Browse Forums Building Standards; Getting It Right! Re: Damp proof course 21Jan 18, 2014 9:55 am Funny you should ask Lex. Yes, it has been resolved but not before this happened:
Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The sight of our house cracking encouraged me to confront the concreters and ask them to remove the concrete from the back of the house just before Christmas. They argued that they had put a fall on the paving but that it was our mulch which was keeping the rest of the ground wet and making the ground swell up under the concrete. They also argued that you can't put a fall of 1:50 on paving or people will not be able to walk on it! But, in the end, they had no choice but to remove it because they had also raised the ORG about 100mm higher than our lowest plumbing fixture and we had refused to pay cash for the job. The past few days will certainly have sorted out any of the damp issues we may have had. Re: Damp proof course 22Jan 18, 2014 9:59 am Actually, to be fair to the concreters, if the builder had been made to leave the ground levels at the right height by our contract administrator and by the building surveyor, this would not have happened. They just basically concreted at the height they found the ground. I know now that concreters don't like to excavate and that you need to give them a multiple choice question test on the building regulations before you let them loose on your paving. Re: Damp proof course 23Jan 18, 2014 10:50 am I have lost the count on the number of times this appeared on my pre final inspection report. " Builder must reduce ground levels around dwelling to comply with BCA. Levels must be 150mm below DPC and slope a minimum of 50mm away from dwelling(for ground surfaces that are not landscaped)" Of course what happens is that excess soil from slab excavation is spread around dwelling raising levels too high to save on removal from site costs. Nice bonus for the builder if he gets away with it (not if I am around) and a major headache for the owner. If concrete contractor is on the ball he will tell owner that excavation is required to reduce levels before preparing for paving. Then owner pays again for what builder should have done. However reality is that many builders don't have BCA and next to none concretors have one . So you end up with a problem that Liliana described. In saying that I exclude many competent concrete contractors that are professional and know their job. You just have to be lucky to pick one. 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: Damp proof course 25Jan 18, 2014 12:25 pm This kind of thing takes me right back to the times when I was quickly learning that our allmightly "experts" in their trades are only experts in pretending. Once the work starts (or sometimes even just before it!), you can see the 180 degree turn ... I can't believe their stupid story about the mulch! And yes, the BCA / guide or whatever it is (I have forgotten it all!) does clearly say that the builder must not compromise the building site by letting the water under the house. However, how many take care to reduce those levels all the way (sometimes this is needed all the way to the street when the fall is minute) so the water can drain away during the build?? Anyway. In regards to the test Liliana mentions, I could tell quite some stories . If you show them that you know their own stuff, they either run away or pretend they are "with you" until, as I said, the work starts. At that point, you need 2 owners/supervisors per 1 worker, as they change the agreement on the go without telling you (even while you're watching them) and you need 2 brains to be able to see what is it that they are doing and planning!! Shocking. And of course, the supervision must be from far, far away and so that they don't "FEEL" under stress. C*r*a*p*. Once the work starts, all that matters is how they feel and how the weather is treating them, all else is suddenly forgotten. Anyway. You just try not to let major issues (aka of course, "awesome" work!!) sold to you. 'Major' meaning needing to rip up at least that whole work plus possibly repair/redo parts of the house!! Yes, I could go on and on ... Back to the - what basically it is the job interview (most of them are so sensitive to being interviewed about anything other than price alone !!! - it's like when I go for a job interview and then as if all they want to know about me is how much I am expecting in the salary !! - I don't think so ... traders think they are different to any other employee.) Anyway, if you pretend (at the interview) that you don't know much about the job, they think "Beauty!! This one is mine!!". Anyway! Life is too short to be moaning over a bunch of know-nothings, glad your issue has been resolved, but I wish it didn't take so long (: My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Damp proof course 27Jan 18, 2014 6:04 pm I hear you Lex. The one good thing about running into so many problems is that you learn a lot and you end up looking at houses in a completely different way. I don't look at my neighbour's colour selections any more; I check out their weepholes. Who needs War and Peace on the bedside table when you can immerse yourself in the Building Regs of Australia. Re: Damp proof course 28Jan 18, 2014 8:41 pm Hahhaah, exactly my thoughts about building, Liliana! As they say, get your priorities right - and if we manage to achieve some good looks too along the way, it's a bonus. My priorities got somewhat side tracked when I needed them! My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Damp proof course 30Feb 20, 2014 7:06 am This is what happens when you get a concreter to remove paving around a downpipe which is part of a charged system. The concreter removed the remaining section of concrete yesterday and Melbourne had 50mm of rain last night. I should just rename this thread "damp course".
Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ In the long run it doesn't matter because the drainage plumbers have to re-do all the stormwater drainage at the back anyway including this downpipe but I can't believe my luck. I must have opened the tomb of Tutankhamun in a past life. I've got some plumber's glue so I'm going to have to try and plug the cut. Should concrete be right up around a downpipe? Re: Damp proof course 31Feb 20, 2014 9:14 am No, my bad.. not the concreter's fault. Pipes at 150mm below top of slab where ground level should have been:
Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ This is the reason the land was never left at the right level right from the beginning. Also found below on Boxing Day: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Damp proof course 32Feb 21, 2014 5:00 am Where are you hiding Tut's gold? Seriously though, when you come to rebuild your drainage at a deeper level then charged system drains must be sewer quality drains and not 90mm storm water. 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: Damp proof course 33Feb 21, 2014 6:38 am building-expert Where are you hiding Tut's gold? I gave it all to the builder! Yes, good point about the DWV pipes but what they are going to do is unhook this particular downpipe from the charged system because all the pipes are coming out of the back of the house. They would have to excavate too far down to re-lay them there now and I'm afraid for the foundations. Once we go 75mm below the ORG and grade the land away from the house we will already be 200 -300mm below the fence. Re: Damp proof course 34Feb 21, 2014 9:12 am This is what you should have at the edge of your house - all the way round the perimeter where these walls are... Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ This was off that slab edge dampness and moisture ingress pdf someone posted on one of the threads. Concrete paths and soil sloping away from the house as per BCA. I can't understand how so called professional tradesmen get it so wrong, so often. Edit : It was this thread and posted by chippy. I knew I'd seen it before somewhere. Stewie Re: Damp proof course 37Feb 21, 2014 12:21 pm You may have hit on something there Stewie. Maybe the slab should have been higher - I do remember some off-hand remark by the builder about the concreters saying the engineer had "over-engineered" the slab. Maybe they made some slight adjustments. It could also explain why the drainage plumbers looked genuinely dumbfounded when they came out to have a look at the pipes. Re: Damp proof course 38Feb 21, 2014 11:00 pm Liliana .....what they are going to do is unhook this particular downpipe from the charged system because all the pipes are coming out of the back of the house. Hi Liliana, Just be aware that the tank is part of the charged storm water loop. As such, it also has to be plumbed. That then brings you back to the issues with the tank's base, height, position and other matters previously discussed. These issues need to be sorted when the pipes are relaid. 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: Damp proof course 39Feb 22, 2014 6:59 am Hi SaveH20, I have been meaning to update the rainwater tank thread but just haven't got around to it yet. In brief, the pipes coming out of the back of the house are the charged pipe from this downpipe (north west wall) and the tank overflow pipe which is to the right of the charged pipe and a couple more centimetres under. This downpipe will be directly plumbed to the stormwater and the tank overflow pipe will be piped from the tank back down the south side to the drainage point in front of the garage door. If I get a chance today I'll put some details on the rainwater tank thread. As far as I know there are only these two pipes at the back of the house. Re: Damp proof course 40Feb 27, 2014 10:05 am I'm confused with the pics of the downpipes after the concrete paving was removed. What is the issue? I have no idea why the builder sometimes lowers the house (foundations) for some people (like us). If our house was just one brick course higher, it would have helped enormously as well. But hey, it just proves that would-be home builders need to master all the house building rules + landscaping rules before approaching a builder! My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... 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 20580 Hi all Am new to this forum. I want to get some ideas/info about how to manage an 80 year old factory restoration to convert to a residence. The factory floor is concrete… 0 6342 Hi We have a road close to our place and only an old flimsy wooden fence between us and the Neighbour closest to the road. Any ideas on a sound proof modular fence. Like… 0 7472 |