Weep Holes, Concrete and Termite Issue

Hi,

I need an urgent advice on the following.

The concreter has done some concreting around my newly built house and it has been couple of months since he did that job. Somebody now has told me that the concreting done by that trades person is not correct as it is around couple of cms above damp proof course/sheet and is covering weep holes a little bit.

I need an urgent advice on following points:

1. Can we leave the concrete as it is given there will be huge risk of termites for the life of property?
2. What are options if I should not leave the concrete as it is? Can I grind it 3+ cms to lower its level just below DPC? Will that solve the problem. Is it really possible to grind the concrete 3+ cms?
3. I was given three years termite warranty at the time of handover. Now because the concrete is just couple of cms above the DPC, does that impact that warranty?

Please guide me ASAP as if I have to do something then before it causes some damage I want to act now. Images are given below.

I don't think I would be able to fight with the concreter and I don't want to waste time in fighting with him in VCAT or through some legal action. If I have resolve this thing then I would prefer getting it done asap.

Please refer to following images.

As you can see from the pics, there is able flex around the brick work which concreter didn't put nicely for expansion jointing.

Looking forward to have some good advices,

Thanks

Sorry to hear this
I can't help with advice, but (again!!!) it looks like some traders (not just concretors) are completely disregarding people's properties. I've actually been told that "things" happen when the owner goes to work ... then comes back at night and finds a "masterpiece". They do whatever they want. This should not be going on. I was just recently strongly advised by an "expert" that we should build concrete and turf all the way up to the weep holes (like this guy has done)
I am not an expert, but I don't think that you can grind some 3cm because of reo (if he used any ). Hopefully somebody else can help you out

On a second look, this guy should fix his masterpiece. How dare he

Looking at those photos I would not be overly concerned. The Weep holes are open which means any water that gets into your cavity can still get out. So they can still perform the job they were designed to do. Flashing / damp course sits above the weep holes so that is not of concern as long as those holes are not totally blocked off they will continue to allow moisture build up to escape. If flashing is installed to BCA spec (which I am sure it would have been) it will look something like this - http://www.wpv.org.au/6star/images/cavity_flashing.gif

As you can see flashing runs up on the inner wall higher than the top of the weep hole opening.

As for termites they can get in many places, be it weepholes, cracks in your slabs etc. The only real thing you can do especially if you live in a termite prone area is ensure you continue to have regular inspections completed, remain vigilant yourself by checking around your house in between professional inspections and look for Mud columns and signs of termite activity yourself. (Your Pest controller can give you tips what to look for)

That bit of concrete is not going to make you more termite prone than you already are (if you are)

Bottom line don't stress. I have seen a lot worse than that

VijayGaba
check with your termite guy to see if this will void warranty.

Hi docker_rob,

Thanks for your reply.

I think Damp proof course/black sheet is below the weep holes and if there is heavy rain and water comes out the weep holes, it will not have free access as concrete edge is just above (may be 2 cms) the bottom of weep hole.

I agree with your point that we need to be vigilant in this case for termites. I am not in termite prone area as far as I know. But I was thinking from the risk perspective, I am asking a question from myself and that is do we have more risk having concrete in this way. The answer comes as "Yes we have more risk" so in that case why not to avoid such situation where you have to carry more risk. Also if I sell property in future, people would be asking so many questions or at least showing their concern on this very issue.

From the termite warranty perspective I am also too much worried as if this job has made the warranty null and void which we do not know. The reason I am not calling the termite inspector is lets first resolve this issue by either grinding the concrete 3+ cms which I do not know if we can (as reinforcement would be much lower than 3 cms from top of concrete) or demolishing the whole concrete and then calling him. May be in that way we can save our warranty.

So these are some of the thoughts which are driving us to act fast,

All thought on this issue are welcome,

Thanks

Look at the image I posted. That is how Flashing is built. Even you have a flood and 2cms of water sits in your cavity and evaporates over time don't worry. Grinding away 3cms near the bricks wont help as water will still sit there. If you ripped up the whole slab, dug it out and re-laid, it yeah it might let the water flow away but that is extreme. If you have that much water in your brick cavity you have a lot more problems you will need to look at than this 3cms over the bottom of the cavity opening. Even the best weepholes often have cement and other debrise at the bottom of them. They are not designed to be a pipe just an outlet.



You have less risk with concrete like that than having a garden bed with Mulch and plants near the wall covering the weep holes (which is so common) and allows termites to build mud trails completely sight unseen, And dont place too much faith in Termite warranties. They have so many clauses and loopholes in them like you need to inspect every 6 months etc etc. If you did nothing for 2 years and had a massive termite problem you would not be covered as you had not inspected as per Warranty terms etc etc.
Termite warranties are a sales tool as are paint warranties that say it lasts for 10 years. Good luck claiming is all I will say


If you think otherwise you may get a nasty shock. check, check and re-check is the best advice I can give.




Look if you are so paranoid don't rely on advice here. Get one or even 2 independent building inspectors in and tell him your concerns. From what you have written here - and in my opinion you are panicking over something that is not an issue. But that is my opinion and I am just some mug on the other side of a keyboard. You have to live with it not me (If it was my house mind you I would not be concerned and have lived in many houses with what you have shown )

Satisfy yourself with an inspection. If you wish have it ripped up and re-laid that is your decision. (It can not be ground down the amount you suggest as the slab will no longer be strong enough) It is only likely to be 75 - 100mm thick so grinding off 30 - 50% is not feasible nor cost effective!

All that said I would be very surprised if any building inspector would recommend removing the slab as a course of action based on what you have shown to date on here.

Thanks docker_rob for such a detailed reply and guidance, I appreciate your help and assistance.

I totally agree with your views and we are much relaxed now. We have decided to leave the concrete as it as and we'll just be vigilant about termite.

Thanks once again.

Smart decision and no problem. Glad to be a sounding board for you

Enjoy your new house