Is this an expansion joint, or a mistake?

Philarp · Aug 28, 2018 9:53 am

Hi Folks

I apologise if something similar has already been asked - cant find anything in older posts.

We're building in Vic, two weeks from handover, and noticed this (see image) hidden down the side of the house. Not picked up by the site manager, or surveyor contracted by our builder. We raised it yesterday, and are being informed that it is an expansion joint which needs to be caulked...

Interestingly, the expansion joint is located at a point where we extended the wall about two feet beyond their standard plan. I'm concerned that they laid they bricks according to the standard plan, then tacked another two feed of wall on once they realised their mistake. And then didn't fill the gap...

Does this look legit, or a mistake?

Thanks in advance for any response!

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BrentandAllison · Aug 28, 2018 10:26 am

Oh wow - that looks terrible! I'd say your spot on - they have just build the extra bit on the end. Either way - that motor looks really bad - bricks are broken and it looks like is not level at all.

Wow - just wow..

brokenstick · Aug 28, 2018 10:59 am

I agree, but that looks to be the least of your worries, the brickwork on either side looks terrible. What is the rest like??

Philarp · Aug 28, 2018 11:16 am

brokenstick

I agree, but that looks to be the least of your worries, the brickwork on either side looks terrible. What is the rest like??

Pretty ugly. It's along a rear fence, everywhere else is tidy. I'm fairly sure the contract mentions that it may not be as cosmetically appealing as long as it isn't a structural issue. I've just looked at our plans - there is no expansion joint there, so it must be a mistake.

There are other issues with the build, but none so drastic as this. The driveway is trash and we paid a lot for exposed aggregate - they re-did half of it, and sealed a long ugly gap with a thick line of dark caulk - looks nothing like their displays. The masonry isn't plumb - looks like it is within tolerance, but it means the gap where a door and window frame meet the brick grows steadily wider the higher it goes - the point they've needed to caulk the top as the seal isn't wide enough.

Anyway - reading here, it sounds like this is pretty much standard. And here I was hoping that the 9-month stay with the in-laws would be over in two more weeks

Aussietrooper · Dec 29, 2018 6:19 pm

It's neither. It's just crappy worksmanship. If it were an expansion joint (finished or not), the mortar of the bricks on the right would not touch the bricks on the left. Have you got a zoomed out image? Given that the walls were not built at the same time, the later one may be structurally weak.