Slab Movement

I have a 2 years old house and a month ago showing some gaps and grout mark between wall and floor tile on some area. There are about three area at the moment. The grout mark on wall so far the highest is about 10mm. So there are about 5 doors that cannot be closed.

I have doing some research and suspecting slab movement but not sure what has caused it. Spoke with the company that we built the house with but it has been more than a couple of weeks still with no answer. Actually i had to engage a second builder from the company due to the first one was dissapeared.

My questions are:
1. Is this possible slab movement normal? Do you think this is what causes?
2. Do I need a building inspector to determine the definite causes? A yone can recommend one in melbourne?
3. Since the slab was done by the first builder, should I judt go straight to home warranty insurance? Do I need to get a building inspector report first before contacting the insurer?

Thanks in advance. Your advise would be much appreciated.
 
What happened a month ago for the cracks to start appearing, dry conditions?

I would draft a letter to the Builder and ask for a response say 7 days, failing that try calling, no joy, send letter to the Building Advisory Board and also to Home warranty Insurance.

I would also call both departments and get a contact person who will be looking after your situation.

Brian
 
I would say because wet condition as we have been getting good rain in the last few months here in melbourne.

I did speak to the company as well sent the photos of the problems about three weeks ago. Since then he has been promising me that he will talk to the builder and get back to me untill now but still no answer. For that period he only called me once while I have been trying to call him almost everyday with no luck.

Should I need to get building report to back my case? Or those two department would be able to guide me through the process?
 
Its likely due to the incredable wet season, things move as is my home , the rain has settled things and i susbect these platletts have changed , i built this home and even built on rock there seems to be some movement.
 
I would say because wet condition as we have been getting good rain in the last few months here in melbourne.

I did speak to the company as well sent the photos of the problems about three weeks ago. Since then he has been promising me that he will talk to the builder and get back to me untill now but still no answer. For that period he only called me once while I have been trying to call him almost everyday with no luck.

Should I need to get building report to back my case? Or those two department would be able to guide me through the process?
Might be just the rain that has caused the frames to move it does happen on treated-pine pre nailed frames,and you may well see the caps here and there,i would just be taking the photos,and wait three months and see if the problem is still the same,a slab takes 28 days to cure,most builders wait a week then bang up the frames roof within the first 7 days but if the slab is split then that will also ruin the plumbing and anything else that is in that slab..imho..
 
First things first, all communication must be in writing.

Your builder is required to guarantee structural integrity for something like 7-10 years (I forget).

It sounds to me like your house is settling excessively.

Natural settlement (settlement is basically sinking of the house into the ground over time) is acceptable within certain guidelines.

Cutting a long story short, call the building board and ask them what to do.

In short the process is:

verify that there is a problem
look at plans/certificates to work out the cause
based on the cause, take steps to fix it
based on who is responsible, look at who to sue in order to pay for repairs

Usually the cause of what youre talking about is the builder not doing a geotechnical report, or if they do, the engineer didnt design the footings etc properly

You'll be fine in the end, since you do have home owners warranty, which covers structural failure, but be prepared for some serious blame game stuff from all involved. If your builder wont cooperate, just let the insurance company handle it and thats that - they'll chase and molest the builder anyway
 
Spoke with a building inspector on the phone and he would recommend me to get a structural engineer instead to verify the problem.

Anyone could recommend a good structural engineer to verify the problem and give me report with recommend solution? How much normally do they charge?
 
We had some comparably minor issues with a home we built in the 90's, got the HGF (Housing Guarantee fund) inspector out (nil cost) to review after the builder gave us the short shift & was found that 5 of our 6 complaints were justified & the builder was ordered to remedy within 30 days which was promptly done.
Not sure of the process now but there must be a similar avenue for you to pursue.
If you have reports done privately you will likely bear the cost of these yourself.
Given you are covered under warranty it should be no cost to you as a consumer.
 
Go to the brb website ( builders registration board) and follow their instructions on how to deal with this matter.

But a structural engineer's report would go a long way for the prosecution, your honour...
 
Back
Top