Browse Forums Building Standards; Getting It Right! 1 Jun 08, 2014 11:04 am i knew there is something not right with waffle pods slabs in high clay areas, but every builder kept telling me that it is according to Australian standards and nothing to worry about. but this article in TheAge todays confirmed my fear with this inappropriate construction method in northern and western suburbs of Melbourne. http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/thous ... 39q4z.html It would be shocking for those families who will have to take this battle in court against builders, and councils. what's your thoughts on this issue? Re: Waffle pod slabs saga in western and northern Melbourne 2Jun 09, 2014 4:41 am oh yes I read that too, i really feel for all those families facing this dilema, spending all the money building your home only to be disappointed like this? and the part I did not like is the council not disclosing issues with the land, i hope these people will be compansated accordingly and good job for the law firms offering to help. - Build thread- My Allegra- Dream by Henley Re: Waffle pod slabs saga in western and northern Melbourne 3Jun 09, 2014 8:55 am It strike me there is a fair amount of journalistic BS around in that article. 1. The real problem isn't 'Sinkholes' its reactive clay which pushes foundations up 'Soil Heave' 2. Most typical domestic foundations would have issues not just waffle slabs. Waffle slabs are getting blamed because they are so common. 3. One issue that has been missed is that 30 years ago the local council would certify designs so people who knew the area well would be able to better understand the issues. Now we have deregulated certifiers who may work 50km, or more from the site with minimal local knowledge basing a design suitability on three test holes a couple of metres deep The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Waffle pod slabs saga in western and northern Melbourne 5Jun 11, 2014 3:21 pm From what I have seen go on in my area there is never anything wrong with the slab design and they probably do meet Australian standards. The problem is that they are not always prepared as per the original engineering design. Ie they are built wrong and often the biggest problem is they put to much fill in certain areas. If they dug it out properly there wouldn't be an issue, but if they did this they would have to take away more soil meaning increased site costs and less profits. Re: Waffle pod slabs saga in western and northern Melbourne 6May 07, 2016 9:03 pm B STAR From what I have seen go on in my area there is never anything wrong with the slab design and they probably do meet Australian standards. The problem is that they are not always prepared as per the original engineering design. Ie they are built wrong and often the biggest problem is they put to much fill in certain areas. If they dug it out properly there wouldn't be an issue, but if they did this they would have to take away more soil meaning increased site costs and less profits. So are you suggesting waffle slab design is OK but how actually is done is problem when comes to constructing them? Building inspector at slab pouring phase would help here than?? Looking to build a home in VIC. Land titled in November 2017. Construction started in February 2018. Double storey 37sq. Re: Waffle pod slabs saga in western and northern Melbourne 8May 09, 2016 8:23 pm Narrewarren01 Most of the issues where back 5-10 years ago Slab heave isn't an issue now as most builders use bored piers in these areas. Piers don't stop slab heave as they are not connected to the slab.The slab lifts of the piers from the swell pressure from the wet soil. Slab heave is definitely not over there are thousands of them and in fact we may get another wave of them in the coming years as we are still in drought conditions in the western suburbs with the BOM predicting a possible La nina or at least above average rain being a strong possibility. http://media.bom.gov.au/releases/261/bu ... july-2016/ Re: Waffle pod slabs saga in western and northern Melbourne 10May 10, 2016 9:07 am Bored piers even though they are connected via re-bar, won't make any different to the slab heave if your ground is going to be prone to movement. Owner Building at Jimboomba Woods in Logan City Qld. Blog : http://bandlnewhomebuild.blogspot.com H1 thread : viewtopic.php?f=38&t=68283 . Re: Waffle pod slabs saga in western and northern Melbourne 11May 10, 2016 11:13 am I Know my bored piers are not connected to slab via re-bar. I don't believe they actually get connected. The slab just sits onto of piers.
Rest of post deleted. Added. See NCC 2015 for foundation protection information. Re: Waffle pod slabs saga in western and northern Melbourne 12May 10, 2016 12:28 pm goody59 It is most important as home owners to follow the CSIRO recommendations for slab protection especially when you are built on a waffle pod slab on highly reactive clay soils. Foundation protection and site drainage is so important. It doesn't hurt to get the slab over engineered too with extra concrete and extra steel where applicable. The csiro recommendations are actually outdated, and the current ncc goes further. Example being surface drainage. I was in contact with the writer of the csiro document when I noticed the discrepancies, and his recommendation was to follow the ncc, as the guides he wrote were written before the ncc had introduced these requirements and thne further evolved them. The CSIRO guide is just a guide, and should t be relied on if you're trying to protect yourself from builders. Creator of superduperonium, expert at expert things, nobel laureate, can hold my breath for 10 minutes. Re: Waffle pod slabs saga in western and northern Melbourne 13May 10, 2016 12:34 pm Narrewarren01 Most of the issues where (sic) back 5-10 years ago Slab heave isn't an issue now as most builders use bored piers in these areas. Slab heave is a very serious well documented issue with far reaching financial implications for those affected. What you have posted is misinformed and should be retracted. 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: Waffle pod slabs saga in western and northern Melbourne 14May 10, 2016 12:35 pm Ponzu The csiro recommendations are actually outdated, and the current ncc goes further. Example being surface drainage. The CSIRO guide is just a guide, and should t be relied on if you're trying to protect yourself from builders. +1 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: Waffle pod slabs saga in western and northern Melbourne 16May 11, 2016 6:11 pm bpratt Bored piers even though they are connected via re-bar, won't make any different to the slab heave if your ground is going to be prone to movement. Re: Waffle pod slabs saga in western and northern Melbourne 17May 11, 2016 8:16 pm qebtel bpratt Bored piers even though they are connected via re-bar, won't make any different to the slab heave if your ground is going to be prone to movement. To stop settlement from drying clay , poorly compacted fill or angle of repose issues due to easements,filled in pools etc. Re: Waffle pod slabs saga in western and northern Melbourne 18May 13, 2016 9:08 am Narrewarren01 Everyone has their opinion There's opinion, and there's indisputable evidence and facts. Yours is an opinion. Hope that helps in differentiating between the two. Re: Waffle pod slabs saga in western and northern Melbourne 20May 13, 2016 9:56 am Even properly designed slabs with appropriate drainage on site have shown that they can be affected by slab heave. The cause can vary between projects. The VBA already did some research and found properly designed slabs affected as well as those that weren't in the same areas. Design and finished product are not mutually exclusive also. Rest assured slab heave still happens and is not restricted to a period in time "when dragons rules the earth" Creator of superduperonium, expert at expert things, nobel laureate, can hold my breath for 10 minutes. 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 9853 Hello, we can help you please get in contact 0421019219 thank you 3 31835 my suspicion - some builders, they do usually make 'odd' settings in their site plan / pricing as their standards - being hopeful that first - the initial price is… 9 2467 |