ISSUE WITH CONCRETING PLS HELP.

Hello

I m a new member of this forum
Came across this forum , when I was surfing through the net to see , if there is any way to fix my concreting problem.
And I came across this thread of issues with concreting.
I hope if someone can help me with my concreting issue

We build house 1 an half year ago , n before moving in we did driveway and paving around the house from a concreater .
On one year inspection of our house we notice cracks in walls n in ceiling ,so our builder fixed it, couple of months later the cracks reappear again , the builder inspected it n informed us that it is because of poor workmanship of the concreater ,n we need to fix it soon. we tried to contact the concreater but he avoided us.

We took quote from other concreater and the there quotes were from 7000$ to 9000$. which is a huge amount ,which we can't afford to pay coz of tight budget.

I also contacted our home n content insurer to see if they can cover it, but they said as it becoz of poor workmanship it is not covered.
They also checked if there is any storm water pipe crack under the driveway ,but the pipe is in all good condition.

The issue in the paving around the house are

1). Slop of paving are toward the house, result of which water is collecting at the corners of house.
2) the concrete thickness is very thin .
3) there is no foam between the walls n concreat
4) Cracks in paving and also a big crack in driveway
5) the level of concrete is near the weep-hole , On a heavy rainy day water get in to these weep holes .

These all defects were pointed to us by our builder n insurance company inspector.

Any suggestion on what can be done ???

Thank you
kvm

If money is tight about the best I can suggest at this stage is install some drainage where the water pools next to the house.

This will mean you will have to break out some concrete now but the minimum amount.

I t would appear from what you have said you will eventually have to replace the rest but it can probably wait for a while.

For any repairs make sure you get a detailed specification. This link gives you more info about what you need to do.

http://www.concrete.net.au/publications ... veways.pdf

How much did the paving and concreting cost you?

Isn't there a max amount that you can pay before the tradesman NEEDS to provide insurance?

Perhaps a call to the building commission or consumer affairs is in order?

Thank you Bashworth and chrisandkate for your quick reply n suggestion

chrisandkate i didn't understand u mention ..about insurance could u pls explain .

We paid 5000 $ cash without invoice .

Yes, about building commission was suggested by the inspector from our insurance company .
And before making the complain we thought of letting the concreater know that we r making a complain , so he will know the severity of situation n will fix the problem , but he said go ahead and make a complain .
Which made us think.... That will this whole complain process will have any good result?
or any effect on that concreater ?
N how long will this take??
So didn't do any thing after that ?????

Thanku bashworth for info on concreting specification .
yes we have to cut the concrete but are bit hesitant as have not done this before ? DIY ????

thank you
kvm2011

OK, I understand that people are always trying to get a cheaper option but not getting an invoice is just INSANE.

The tradesman doesn't even have to lodge the invoice in their records but at least you have proof if something goes wrong.

Did you pay cash or via transfer/cheque? If by transfer or cheque you can prove that you paid this person for a service/job to be done.


If you are having works done for a value of over (I'm looking see if it is inclusive- edit it does not include $5,000, so its $5k+only) $5,000 then the contractor must provide a "major domestic building contract"

http://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/CA256EB5000644CE/page/Building+and+renovating-For+builders+and+tradespeople-Domestic+building+contracts+agreements+and+insurance?OpenDocument&1=09-Building+and+renovating~&2=20-For+builders+and+tradespeople~&3=030-Domestic+building+contracts+agreements+and+insurance~

As part of the requirement of this contract, for works over $12,000, the tradesman must provide suitable insurance protection on top of his/her public liability insurance. The insurance minimum is $200,000


The problem you have is that if you paid cash then you will have to first prove that the tradesman actually did the work first.

I'm trying to work out how poor concreting and paving around your house caused cracks to appear in your walls and ceilings?

Fairly easy DIY job for small jobs cut conctete with a concrete cutting blade on a large angle grinder and then break up with sledge hammer. for larger work hire a demolition saw. Wear goggles and a face mask as there will be lots of dust.