Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jun 14, 2013 12:40 pm Hi all - I've been inspecting some properties in the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria, and have noticed subsidence in several of the houses I've visited. My understanding is that the Dandenong area is on the site of an old, defunct volcano - so obviously this has implications for the soil and potential stability of dwellings. Some of the properties I have inspected have been on a reasonable slope - so I'm wondering if these are manageable issues - and hoping someone can share their experiences of what to expect if we decide to purchase in the area? Many thanks in advance. Re: Subsidence, soil types, issues etc in Dandenong Ranges? 2Jun 14, 2013 5:24 pm Long extinct Volcanos have nothing to do with subsidence. The usual cause of subsidence is inadequate foundations for the particular soil on the site. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Subsidence, soil types, issues etc in Dandenong Ranges? 4Jun 14, 2013 6:08 pm RobertoH I take it that this is something that can be remedied with some degree of success and expenditure? Can sometimes be stabilised but not easily, or cheaply remedied once it has occured. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Subsidence, soil types, issues etc in Dandenong Ranges? 6Jun 14, 2013 10:18 pm Very minor cracking is probably OK but major cracks and I would be looking elsewhere. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Subsidence, soil types, issues etc in Dandenong Ranges? 7Jun 14, 2013 10:30 pm As a property inspector I have inspected over 5000 homes, many in the Dandenongs and as a builder I have built there. There is nothing special or adverse about the area or the soil. I don't believe it has anything to do with inadequate footings (were they not engineered and inspected at the time of building?) but everything to do with property maintenance and drainage. The best advice I can give you is to have the house you intend to buy professionally inspected and we always recommend building and a timber pest inspection. You should get a good picture and sound advice for around $600 (depending on size of the home inspected) If you don't do that you could miss out on good buy or alternatively buy into costly problems 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: Subsidence, soil types, issues etc in Dandenong Ranges? 8Jun 16, 2013 1:17 pm building-expert I don't believe it has anything to do with inadequate footings (were they not engineered and inspected at the time of building?) but everything to do with property maintenance and drainage. Well, the property in question is on a sloping block in a pretty wet area, I guess - so there very well may be something in that hypothesis. Can this sort of issue (drainage) be remedied once damage has occurred? building-expert The best advice I can give you is to have the house you intend to buy professionally inspected and we always recommend building and a timber pest inspection. You should get a good picture and sound advice for around $600 (depending on size of the home inspected) Agreed. Will do. Just to clarify, is evidence of subsidence in properties in the Dandenongs a deal breaker, or something that can be remedied or managed overtime? Thanks for your advice, again - appreciated. Re: Subsidence, soil types, issues etc in Dandenong Ranges? 9Jun 17, 2013 8:09 am It depends on how bad the problem is. Sometimes it looks worse than it is or the other way around. This is why inspection with good advice is essential. As a builder I can tell you that anything is fixable but it's all about the economics of doing it and knowing exactly what to do is where the art is. 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: Subsidence, soil types, issues etc in Dandenong Ranges? 10Jun 19, 2013 4:49 pm I grew up in the Dandenongs and my father still lives there. To be honest most (if not all) houses in the area are going to be built on a slope and it's got a rainforest climate so I wouldn't be worried about any damp areas (especially if you are inspecting homes now, in the middle of winter). My Dad's house is over 100 years old and still structurally very sound. I don't recall any of the houses I lived in or visited during my childhood having major cracking or other subsidance type issues. In fact my house now (built on flat land with M class soil) has more hairline cracks in the plaster than the 1980's house I grew up in! My parents built the house at Sassafras and I know there was a lot of rock that had to be blasted out to put the foundations in. We constantly dug up bits of rock in the garden too. As others have said, the build quality of the house is much more important than the slope/soil type of the land it's contructed on. As long as the person constructing the home has appropriately engineered the foundations for the site you shouldn't have an issue. As for it being a volcano; I guess that's true of all mountains at some stage in their past. According to wikipedia the Mt Dandenong volcano became extinct 200 million years ago so I think you are pretty safe A more pressing concern for me would be the issue of bushfires and the fire safety of and access to/from any home you propose to buy. Hope that helpd Re: Subsidence, soil types, issues etc in Dandenong Ranges? 11Jun 20, 2013 11:50 am Great info guys - muchly appreciated! grom40 As others have said, the build quality of the house is much more important than the slope/soil type of the land it's contructed on. Ah, OK - I thought it was 50/50 importance. ie. that structures built on certain soil types/ certain gradients/slopes iniherently need more maintenence and upkeep. grom40 A more pressing concern for me would be the issue of bushfires and the fire safety of and access to/from any home you propose to buy. Obviously the threat of bushfires is part an parcel of that area. How specifically do you mean that 'access' might be an issue? For firefighters? Or for escape/evacuation? Thanks for your reply. I will just wait and see I guess. Trying to get some more information from our builder. 9 30233 I am looking at building a house. Has anyone used Construkt Homes (based in Adelaide)? Does anyone have experience with this builder? 0 6446 12 5297 |