Cracks in drywall from foundation settling

[Johnny Dangerr]

Playa....you got problems. Contact the builder.

The fix is super costly. Have your lawyer contact the builder............

[JHT]

Good advice here if you haven’t already. We have had two custom homes built in the last nine years and both only warranted the slab for one year. We didn’t have any issues such as you have mentioned to date.

This would be like buying a new car and the warranty only covers the engine for 100 miles.

OP,

Like others have stated it could be many things causing you problems. Go over your home owners warranty and start there. Get your neighbor to do the same and have both your houses walked by the builder at the same time.

If the problems are minor the guys doing the repairs will on your street at the same time speeding up the process.

I don't get the LAWYER UP attack. He or she isn't going to know whats causing the problems.

[Briar Friar]

Please tell me more about NOT having foundation repair done. We have some cracks at door corners. Just fix them and go on?

Yes. Its very common through out much of Texas. Level when the structural engineer says its out of liveable tolerance. IMO

Playa...you might have a structural engineer come shoot elevations and note settling conditions throughout and around the house and write a report.

An Aggie construction engineer professor told me do not tunnel under the foundation for pipe leaks or sewer breaks. Removing soil under the slab removes the soil structurally supporting the slab. Things can get worse when that supporting soil is dug out. Come through the top side of the slab for plumbing repairs if possible. I ignored his council, tunneled for sewer break and slab heaving got worse...immediately.

[JHT]

Yes. Its very common through out much of Texas. Level when the structural engineer says its out of liveable tolerance. IMO

Playa...you might have a structural engineer come shoot elevations and note settling conditions throughout and around the house and write a report.

An Aggie construction engineer professor told me do not tunnel under the foundation for pipe leaks or sewer breaks. Removing soil under the slab removes the soil structurally supporting the slab. Things can get worse when that supporting soil is dug out. Come through the top side of the slab for plumbing repairs if possible. I ignored his council, tunneled for sewer break and slab heaving got worse...immediately.

I think in an ideal world your professor is right but the cost can skyrocket in his scenario.

[Sticks&Strings]

The cracks you mention in the drywall is common the first year. It will be worse when the weather changes from hot to cold, and cold to hot. The house settles, expands, and contracts. Also the HVAC system is still drawing and moisture out of the construction materials. We prep every homeowner to expect some cracks, then we fix them one time and after that it is up to them. Large cracks are definitely to be concerned about, but not the small hairline ones.

As for the vinyl, I'd bet they used cheap glue and skimped on it. Good glue has a moisture barrier built into it.

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[Czechfish]

Had a customer in South Arlington with a slab that sweated. I could smell the moisture when I entered the door. Paintings she stored under a bed we’re damp. While remodeling a bucket or bowl left on bare concrete in any room would have sweat under it.
Ended up grinding the entire interior and applying a product that soaked through the slab and sealed from within. Applied 5 coats with spray rigs and to this day no more issues.

[jkk831]

Sounds like a vapor barrier issue on the moisture. . The cracks could be poor framing and settling or could be foundation. Hard to tell without seeing it. The soils are typically really good in west Texas but sometimes the developers haul in bad dirt for fill. Could be good dirt with no compaction and too shallow of footings. I know a structural engineer out there if you need him.

[GA Bowhunter]

The fix is super costly. Have your lawyer contact the builder............

Terrible advice.

The problem has not been identified so the cost to "fix" it is unknown.

I have built and sold 900+ houses.

If someone mentions a lawyer I give them my attorney's contact info and then that is the only way I will communicate with them.

Knock on wood, we have not been sued, or even got contacted by a homeowner's attorney, yet.

We take care of our buyer's. I have gone back on a house 4 years out of warranty that was owned by the second owner.

If folks play nice I will bend over backwards. If folks want to play hardball they can bend over.

[GA Bowhunter]

Get your neighbor to do the same and have both your houses walked by the builder at the same time.

If the problems are minor the guys doing the repairs will on your street at the same time speeding up the process.

Why would you want to get a neighbor involved?

When home owners bring up a neighbor I tell them it has nothing to do with them. They are free to talk to anyone about their house but I will only talk to them about their house.
I do not discuss the neighbor's house with anyone but the neighbor.

I do not care if 10 houses in a row have the same issue. We aren't going to discuss the other 9 houses. We are going to discuss YOUR house.

[macoop]

Playa, if your builders name starts with betenb——, good luck. My son had one of theirs and it had the biggest crack in the slab that I’ve ever seen in a house slab. They actually told him that it was normal. I’ve heard horror stories.

[Biggs]

You’re screwed! I’ve heard horror stories about the “new” method of slab building. Very cheaply done and done last.


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[Biggs]

Two buildings went up down the road. The formed for the slab, put "select fill" what looks to be sand to me on top of the existing grass and pasture weeds. Not much of the fill either, just maybe 4-8 inch's. Now pouring 4 inch slab on top. This is black gumbo soil. I am friends with the owner and cant believe he is allowing this. For out shop we dug out 4 foot and filled with road base and compacted with the dozer and the dump truck. They would roll back and fourth back and fourth while loaded down before dumping.

I feel my new neighbors are going to be screwed in a few years.

This is what I’m seeing. Not prepping. Just pouring on top of the ground.




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[low_tec]

What is the new method?

[bboswell]

What is the new method?

It’s a poor use of words. There and has always been two methods, the correct way and the cheap way.

I had all top soil cut back, brought in 128 loads of tested select fill, densities were run every 6” of lift. I then had an engineer and stamp the slab design which was a combination of beams, rebar and post tension all poured on top of Stego.

For the first few years we had settling that caused cracks at window corners and caused doors to not align properly but there has never been any sign of a slab crack and once everything settled there have been no more cracks or doors to align.

[4dog]

if you have access to the vavle side of your bathtub there will be a hole you can get to...get in that hole and pull out the dirt and then you have access to the vapor barrier ..you can pull off a chunk from there.