hands of it. Chase it up and let is know what happens,and what the final cause of the cracking is determined to be. Re: 3 Year old slab moving, now blamed on Landscaping 74Aug 05, 2014 8:33 am qebtel JimmyL After all of this i get a random call from the builder stating they have hired a new guy and he would like to see the house. He came around and said certain people have left the company and thing have changed for the better. I have sent through the engineer report and awaiting to hear back This sounds positive though - they could have done what many would do and continue to wash their hands of it. Chase it up and let is know what happens,and what the final cause of the cracking is determined to be. If I hadn't seen it all before I would share your optimism however to me it looks like stalling and buying time in the hope that owner doesn't last the distance. (and I am an optimist) The problem for the owner is that he has been trying to fix his problem in the hope that builder will do the right fix. It hasn't happened and is unlikely to. Despite engaging his own engineer owner is no closer to getting results. Why? The problem is more than just engineering, it's also about the contract, the law, the warranties, building and engineering design, building methods , regulations, specification, standards, evidence and proof. It's the proper relationship between all this that will get you the right answers. How is an engineer whose education and training is 90% not relevant to housing going to do all this for you? It's like wanting to go from Melbourne to Sydney and catching a bus then finding it will only take you to Benalla, now you got to find another bus to take you the rest of the way Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: 3 Year old slab moving, now blamed on Landscaping 75Aug 05, 2014 12:15 pm Engineers are licienced solution/data providers we deal in non compliance generally when we get called in it's too late. After 3 years I would think JimmyL has gone past talking he just wants the optimal solution and have it fixed tomorrow. Sorry JimmyL I dont live in the east otherwise I would try to assist you. Hiring an independant Engineer/Builder would be a good move should you wish to progress to the courts Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: 3 Year old slab moving, now blamed on Landscaping 76Dec 11, 2014 5:21 pm The builder has been back checking plumbing only to find no problems. They then paid a plasterer and painter to re do a couple of the rooms however did nothing to fix the actual problem or even patch up the massive crack in the bricks out the front. I have emailed them several times but never get a reply and when i ring i'm told they will ring me back. The insurance have still refused to pay for the ceiling collapse in alfresco and the builder still wont admit fault. Now did anyone catch this today? Looks like Metricon have been ordered to demolish and rebuild. Hopefully this is a game changer for others that have been given the run around. http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/metricon-ordered-to-rebuild-fouryearold-cracking-melton-west-home-20141211-1257il.html Quote: Metricon ordered to rebuild four-year-old cracking Melton West home Date December 11, 2014 - 5:51PM Read later Clay Lucas Clay Lucas City Editor, The Age View more articles from Clay Lucas Follow Clay on Twitter Follow Clay on Google+ Email Clay Waffle 'slab heave' thought to be undermining thousands of new homes submit to redditEmail articlePrintReprints & permissions Shelley and Earl Softley in front of their Melton home. Shelley and Earl Softley in front of their Melton home. Photo: Joe Armao It cost them precisely $199,897.01. In return, they were meant to get their dream house. "We were very excited," says Earl Softley. "We were out there every week, taking progress pictures." It feels fantastic that they have acknowledged that we were not going crazy. Shelley Softley The reality, once they moved into their new three-bedroom-plus-rumpus Melton West home, was shocking. Within three months large cracks had opened in plasterboards, cornices were separating from bowing ceilings, and skirting boards were coming off. "Slab heave" is thought to have affected thousands of new homes in Melbourne's outer north-west, where volatile soil movements cause walls to crack, doors and windows to jam, and floors to tilt. Among them was Mr Softley and his wife Shelley's home in Long Tree Drive, which lifted 44 millimetres at one end, 16 millimetres at the other. An engineer's report found the lifting distorted their home's timber frame. In one part of the house near the toilet and laundry, the brickwork cracked so badly eight metres of it needs replacing. Instead of replacing it, the state planning tribunal on Thursday ordered builder Metricon to knock down