Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Aug 03, 2021 6:21 pm Hi all, New member here. I hope it's ok posting in this section, as this property is a fairly new build. I've recently purchased and moved into a double storey townhouse (1 of 4 in the development) which was built in 2016. Steel frame construction. I've found when someone is walking upstairs, a very loud and sustained creaking noise can be heard downstairs. It occurs when stepping throughout many spots upstairs in the landing (floating floorboard) and bedrooms (carpet). However, it doesn't seem to happen at all when someone is walking in the upstairs bathroom, which is tiled. I've chased the builders about this under warranty, but they've cited that creaking issues are only considered defective after 24 months, so that doesn't seem like it's going to go anywhere. I'm concerned because it's quite loud and unlike anything I've ever heard. I've popped up two short videos where you can clearly hear the noise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REE8vckM2yI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi3uxsYYuM4 Is this kind of issue common (particularly in a fairly new house)? Has anyone dealt with this before? A quick google search suggests this may be caused by improper nailing between the subfloor and floor joists. But is that likely to cause an issue this loud? Any other comments or advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks! Re: Ceiling creaking loudly downstairs when walking upstairs 2Aug 04, 2021 12:35 pm Hey yesplease Welcome to the forum Track down the original engineering drawings, structural certificates from the council. Then have a local engineer do a structural inspection. You will need to lodge a complaint with the Building commission against the Builder OT, Quite often owners and investors unload new properties with defects on to unsuspecting new purchases, structural warranties are transferred over to new the buyers At a guess the structural members may be undersize, please let members know how you go Cheers Chris Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Ceiling creaking loudly downstairs when walking upstairs 3Aug 04, 2021 2:10 pm Hi Chris. Appreciate the reply mate, this helps a lot. I've already been through a DBDRV dispute with the builder about this, so I've got all the property documentation from the council. What will usually be involved in the structural engineer inspection? Will they pull up the carpet and check the subfloor and joists? I can see you're qualified, so on a personal note - have you ever seen this kind of issue before? Is it common? Re: Ceiling creaking loudly downstairs when walking upstairs 4Aug 04, 2021 3:23 pm yesplease I've already been through a DBDRV dispute with the builder about this, so I've got all the property documentation from the council. Then you should have the structural engineering Drawings for the 1st floor ie beams and joists? What did they say? yesplease What will usually be involved in the structural engineer inspection? Will they pull up the carpet and check the subfloor and joists? They will first check for compliance with the structural drawings If the builder hasn't provided the drawings/details then they should check what's been installed and provide calculations for adequacy as to whether it's fit for purpose yesplease I can see you're qualified, so on a personal note - have you ever seen this kind of issue before? Is it common? No it's not common , some builders substitute details and materials, if so then there should be a variation and structural certificate Get 3 engineering quotes and fixup recommendations. Know what you're up for OT, I assuming you paid good money for your town house, so you shouldn't have to put up with that Cr@p Battlers and punters are tired of buying Rubbish apartments and town houses and the politicians/regulators should do something about it Cheers Chris Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Ceiling creaking loudly downstairs when walking upstairs 5Aug 04, 2021 3:33 pm A common cause of stair noise is excessive shrinkage of timber. When firstly built timber may be 12- 16 % moisture content however in time it may dry out to 6-10 %. Usually it can be solved by re- wedging treads and risers if you can get under. Your builder's warranty is 10 years 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: Ceiling creaking loudly downstairs when walking upstairs 6Aug 04, 2021 3:39 pm building-expert A common cause of stair noise is excessive shrinkage of timber. When firstly built timber may be 12- 16 % moisture content however in time it may dry out to 6-10 %. Usually it can be solved by re- wedging treads and risers if you can get under. Your builder's warranty is 10 years Appreciate the response, but it’s not occurring on the stairs at all. It’s occurring on all flooring on the second storey apart from the bathroom. Re: Ceiling creaking loudly downstairs when walking upstairs 7Aug 04, 2021 3:53 pm Then it is the failure of adhesion and fixing of flooring to the floor frame 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: Ceiling creaking loudly downstairs when walking upstairs 8Aug 04, 2021 6:56 pm building-expert Then it is the failure of adhesion and fixing of flooring to the floor frame Thanks mate. Assuming that is the case, would it be classed as a 'structural issue'? And if not, who would be the best kind of person to reach out to to fix it? Re: Ceiling creaking loudly downstairs when walking upstairs 9Aug 04, 2021 10:01 pm Building defects are builders responsibility 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: Ceiling creaking loudly downstairs when walking upstairs 10Aug 19, 2021 4:54 pm yesplease Hi all, New member here. I hope it's ok posting in this section, as this property is a fairly new build. I've recently purchased and moved into a double storey townhouse (1 of 4 in the development) which was built in 2016. Steel frame construction. I've found when someone is walking upstairs, a very loud and sustained creaking noise can be heard downstairs. It occurs when stepping throughout many spots upstairs in the landing (floating floorboard) and bedrooms (carpet). However, it doesn't seem to happen at all when someone is walking in the upstairs bathroom, which is tiled. I've chased the builders about this under warranty, but they've cited that creaking issues are only considered defective after 24 months, so that doesn't seem like it's going to go anywhere. I'm concerned because it's quite loud and unlike anything I've ever heard. I've popped up two short videos where you can clearly hear the noise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REE8vckM2yI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi3uxsYYuM4 Is this kind of issue common (particularly in a fairly new house)? Has anyone dealt with this before? A quick google search suggests this may be caused by improper nailing between the subfloor and floor joists. But is that likely to cause an issue this loud? Any other comments or advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks! Hi yesplease It is not clear whether the issue is a defect, breach of contract, or breach of some other obligation of the Builder/contractor. In the first instance, you might want to consult a building consultant/inspector. I've noticed on this forum Mr. Branko Mladicheck from Building Expert regularly posts here. You might reach out to him You might also consider consulting a specialist building dispute lawyer in your area, so you can make an informed decision on your next move. Cheers John Dela Cruz Get sound legal advice. We manage Building Disputes, Construction Contracts, Security of Payment. PM for queries. https://www.contractsspecialist.com.au/articles/ Ain't that the truth! We used to have a tile roof and had it replaced with colorbond and suddenly everything throughout the entire house sounds louder! 4 6685 I have a home gym at home. It weights 150KG including the weight stack. I'm a big boy, around 150KG myself. I was thinking about moving it up stairs to the second… 0 6301 Unless the room is for storage then it's non compliant BCA V2 2019 S3 P3.8 You have 2 options 1. The builder deconstructs the section and rebuilds as per plan /… 7 10683 |