Browse Forums DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair 1 Jan 07, 2020 9:23 pm Hello, Recent home buyer and all the joys and perils that brings. Nice to find a place to chat about it all. Anyway — the previous owner had built a pond around the back of the house up and over the slab, with soil a good 5 bricks up over the moisture barrier. This had created issues with the carpet on the adjacent wall which we discovered when ripping up the carpet to lay hardwood. We don't want to keep the pond as it was poorly constructed, and I believe the pond area needs to be removed anyway in order to properly level and get soil away from the slab. Oh, and upon digging I discovered that the down-pipes also had not been run underground and were also exposed, something else to fix. My questions: — should I contact a builder/engineer before digging away too much of this soil due to it's proximity to the house? Ideally I would remove the entire pond just keeping the central tree fern. — just how far down do I need to clear the slab? I can trace the slab around to the moisture barrier around the edge of the pond area to the exposed slab, which sits maybe 1 or 2 inches above ground level. Thanks! Pond Area: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Wall where soil was built up over slab by 5+ bricks as can be see by stained bricks. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Pond built up over slab 2Jan 08, 2020 12:12 am Can you see the weep holes? The damp proof course is at the bottom of the weep holes. The height of the DPC above the finished surface depends on whether you have a permeable or impermeable surface and your rain intensity area. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Pond built up over slab 3Jan 08, 2020 8:47 am Any soil that is level or above DPC can cause rising dampness. Your finished and landscaped ground levels should be 75mm below DPC Any build up of soil against brickwork can provide covert termite entry Ideally there should be 75mm exposed slab termite inspection zone unless another method of termite risk management is used. 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: Pond built up over slab 4Jan 08, 2020 3:40 pm Thank you both for the replies. In some areas I can see the weep holes but in others no. It is very inconsistent where the soil or DPC is or isn't visible. I uploaded some more photos here with a floorplan to better show the areas. Bigger photos here > https://photos.app.goo.gl/LLEdW1SPz9eJ9EDX9 Who do I hire to look into this? A builder? Landscaper? Engineer? Total rookie here. Obviously clearing away the edge of the slab would create a moat around the edge of the house that would need flattening out. Thanks! 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: Pond built up over slab 5Jan 08, 2020 9:19 pm building-expert Any soil that is level or above DPC can cause rising dampness. Your finished and landscaped ground levels should be 75mm below DPC Any build up of soil against brickwork can provide covert termite entry Ideally there should be 75mm exposed slab termite inspection zone unless another method of termite risk management is used. This is 100% spot on and very uncommon. Very rare I would see a slab edge when I undertake a Timber Pest Inspection on a property. Registered Building - Always happy to help where I can and simply loves the game. DM me if you need help in VIC. Re: Pond built up over slab 6Jan 09, 2020 8:53 am A termite inspection zone, 75mm exposed slab around dwelling is the most effective method without using chemicals or other physical barriers. It is a pity it is not used more often. 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: Pond built up over slab 7Jan 09, 2020 9:08 am At the very least we need to get the entire house below the DPC, correct? In the new pictures posted above, who do I need to help get things in order? A builder? Landscaper? Engineer? Combination of the three? Re: Pond built up over slab 8Jan 09, 2020 9:19 am A landscaper should be able to do it and pay attention to drainage of your low spots. Ideally you should have 1M wide apron around home sloping away 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: Pond built up over slab 10Feb 01, 2020 6:55 am Update: So, I reached out to the building inspector who looked at our property before purchase to see what was up and why the potential DMP issues where not mentioned and he said the following: ---- Usually most of the time the damp course cannot be located visually as its in the brickwork and should be located 1 or 2 brick courses below the concrete floor level for a slab so weep hole level. If you cant see it protruding past the brickwork then who knows if installed and where It was mentioned that all weep holes should be clear of ground level in both reports There was no area around the dwelling that the ground level was higher than 1-2 brick courses below the concrete slab level (floor level), are you sure you’re not getting confused with the vapour barrier which is also black, under the concrete slab and can be seen if you dig down beside the dwelling? ---- So is the black tarp I am seeing a vapour barrier and not the DPC? Think it might be best to get a second opinion on from either another builder inspector or structural engineer. Re: Pond built up over slab 11Feb 03, 2020 7:44 am Your damp course is in the brickwork and even if you can't see it it should be level with bottom of weep holes. 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 Weep Holes (edit) 12Mar 01, 2020 10:03 am Update: What if there are no weep holes? This entire wall (and another) have filled in vents but I cannot see a single weep hole anywhere (covered up or not). Further to that, the bricks are well damaged at the bottom, clearly from years of water damage - should this be of concern? Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ My daughter and son in law are about to start building, they are having a 600mm induction cook top and 900mm oven. It's personal preferance 5 10827 The Soil classification has little to do with piers. The purpose of the classing of the soil is to identify the clay content and the "average expected range of movement… 2 9841 Hi everyone, Looking for some advise. 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