Originally Posted By: Lori Hunter This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
We purchased a new home in June of 2003, in the central valley of California. 6 months after we moved in cracks began appearing in the kitchen, entry and bathroom tiles. While the builder & tile company dragged their feet, the cracking got worse, until almost the entire kitchen floor and most of the entry floor tiles were badly cracked. Two weeks ago the tile was finally removed. The builder expected there to be cracks in the slab that would need to be sealed before the new tile was put down. But we found not only extensive cracking in the slab, but holes as well. Some of the holes are 2+ inches wide by 6+ inches long. The slab is continuing to disintegrate too. The builder, of course, is not saying much to us, but a concrete person, a coring person, and a friend who is residential superintendent all say it is really, really bad. It sounds to us as if the builder thinks they can replace certain sections of the slab. Everyone else we’ve talked to says the house will either need to be jacked up and the slab replaced, or the house will have to be torn down and rebuilt. We would be interested in any opinions or advice on this matter. Thank you! Lori
Originally Posted By: Lori Hunter This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Thank you for the replies. We’re in the process of hiring a lawyer. Also an inspector from the city is coming by on Thursday to look at the damage. Here are pictures of some of the worst holes. Bear with me as I’ve never tried to attach pictures to a message board before, so I hope they attached properly. Lori
Originally Posted By: ccoombs This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Lori
In the pictures it looks like there is a color change in the ?holes.? Is this color change a different material? Like sand?
It looks like you have some significant cracks that were made worse when the tile was pulled up. One of the things that I look for in a crack is a vertical shift were one side of the crack is raised above the other side.
I would talk with a foundation/structural engineer first. This will help with a direction to move.
Originally Posted By: Lori Hunter This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Curtis,
There appears to be sand or dirt in the holes, as well as some rocks. The builder’s customer service rep and a concrete company rep both stuck pocket knives into the holes, and both knives were buried up to the handles, with no resistance at all. There is only one small area of cracks where there seems to be a vertical shift, however it is very slight so far. We’ve discovered some cracks on the outside of the kitchen wall, but are unsure if these are related. The builder contacted us today to say they need to pull the flooring up in the rest of the house to see how far the damage extends. But of course, they gave no specifics as to when and what they plan to do with us during that time. Thank you for your input. Lori
Originally Posted By: jmyers This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Lori,
I would say that getting a lawyer or even threatening to get a lawyer at this time would be very counterproductive.
If the builder is working with you to resolve the issue, I don't really see any need to make a lawyer richer.
I believe you are on the right track, having the local building codes inspector look at the cracks and I certainly would entertain the thought of backing up any opinions they may have with the professional opinion of another party, such as a structural engineer. However, I would not feel the need to share that information with anyone at the moment. It would make me feel better whether the course of action they plan on taking would be in my best interests.
