New home, concrete slab foundation, cracks everywhere!!!

Originally Posted By: HM
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Call us naive, but before the construction of our 6.5 month old, 2400 sq foot, single story home was even complete, a LARGE crack formed from the back porch door to the edge of the back porch almost 1/4 inch wide and about 10 feet long. The builder said there was nothing he could do, but he would pay to have the crack repaired and part of what it costs to do a decorative concrete spray on top. Well, the crack developed “tentacles” and these the builder also paid to have patched.


Since moving in, we’ve noticed many thin cracks on the front porch and very recently we discovered a crack about 2-3 feet long in the tile of our master bathroom. It extends from the tub to the wall in an arched shape.


This is a slab foundation and must have some fibrous content as the front porch is not sealed and looks like it has fibers or hairs embedded all over it.


We weren’t too bothered by the numerous hairline cracks developing on the front porch, but added with the one big one on the back porch before the house was even finished and now the one in the bathroom, we are getting concerned. What does this mean for the future of our home and what do we do? The home in under a one year warranty. Thanks!


Originally Posted By: ccoombs
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HM


The "hair" in the concrete is probably an added material to help reduce the minor cracks in the concrete. Although all concrete will crack, it does sound like you have more than you should.

When tile is installed on concrete, it should has a slip sheet between the concrete and the tile. If this was not done, minor cracks will continue from the concrete to the tile. If a slip sheet was installed, it is a sign that the concrete crack is a significant crack.

My advice is to get an engineer involved. I would suggest a soils engineer.

Good luck!


Originally Posted By: rcloyd
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I agree with Curtis. A geo-technical engineer and maybe a structural engineer as well. Can you take some digital pics and post here for us to see? As you may know, it is essential to deal with these issues before your one year warranty runs out.



Regards,


--
Russell G. Cloyd
Intra-Spec Home Inspections
& Code Consulting, LLC
859-586-4591
www.intra-spechomeinspections.com