the home they built for the Softleys, and build a new one. Metricon, which in part tried to blame the shifting slab on two pebble gardens in the house's front yard, will also have to pay the Softleys' rent while their home is rebuilt. Metricon chief executive Mario Biasin says the company is disappointed by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal's ruling, and is considering a Supreme Court appeal. Ms Softley says Metricon had tried to help them in the early stages of their legal battle. "But they kept trying to shift the blame onto us." For four years, she says, the cracking and shifting had meant doors and windows repeatedly wouldn't shut. "Currently our sliding doors won't close." It is the second time Metricon has been ordered to rebuild a faulty house. In April, Graham Hooper won the cost of replacing his Tarneit house. Metricon in that case also argued problems with the house's slab were due to Mr Hooper's garden landscaping. Metricon appealed that ruling and is awaiting a decision. Lawyers Slater and Gordon acted for the Softleys. Associate Robert Auricchio says the decision is important for others whose new homes have been affected by slab heave. These residents are, he says, "literally watching their homes cracking and falling apart around them". The law firm has been contacted by more than 100 other home owners in conditions similar to the Softleys'. Mr Auricchio says there needs to be a dedicated taskforce to look at slab heave. "And the industry must fund an independent dispute resolution scheme so that difficult and complex and very costly legal proceedings can be avoided." For Shelley Softley, Thursday's ruling mostly came as a relief. "It feels fantastic that they have acknowledged that we were not going crazy." Thousands of homes in city-fringe estates may be similarly affected, in a trend being blamed on "waffle slab" foundations. Waffle slabs "float" on top of compacted ground and are cheaper and quicker to build than traditional footings. But often they sit on top of highly reactive clay soils that can move dramatically. submit to redditEmail articlePrint Re: 3 Year old slab moving, now blamed on Landscaping 77Dec 12, 2014 6:19 pm Sorry your house has problems. I also saw the news and definitely thought it was a game changer. Especially when M said they are considering appeal. An appeal would cost more than rebuilding the poor couples house, so it seemed M were worried about setting a precedant. Re: 3 Year old slab moving, now blamed on Landscaping 78Dec 13, 2014 7:08 am JimmyL Ok another update just in case it helps someone out. I ended up getting an engineer in to asses the house and he has come up with a few ideas on the cause but the main one is the design of the slab. Half of the slab rests on piers and the other on natural ground so even seasonal changes in moisture levels will result in differential movement. He states a few other things including getting more tests done but too much to write in here. One major concern was the movement in the ceiling in the Alfresco area. I spoke to the builders about this and nothing was done. Well 3 months ago during some wet weather the whole ceiling collapsed (almost on my tenant). The insurance company sent out their own builder as well as another independent builder. They have decided not to cover the damage as it was caused by a building fault, mainly the plaster used was not external grade and installed in accordance with the manufactures instructions. The builder came around again and said that my landscaping caused the house to move and the ceiling to fall. After all of this i get a random call from the builder stating they have hired a new guy and he would like to see the house. He came around and said certain people have left the company and thing have changed for the better. I have sent through the engineer report and awaiting to hear back. I'm not holding my breathe on this one as they love to give the run around without any result. Hopefully others have some better luck!! Ceilings collapsing? Could have killed someone. I would lawyer up, if you can. You may get a result even with some correspondence from a solicitor. Not costly. You can then decide whether to proceed further. Re: 3 Year old slab moving, now blamed on Landscaping 80Jan 05, 2015 6:12 pm I rang them twice before xmas and got the usual run around. I will try 1 more time before i contact S&G. I wouldn't normally use a company like them but they have experience in the matter. Your house roof does not show rusting other than some surface rust on the flashings. In my opinion you dont need to replace or paint the roof other than treat surface rust… 1 10207 Hello everyone, I have a question regarding moving a chandelier after it has been mounted. The chandelier in question is quite large, measuring 4 meters… 0 72334 9 24789 |