Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Vapour Barrier issues 5Jun 15, 2022 1:15 pm Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Vapour Barrier issues 8Jun 15, 2022 2:13 pm Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Vapour Barrier issues 15Jun 15, 2022 6:02 pm MrSober Is concreting around the perimeter of the house the only option in this case? Not because of the vapour barrier, but because of the soil type and managing slab heave risk. Dark matter scientist, can breathe underwater, mind reader and can freeze matter just by willing it. Trust me, its in my sig. Re: Vapour Barrier issues 16Jun 16, 2022 1:39 pm [The vapor barrier will not protect the house from moisture getting under the slab, only from contact with the slab, and generally only from underneath given that these barriers arent someway fixed to the side of the slab.] Sorry to bother you x Is it because the builder didn't install properly or normally vapour barrier is not protecting the house from moisture? Re: Vapour Barrier issues 17Jun 16, 2022 1:58 pm Noname MrSober Is concreting around the perimeter of the house the only option in this case? Not because of the vapour barrier, but because of the soil type and managing slab heave risk. Ah okay, as I think I have similar soil type being H or M but can't seem to find where I had that information at the moment. I just wonder if there is something else that can be done to have a similar solution as I don't visually want concrete around the whole house. Re: Vapour Barrier issues 18Jun 16, 2022 3:57 pm Lees [The vapor barrier will not protect the house from moisture getting under the slab, only from contact with the slab, and generally only from underneath given that these barriers arent someway fixed to the side of the slab.] Sorry to bother you x Is it because the builder didn't install properly or normally vapour barrier is not protecting the house from moisture? you clearly didn't read the link i posted for you. There are two separate things here. Rising damp The purpose of the vapor barrier is to protect the concrete slab from being exposed to moisture, which overtime has a propensity to rise up through concrete and start affecting your frame, walls etc. This is called rising damp. This can cause things like mould to grow etc. Slab heave The purpose of the concrete perimeter paving is to stop water from pooling against your slab and getting under it. In reactive soils can cause them to swell and lift your home causing slab heave. . Neither of these scenarios is good. The solutions are separate. However, placing a concrete perimeter path protects against both. If there is paving, the water/moisture won’t be able to get to the edge beams. Given you are on clay (I can tell from the pics and the fact that the builder has added earth sloping away from your foundations during the build), you should be installing a concrete path after hand over. If you don’t install this path, you can expect the builder to point to your failure to do so if issues of house cracking an movement occur. Given you are on clay, it is highly likely you WILL experience these without some sort of path. The path is your first step to protect against damage to your house and protecting yourself from the builder claiming it’s your fault for poor slab maintenance. Trust me, they will always blame you first. You need to think about this logically – if the builder fixes this plastic sheet by doing as the inspector suggests, it doesn’t protect your house from the damage that the sheet is meant to UNLESS you maintain it – ie ensuring there is no way for water to end up between the sheet and the house. Are you going to be out there making sure its affixed to the edge beams? Making sure there is nothing between it and the concrete and to ensure no water can get between it? No. You’d probably end up putting a bloody garden bed over it, forgetting about it and putting water there yourself, completely invalidating the purpose of it in the first place. The fact that the builder may not have installed the barrier properly all the way up the edge beams is not great but on the balance of things its one of those things that’s not overly worth arguing about. Save your energy. You need to install a perimiterto protect your home, and by virtue of doing so, you’re solving this issue. Dark matter scientist, can breathe underwater, mind reader and can freeze matter just by willing it. Trust me, its in my sig. Re: Vapour Barrier issues 19Jun 16, 2022 4:12 pm MrSober Noname MrSober Is concreting around the perimeter of the house the only option in this case? Not because of the vapour barrier, but because of the soil type and managing slab heave risk. Ah okay, as I think I have similar soil type being H or M but can't seem to find where I had that information at the moment. I just wonder if there is something else that can be done to have a similar solution as I don't visually want concrete around the whole house. it needs to be an impermeable barrier. Concrete is simple to do and you have lots of options in that space (exposed aggregate of varied colours, stamped, coloured, stenciled etc.). You could lay paving over the concrete for an upmarket look, whatever. The key is to direct water away from your house. Besides, having a path around your house is useful for so many reasons Whether you do or don't is your prerogative, but expect movement if you don't, and expect to have the builder blame you for not maintaining requirements to maintain your warranty for any work that related to movement or cracking in your house. Dark matter scientist, can breathe underwater, mind reader and can freeze matter just by willing it. Trust me, its in my sig. Re: Vapour Barrier issues 20Jun 16, 2022 4:14 pm to the people in this thread, i would highly recommend you search this forum for "slab heave" and educate yourselves on what's occurred to a number of forum members here and teh heartache its caused. Dark matter scientist, can breathe underwater, mind reader and can freeze matter just by willing it. Trust me, its in my sig. Hi, I had a barrier reef pool installed less that 2 years ago and the gel coat is already fading. 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