Browse Forums General Discussion 1 May 13, 2020 10:54 am Hi all, Our build was finished in the end of January this year. We moved in February, since last two week we started spotting gaps between ceiling and cornice at several places in the house. Do you guys think it is a matter of concern or it is the natural movement of a new house that is settling? My builder says it is a movement of the house because we started using the heater a lot, does it make any sense? Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Gaps between cornice and ceiling after 3 months of build 2May 13, 2020 11:05 am Its a general excuse from builders, but I thought it was only a problem for squire sets, the whole idea of cornice was to hide the gaps! hmm.. let's see someone with knowledge reply about it.. But it is true there will be a settling down time especially during first year, as the sessions pass-by; so be careful not to ramp up the heater or cooler too much (we kept it at 24c during summer and 18c now) - I have nothing to backup it would help, but just applying some commonsense to avoid extreme temperature differences. Re: Gaps between cornice and ceiling after 3 months of build 3May 13, 2020 12:50 pm Ok, I found few more things, crack on brick mortar and wrinkles on one articulation joint. Builder is sending their maintenance and warranty guy around end of this month, not sure how that will be helpful? I am afraid it would be more like a blame game session with lot of excuses thrown around. e.g oh that's normal because of the winter season or that's not covered, etc. So, Should i consult my own expert before they send their guy? The upside is on the right side. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Gaps between cornice and ceiling after 3 months of build 4May 13, 2020 12:54 pm I would have given it a bit more time to see if it gets any worse and can be related to settling, e.g. until mid-July or even August. @buildingexpert could be the best person to advice here, though. Re: Gaps between cornice and ceiling after 3 months of build 5May 13, 2020 10:55 pm the cornice is a worry, that is generally a very strong joint unless the cornice cement was already half set when used or the house is moving more than it should, the heater story is BS. It is a defect and should be fixed, if it comes off easily the the cornice was poorly installed, if it comes off with difficulty then movement might be the issue. Re: Gaps between cornice and ceiling after 3 months of build 6May 14, 2020 6:05 am You will need to proactively monitor your house movement, identify normal and abnormal movement. I suggest you purchase a Bosch Line Laser set up a monitoring station and have your house movement checked over time.Please leave a PM and reach out for engineering tools , hardware and software simulations. Checking Cracks Using Bosch Laser OT, I can't stress enough, how important it is to start a thread, take photos, collect data and information and ask for assistance. BTW, it also helps others Cheers Chris Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Gaps between cornice and ceiling after 3 months of build 7May 14, 2020 7:03 pm Hi Chris, Thanks for your suggestion, but I am a bit of a noob with such tools. This is for measuring the crack between the bricks(Pic attached) and possible deflection on the brick wall, right? If yes then it needs to be wall-mounted, right? How to determine if the movement is normal and abnormal? Is there any application of this tool indoors, too? So I should be going with GLL 3-80 or GLL 3-80 CG? Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Gaps between cornice and ceiling after 3 months of build 8May 14, 2020 7:59 pm parthiv777 Thanks for your suggestion, but I am a bit of a noob with such tools. Is there any application of this tool indoors, too? So I should be going with GLL 3-80 or GLL 3-80 CG? Bosch Laser tools are very easy to set up and use. I use them every day The green laser can be used indoors and outdoors with receiver, accuracy is around 3mm Slab movement can be in excess of 50-100mm ? parthiv777 This is for measuring the crack between the bricks(Pic attached) and possible deflection on the brick wall, right? If yes then it needs to be wall-mounted, right? So I should be going with GLL 3-80 or GLL 3-80 CG? Measure deflection/movement in X,Y and Z axis's over time, Cracks appear wider on the tensile side Software can analyse the cracking patterns , I use a normal range for crack tolerances associated with movement. The lasers works on line of sight the best mounting position or datum is not on the house which is subject to movement. I will contact the major firms involved, you will need to provide a site plan, Floor Plan, Slab Engineering and elevations showing the current crack locations, then we can work out a plan of attack using the IoT. Please leave a PM OT, the cost of the Bosch laser is cheaper than having a consultant rock up every week, DIY and save on the measurements The online software analysis companies will require a fee... it can be worked out Cheers Chris Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Gaps between cornice and ceiling after 3 months of build 9May 16, 2020 11:00 am StructuralBIMGuy parthiv777 Thanks for your suggestion, but I am a bit of a noob with such tools. Is there any application of this tool indoors, too? So I should be going with GLL 3-80 or GLL 3-80 CG? Bosch Laser tools are very easy to set up and use. I use them every day The green laser can be used indoors and outdoors with receiver, accuracy is around 3mm Slab movement can be in excess of 50-100mm ? parthiv777 This is for measuring the crack between the bricks(Pic attached) and possible deflection on the brick wall, right? If yes then it needs to be wall-mounted, right? So I should be going with GLL 3-80 or GLL 3-80 CG? Measure deflection/movement in X,Y and Z axis's over time, Cracks appear wider on the tensile side Software can analyse the cracking patterns , I use a normal range for crack tolerances associated with movement. The lasers works on line of sight the best mounting position or datum is not on the house which is subject to movement. I will contact the major firms involved, you will need to provide a site plan, Floor Plan, Slab Engineering and elevations showing the current crack locations, then we can work out a plan of attack using the IoT. Please leave a PM OT, the cost of the Bosch laser is cheaper than having a consultant rock up every week, DIY and save on the measurements The online software analysis companies will require a fee... it can be worked out Cheers Chris Thanks Chris, i will reach out soon to you via PM Re: Gaps between cornice and ceiling after 3 months of build 10May 28, 2020 11:04 am Builders guy is at home today to remove truss brackets. Do you guys think it will be a problem as it keeps the wall straight? I was told it is mainly required before plaster and cornice go up, after that wall won’t move much anyway so its ok to remove them. Is it a standard practice? Re: Gaps between cornice and ceiling after 3 months of build 11May 28, 2020 11:54 am Hey Dave The brackets serve a purpose ie external wall brackets are for holding down the roof, internal brackets are for bracing (lateral restraints), both are required. The plasterboard and cornices are non structural elements and can not be relied on for structural support also you will need to measure the ceiling defections to see if they are within tolerances I've left a pm Cheers Chris Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs 4 6006 This certainly doesn't look good. I would be engaging with an independent inspector to have a look at this. As for the unscheduled site visits, most builders are quite… 1 28157 The photo is not really clear but to me it looks like twist in the cornice. Slight anticlockwise rotation at the top of the cornice and slightly clockwise at bottom should… 8 8467 |