Browse Forums Building Standards; Getting It Right! 1 Mar 31, 2015 11:13 am Hi everyone, My wife and I has just settled on a double story property in Victoria and upon going around cleaning the house, we found that there is a slight bow (about 6mm in the centre) in the I-Beam above the bi-fold door to the deck at the back of the house (there is a some cracks on the bricks above the beam too, and we noticed the same to all the windows and above the laundry door at the back of the house. Our buidling inspector didn't pick it up obviously. Another thing is the shower wasn't seal properly and the flooring under the tiles got wet, expanded and cracked a few tiles. What I found strange is the I-beams are thicker in the front of the house. Another thing is the shower wasn't seal properly and the flooring under the tiles got wet, expanded and cracked a few tiles. So my question is, is there anything for me to worry about or should I ask the inspector why didn't he pick that up? And what can I do with the owner builder? The occupancy permit was issued in October 2011. Thanks! Re: Bowed I-beam 2Mar 31, 2015 11:37 am You need someone to check if the beams/lintels are the right size as per approved plans. If not it's a defect and the builder is liable to fix. Shower leak should also be a building defect. It seems that your inspector should have picked up brickwork cracking and lintel bow, but perhaps not shower leak unless tiles were cracked at the time of inspection. Talk to your inspector and get his explanation then post it here 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: Bowed I-beam 3Mar 31, 2015 12:19 pm building-expert You need someone to check if the beams/lintels are the right size as per approved plans. If not it's a defect and the builder is liable to fix. Shower leak should also be a building defect. It seems that your inspector should have picked up brickwork cracking and lintel bow, but perhaps not shower leak unless tiles were cracked at the time of inspection. Talk to your inspector and get his explanation then post it here Thak you for the advise. Re: Bowed I-beam 4Mar 31, 2015 4:26 pm My inspector said that this is quite typical. He said that when the lintel is in place and bricks were laid, the brick layer props the lintel up and he said that sometimes the support was removed too soon while the mortar is still drying and added extra weight onto the lintel and bending it, he said this is purely cosmetic. I am still waiting on the construction plan from the previous owner, if I still haven't received it anytime soon, I will get one from the council. Re: Bowed I-beam 5Mar 31, 2015 7:26 pm K4neX the support was removed too soon while the mortar is still drying and added extra weight onto the lintel and bending it, too soon, is that not a defect? However given that the defect was obvious at the time of purchase you may not be able to get satisfaction from the owner ( because you saw what you were buying) unless the lintels are under sized. You should get your plans from the building surveyor 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: Bowed I-beam 8Mar 31, 2015 8:16 pm Ok, fair enough. Which state are you in? I would try following up on the status of the person that built it. Surely you would be able to find a license number of some sort. You may still be entitled to some sort of warranty period. Let us know what you find out. I would keep following up for a plan from the previous owner, council can charge a couple of thousand for this sort of search. And yes, I would also be asking why the inspector never noted much if any of these apparent problems Re: Bowed I-beam 12Apr 01, 2015 6:51 am Can you post some photos? 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: Bowed I-beam 13Apr 01, 2015 7:21 am There's 3 things here to consider. a. has the lintel failed?(i would think unlikely,) if so yes that's a defect and should be addressed by the builder. b. if has been like that from day one because the prop was removed early then that is not a structural defect, its purely cosmetic. If it wasn't addressed by the original owner then its end of story. c. how big is the cracking in the brickwork, hair line cracking is not a structural defect, Re: Bowed I-beam 16Apr 01, 2015 6:36 pm The top picture tells the story. To me this is a case of the regulations causing the problem. The damp coarse and weep holes that have correctly (by the regulations) been placed above the lintel are the problem. You have one coarse sitting on the steel lintel, strength- zero. The next coarse is separated by the damp coarse and has weep holes in it, strength- zero Leaving just 2 coarse's to hold them self up. The lintels are designed to support the brickwork, even if the lintel was removed 4 coarse's of bricks layed in one complete panel would support itself. Basically all the lintel is doing is holding the bricks up. As it is now there is no problem in my opinion, if it affects the clearance on your bifolds then you may have to pull the bricks out and re lay them. Support the lintel and lay all 4 coarse's as 1 panel, no damp coarse no weep holes. Re: Bowed I-beam 17Apr 01, 2015 6:49 pm So why have I seen hundreds of homes with four brick courses over window heads of similar spans that have not cracked? 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: Bowed I-beam 19Apr 01, 2015 7:05 pm building-expert So why have I seen hundreds of homes with four brick courses over window heads of similar spans that have not cracked? Not going there BE, because you can apparently only see things in black and white there's obviously no way you will agree with any real world comments I make. Re: Bowed I-beam 20Apr 01, 2015 7:15 pm K4neX Would removing the support to the lintel too soon before the mortar dry cause the crack? Also, any concern in regards to the wall? Potentially yes, but I still maintain its the lack of strength in the brick panel above because of the damp coarse and weep holes. Unfortunately for you its only hairline cracking. Try you may (and contrary to what others may say) the builder is under no obligation to fix it. Hello everyone, After some suggestions and ideas about how to put a concrete path around the drop edge beam area on our new build. We are required to have a concrete path… 0 12875 The distance between my DEBs varies from 4.1m at the narrowest to 8.1m at the widest. 5 27318 |