Demolition questions

Hi there,

Can anyone have any experience with demolishing a slab with screw piles - what happens with the piles? what are the implications for the soil if piles are cut? what depth should they be cut at?

I've been caught up for 2 1/2 years in a nightmare of builder abandoning build, fighting him through VCAT, fighting VMIA (Govt insurer) after he was put into administration, now left with weathered frame and slab on 33 screw piles.

Most builders won't build on existing slab, also I no longer have the money to continue the build so am looking at demolition of existing works and either starting again with smaller cheaper build, or selling cleared block.

If the existing piles are used for a new build the warranty insurance is decreased by the amount already paid out by the insurer, and if the piles are cut off the soil is disturbed, either of which potentially devalues either the block, or a new build.

Any advice appreciated!
Thanks.

What a stressful situation for you
An engineer may be the best person to ask.

Do you have details of the engineer (s) who was(we’re) involved at planning stage?
They’ll know your soil type and may be happy to talk you through this. Fill is used often to level blocks.

Have you spoken with the demolisher who cleared your block initially about cost of removing the slab?

I’d be interested in what you find out. Clearing my last house built on stumps was easy. I have wondered how my slab and piles would be cleared when it’s time for someone to knock my house down.

Thanks Gaudi,

It has been horribly stressful for a long time.

I have spoken with a few engineers, they all have different opinions.

The engineer involved in the first place has at all times refused to answer any of my questions - who knows why.

The block is part of a large development and I've been advised that the company that would have prepared the land in the first place would not be interested in such a small job.

Anyhow, the result of my investigations is that demolishing the slab would cause big problems for a new slab so I'm now looking at options of keeping the slab.

Thanks,
Eve

Good luck.
Saying it plainly - it really sucks that you are put in this situation due to buider. I hope their insurance has to refund you some costs .

Thanks Gaudi.
Insurance is another nightmare that took the best part of a year to fight. The insurer is a government body that's supposed to be there to protect the consumer but not true, they are there to get out of paying anything and everything they can. I did get a payout once I involved the Ombudsman but nothing like the amount I lost.

So true. I saw a % payout figure against the revenue collected a few years ago and it was a miniscule amount, about 0.3% from memory.

EDIT: I just found this article with a very quick Google search. It is old but I am sure that there are other more recent ones that lay waiting.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/vict ... z2CiUaViYi

+1

Thanks for that - interesting but depressing at the same time!

There should be no reason for the original structural engineer not to take your calls. In fact they are key to this as they "own" the design of the slab and carry PL for the design of that slab.
As professional engineers our duty is to the community and Engineers Australia would look very poorly on an engineer that did not assist you find a solution to your problem.

The engineer would produce designs for a number of builders and I cannot see any reason another builder would not take on the build from the slab up - even if a disclaimer is signed for everything below the wall plate.

On the question of screw piles being removed, there is no reason they cannot simply be unscrewed - Katana screw piles have a significant plate on the top, so unscrewing is easy. It just depends on how the concrete slab is demolished and if the pile head and pile are not damaged.

I must declare that I work for http://www.katanafoundations.com.au and http://www.polyvoid.com.au - however I am a Professional Engineer so my first obligation is to the broader community to assist where I can.