Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jul 01, 2012 4:19 pm Land settled May '14. Building the PD Hoffman39: 5/11=site start, 13/11=slab pour, 26/11=frame complete, 10/12=roof on, 12/12=bricking started. Blog: http://jyndeira.net/blog/ Re: 7 year old house, slab movement, what sort of fix? 3Aug 27, 2012 9:18 pm 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: 7 year old house, slab movement, what sort of fix? 4Aug 30, 2012 4:23 pm 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: 7 year old house, slab movement, what sort of fix? 7Dec 16, 2014 1:12 pm Just bringing this back up for an update. The tree that was pointed to was a wattle. We had it removed it about 18 months ago and waited. It took over a year but the slab has returned to level. The expansion join in the brickwork has returned to looking (by eye) equal width top-to-bottom, although I haven't measure it recently to check exactly. The cracked plaster has closed up but will still need patching. As a extra bonus, the upstairs bathroom (one of it's wall was above the crack line which had a rather bouncy floor is much less so now. As far as I'm aware, this is not a reactive clay site. We're in the outer east - Pakenham. There is some clay in the soil, but also rock and silt and so on. The backyard drainage has been distinctly better in the last year as well, although I hesitate to say why. As we're planning to sell in a few months, I admit to being disinclined to investigate further as the problems are, for the present, resolved. I will, however, pass on a warning to the new owner about planting problem trees close to the house. They can do with that what they will. ETA: The builder is Metricon. Land settled May '14. Building the PD Hoffman39: 5/11=site start, 13/11=slab pour, 26/11=frame complete, 10/12=roof on, 12/12=bricking started. Blog: http://jyndeira.net/blog/ Re: 7 year old house, slab movement, what sort of fix? 8Dec 16, 2014 11:22 pm Good to get a update dragonchild. As you say the soil in Pakenham isn't that reactive and usually hasn't got enough swell to lift a double storey back to it's original level but sounds like you done the right thing and were patient. Re: 7 year old house, slab movement, what sort of fix? 9Dec 29, 2014 8:12 am How close was the tree to the house? Re: 7 year old house, slab movement, what sort of fix? 10Dec 30, 2014 2:02 pm StGeorgeBuild How close was the tree to the house? About 2.5 meters distant, estimated to have been planted when the house was built so about 7 years old. After it was called the problem, I did research (it was a wattle) and found a number of reports of wattles causing similar issues. No proof it was at fault, except that the cracks have closed up again and we have not done anything else. As the issue had been there for some years (there was evidence of prior patching before we bought the house), there isn't much else I can point to as a factor. Land settled May '14. Building the PD Hoffman39: 5/11=site start, 13/11=slab pour, 26/11=frame complete, 10/12=roof on, 12/12=bricking started. Blog: http://jyndeira.net/blog/ Re: 7 year old house, slab movement, what sort of fix? 11Dec 30, 2014 3:39 pm dragonchild StGeorgeBuild How close was the tree to the house? About 2.5 meters distant, estimated to have been planted when the house was built so about 7 years old. The type of tree, its probable age and the distance from the house should have been mentioned in the opening post! The immediate answer then would have been to remove it plus some subsoil remedial advice. 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: 7 year old house, slab movement, what sort of fix? 12Jan 05, 2015 7:23 pm SaveH2O JimmyL I would be ringing a reputable structural engineer ASAP and getting on top of it. Nothing anyone says on here (no offence) is going to fox the problem. There are a couple of steps that you could also consider doing but No. 1 is a must do. 1. Treat the area around the trees with a soil wetting agent and if the trees are growing in a grassed area, remove the grass and apply a good thick mulch (but not up to the trunk) and regularly water this area. You should also buy a rainwater tank and harvest several downpipes. The tank would then supply gravity fed drip hoses that are under the mulch and coil away from the trees. What would be the appropriate degree for the water moisture to be reached? it might be hard to reach the defined ideal statue. Re: 7 year old house, slab movement, what sort of fix? 13Feb 16, 2015 11:29 am SaveH2O The type of tree, its probable age and the distance from the house should have been mentioned in the opening post! *blush* It didn't occur to me at the time that the tree could be related to the issue. I know so much more now! Land settled May '14. Building the PD Hoffman39: 5/11=site start, 13/11=slab pour, 26/11=frame complete, 10/12=roof on, 12/12=bricking started. Blog: http://jyndeira.net/blog/ Re: 7 year old house, slab movement, what sort of fix? 14Feb 16, 2015 1:11 pm Sunpower What would be the appropriate degree for the water moisture to be reached? it might be hard to reach the defined ideal statue. Trees need fairly regular deep watering but if the tree is too close to the house, it will suck the surrounding soil dry by a process known as matric suction. I had assumed that the tree was further away and that watering the tree would lower the matric suction in that area as an interim measure to prevent the situation worsening. 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: 7 year old house, slab movement, what sort of fix? 15Feb 16, 2015 1:36 pm dragonchild It didn't occur to me at the time that the tree could be related to the issue. It is a common issue but you are now on top of everything and that is great to hear. You might enjoy the photo below, it looks great but... Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Are they stumps or screw piles ? How much fill is there, is the site a class "P" ? 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