Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Highly Reactive Soil - Movement & Cracking 2Sep 26, 2017 8:36 am jessicagauci If it was designed, engineered, built properly you shouldn't see that much movement...was the engineering inspected by an ENGINEER & Certified, did you take photos, check the codes & do you have all the Geotech & Engineering documentations, etc,etc ? If you only relied on the Site Supervisor and Building inspector to do all that then you should now hire a Lawyer & Independent Engineer Goodluck Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Highly Reactive Soil - Movement & Cracking 3Sep 26, 2017 9:16 pm StructuralBIMGuy @jessicagauci If it was designed, engineered, built properly you shouldn't see that much movement...was the engineering inspected by an ENGINEER & Certified, did you take photos, check the codes & do you have all the Geotech & Engineering documentations, etc,etc ? If you only relied on the Site Supervisor and Building inspector to do all that then you should now hire a Lawyer & Independent Engineer Goodluck Thank you very much for your reply. This is my concern. I don't feel as though the piering was done correctly to suit our conditions at the time of the pour. I took photos at the time of piering and slab. I will be getting photos of the cracking and movement. I have copies of our geo tech reports and will be getting copies of all of the engineers reports after hand over. Thank you for your advice. I really hoped it wouldn't come to this. Re: Highly Reactive Soil - Movement & Cracking 4Sep 26, 2017 9:16 pm StructuralBIMGuy @jessicagauci If it was designed, engineered, built properly you shouldn't see that much movement...was the engineering inspected by an ENGINEER & Certified, did you take photos, check the codes & do you have all the Geotech & Engineering documentations, etc,etc ? If you only relied on the Site Supervisor and Building inspector to do all that then you should now hire a Lawyer & Independent Engineer Goodluck Would it be a structural Engineer that I would need to hire? Re: Highly Reactive Soil - Movement & Cracking 5Sep 26, 2017 10:48 pm If you are building on highly reactive soil then you can expect some (perhaps substantial) seasonal movement however what you are describing raises red flags. A well engineered slab could still fail due to poor building practices and I see this all the time. There is more to building the house than engineering and yes if you hire an engineer you may get some answers but more than likely not all. In my opinion a better starting point is experienced building consultant and you will get guidance if further engineering assessment is required. If you are building without your own independent inspector you are neglecting your investment and playing a Russian Roulette with the outcome 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: Highly Reactive Soil - Movement & Cracking 6Sep 27, 2017 8:56 am We had some bad water issues before piering and before pouring of the slab. The ground was like a water bed in the back section of the house. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Here are some pics after piering. I think ground water way have mixed in with the concrete piers Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Now the ground is bone dry and the soil is even cracking. I know the change in moisture will create some movement. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Highly Reactive Soil - Movement & Cracking 7Sep 27, 2017 9:10 am jessicagauci What state are you in? You should be given all the engineering (including bearing capacities) before you sign the contracts and you should have a third party review it. I've also noticed on other snippets that have been put up that the depth of the piles be determined by the drilling contractor? Some of these guys aren't even qualified and are just machinery operators, and you trust them with your life savings? If this is your case then what use is a report after the event, literally everyones covering things up, Seriously, its rubbish in which case consult with a lawyer! Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Highly Reactive Soil - Movement & Cracking 8Sep 27, 2017 9:19 am jessicagauci StructuralBIMGuy @jessicagauci If it was designed, engineered, built properly you shouldn't see that much movement...was the engineering inspected by an ENGINEER & Certified, did you take photos, check the codes & do you have all the Geotech & Engineering documentations, etc,etc ? If you only relied on the Site Supervisor and Building inspector to do all that then you should now hire a Lawyer & Independent Engineer Goodluck ...This is my concern. I don't feel as though the piering was done correctly to suit our conditions at the time of the pour. I took photos at the time of piering and slab. Thanks for the photos, the engineering notes that should have accompanied your contact documents should cover Site conditions pity they weren't given to you. Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Highly Reactive Soil - Movement & Cracking 9Sep 27, 2017 4:16 pm StructuralBIMGuy @jessicagauci What state are you in? You should be given all the engineering (including bearing capacities) before you sign the contracts and you should have a third party review it. I've also noticed on other snippets that have been put up that the depth of the piles be determined by the drilling contractor? Some of these guys aren't even qualified and are just machinery operators, and you trust them with your life savings? If this is your case then what use is a report after the event, literally everyones covering things up, Seriously, its rubbish in which case consult with a lawyer! We are in NSW. I totally agree, everyone covers everything up and I wouldn't have a clue if they were qualified, which is the scary part. Would you suggest getting a structural Engineer to inspect? Re: Highly Reactive Soil - Movement & Cracking 10Sep 27, 2017 5:24 pm jessicagauci Yes, a structural engineer will be required then contact the Department of Fair Trading in your state to lodge a complaint. Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Highly Reactive Soil - Movement & Cracking 11Sep 28, 2017 7:38 am StructuralBIMGuy @jessicagauci Yes, a structural engineer will be required then contact the Department of Fair Trading in your state to lodge a complaint. Ok thank you for your advice! Fingers crossed not much more movement occurs and that it was just the initial settling. It's just upsetting to see it happen in our feature 'shadowline'. With that sort of soil type if you ask for a design to include piers then I would also include void formers. That way you should reduce the chances of settlement and heave. 7 4835 Have look at your house plans and you will probably find that brick articulation joint has been missed. Maximum allowable spacing is 6M or 5.5M for a wall with window… 17 21313 Are they stumps or screw piles ? How much fill is there, is the site a class "P" ? A "H2" site is not supposed to have stumps it is supposed to have grid beams according… 1 7524 |