Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Oct 09, 2014 1:59 pm Hi all, A first time post, so please be nice (& forgive me if I have posted in the wrong spot or have broken the rules!). My wife and I built a house 15 years ago, via a typical building company in Adelaide (lets just leave it at that for now....no need to name and shame, yet). The house is a brick veneer. If it helps, the soil is clay and there was a cut and fill to level for the house. The build was reasonably straight forward from memory. After hand over there were a few issues that were fixed under the statutory warranty. A few months ago, I noticed a vertical gap appearing at a right angled corner on the external plasterwork (rendered front of the house). I also noticed similar gaps appearing around the window frames in the same vicinity. The gap tends to be wider at the top and tapers down to a non existent gap at the end of the line it appears on. At its widest, the gap is around 6mm. To say I am concerned is an understatement. I contacted the builder, who offered a standard 25 year structural warranty and sent them emails with pictures of the gaps. They have reviewed the emails and have said that they 'can' come and have a look, but have suggested that it appears to be just normal movement. At this stage, I am thinking that it might be best to have an inspection done by an independent inspector. What I am trying to get a feel for is whether others who are involved with building and renovating would expect that this kind of gap in anyway would be from acceptable movement. Thoughts? Cheers (PS - I can post a few pictures once I upload them online) Re: Structural problem or normal movement? 3Oct 09, 2014 3:33 pm First thing is to get floor levels done this will give you an idea whether your slab is moving significantly. If you decide to get an inspection done levels should be included .A geotechnical investigation would be advisable but they are not cheap. Your soil test and slab design will help the investigator do panic yet listen to the experts. Re: Structural problem or normal movement? 4Oct 09, 2014 3:58 pm Thanks - The areas that has the main issue is about to be renovated, so the carpet is about to get pulled. I can check for floor cracking then. I need to wait until I get home to post some images Re: Structural problem or normal movement? 5Oct 09, 2014 5:51 pm hoffy Thanks - The areas that has the main issue is about to be renovated, so the carpet is about to get pulled. I can check for floor cracking then. I need to wait until I get home to post some images If the issue is slab edge heave most of the cracks will be under your slab not on top but you never know until you have a look do you or a friend have a laser or floor level? Re: Structural problem or normal movement? 6Oct 09, 2014 6:54 pm I have edge heave but majority of the damage is internal but I have to agree with what has been suggested. Invest in a geotechnical engineering report BEFORE your builder comes and tries to say 'normal movement' because before my house looked like this I too believed the builder. Find out the levels of the slab. Also what kind of slab did you get? Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Structural problem or normal movement? 7Oct 09, 2014 7:50 pm hoffy At this stage, I am thinking that it might be best to have an inspection done by an independent inspector. Cheers (PS - I can post a few pictures once I upload them online) Hi Hoffy Please post up some photos, inside and outside at the crack locations.At this stage these are optional,Original geo/site report,photos of build, a site plan,floor plan and engineering drawings and I will take a quick look at them. You can go for an independent (Non engineer) building inspection but here in WA the courts (should you preceed?) require Structural Reports to carried out by Qualified Engineers. If you prefer you can also leave me a PM. Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Structural problem or normal movement? 8Oct 10, 2014 12:00 am OK, finally home...... Please don't mind the spider webs! First, this is the front door area in general. Gap is along the wall and the door frame Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Same area, up high on the gap: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Around the other side, the window frame against the wall: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Window frame, close up: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I'm looking at these now and thinking I'm over re-acting. The thing that has me is that it is constant across this section of the house. The 2 windows and the door frame are all exhibiting the same symptoms. Inside, there are no gaps (or at worse, hairline gaps) on the cornices and no cracks on the plasterboard. As for the slab type, I can't remember. Raft springs to mind, but that is just a 'first word that popped into my head" thought. Cheers Re: Structural problem or normal movement? 9Oct 10, 2014 6:53 am You really need floor levels done to tell whats going on.Ask your builder to bring a zip level or compu level(that's not a spirit level) .Even if there is no slab issue you will have a starting point to monitor your slab into the future if needed.The movement appears to be minor at this stage. Re: Structural problem or normal movement? 10Oct 10, 2014 8:24 am The move is only small at this stage. But the length of the door means a small lift in the slab will see a 5mm gap. I think there is a very small indicator that something is starting to happen. You and the builder are lucky at the moment because you can probably hide the mess easily. If it gets worse you will be in trouble. I would be looking for other signs both from the roof and from the slab to try and establish what is happening and fix before it gets worse. it does look like the external wall and internal walls are spreading apart. Re: Structural problem or normal movement? 11Oct 10, 2014 9:03 am What about pictures around the perimeter of the house? Looking at landscaping details... Building with Jandson Homes - Eclipse 18. http://adgnetworks.blogspot.com/ Re: Structural problem or normal movement? 12Oct 10, 2014 9:11 am OK, looks like it is worthwhile pursuing. So, I need to looking for a firm that does both Structural and Geo to inspect the house? 2 things - how much could this cost and does anyone have any recommendations in the Adelaide southern metro area? Cheers Re: Structural problem or normal movement? 13Oct 10, 2014 10:03 am adgn What about pictures around the perimeter of the house? Looking at landscaping details... Hi Hoffy Get as much info as you can before you call an engineer remember we charge by the hour! and this website and its users are a great resource I suggest you use it... before you make that call.HTH Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Have look at your house plans and you will probably find that brick articulation joint has been missed. Maximum allowable spacing is 6M or 5.5M for a wall with window… 17 16733 Are they stumps or screw piles ? How much fill is there, is the site a class "P" ? A "H2" site is not supposed to have stumps it is supposed to have grid beams according… 1 1349 House movement is always a potential problem and there is a cause. Yes you should have it inspected by a competent and experienced building consultant 2 1320 |