Copied post from Real Estate board for your viewing pleasure (and to help me...)

We are building our first house (first house I've ever owned) so I've been trying to stay on top of the build process. Prior to the foundation being tensioned last week, I noticed a small crack running parallel to the street across the foundation and over the face of the foundation into the ground. I called my Realtor and she recommended an inspector come take a look.

The inspector said he recommended a structural engineer take a look at the crack to be sure nothing was wrong.

Throughout the process the builder was in contact with me and offering to do whatever was necessary to make it right. This afternoon, I received an e-mail from the builder's boss:

quote:

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We finished our meeting this afternoon and both city and Strand engineering feel good about the quality and workmanship of this project. The city has granted us the approval to proceed.

Strand Engineers have taken finish floor elevation readings and have established a base line that is well within industry standards. They have inspected the directional crack running from east to west across the foundation and state that it is a common occurrence and can be expected. They are going to provide a letter regarding the inspection findings.

We have contacted the lumber suppliers and will be delivering framing materials this week and will have the home in the dry under roof by Monday 15 FEB.

I have instructed the builder and all trades to schedule this build using our model home process. I will be checking in on the activity on a weekly basis throughout construction.

We will give a clear target close date ounce we have completed sheet rocking.

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Since the builder hired the structural engineer - should I pay the money to have an independent structural engineer come out and look at the foundation again? I am going to ask for a copy of the report to keep for my records in case an issue surfaces in the future. The warranty on the foundation is 10 years, if that matters.

Also - for you builder types, what does he mean in the bold print above? Is he monitoring the construction more closely than others to expedite the process? What do you think the model home process is?

tia.

I would guess that means they are going to build it quicker than their average house.

How big a crack is it? Do I understand that it goes all the way through the slab?

If its a hairline crack that apears near the surface....no problem. You will be getting many more of those.

Your bolded section could mean two things.

1. All production builders say they build to the "standard displayed in the model home". So he is saying that your house will be completed, just like every other house, up to the standard they have advertised in their model.

2. It could also mean as mentioned above they will build it faster. Multiple crews working at the same time, more pressure put on delivery times, etc. It could be this if it has been a long delay in getting the slab crack situation handled.

Did the crack close after the slab was tensioned?

Ask the builder for an extended warranty.

Get a letter from the engineer stamped with his seal. Have them list the tolerances which they think are 'standard' with in the industry.

Get an independent second opinion if it worries you.

Sounds like he was late in tensioning the slab.

http://www.housingzone.com/article/CA6598700.html?rssid=198
http://www.concreteconstruction.net/industry-news.asp?sectionID=715&articleID=366219&artnum=1

A bit technical, but may be useful:
http://prospectionsinc.com/public/KBondyCrackingSlabs.pdf

Sorry,
The last two posts were mine. Forgot my son had logged in.

Thanks for the posts -

The crack was larger before it was tensioned. I had to look very hard to see it on the sides of the slab after tension. I'll get a copy of the letter and let y'all know what it says.

The 10 yr. warranty doesn't mean a thing if the builder goes under in the next year. I'd get an independent inspector despite the slowdown.

Did they pour your house after a rain? Did you have a pre slab inspection?

[This message has been edited by texasaggie2004 (edited 2/11/2010 9:36a).]

quote:

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The 10 yr. warranty doesn't mean a thing if the builder goes under in the next year.

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New home warranties in my area are NEVER serviced by the builder. There is a third party provider for the home warranties. Just something to check on.

Who's the builder? Small custom builder, or a big outfit like Stylecraft? What's the grade of the land -- is the house on a high point, or is the land sloped? Where's the nearest creek? Soil composition?

Biggest warning I have is that even with tensioned slabs and properly engineered ground underneath, some pieces of property aren't engineered properly by the builder. Stylecraft is especially bad about this. There's a house two down from mine that Stylecraft built without properly preparing the land, and your inner ear can feel the cracks in the foundation as you wobble your way through the house.

The only reason I bring up stylecraft is that the "model home basis" and "10 year warranty" are precisely what they told my old neighbor (in a stylecraft-built community) just before they overtensioned the slab and essentially caused the house to fracture, bubble up in the middle, and that was just before it all slid down into a creekbed.

The foundation was poured about 2 weeks ago - it had rained and was in the 40s.

The builder is DR Horton. They have a major presence in this part of Texas. House is in Mckinney, mostly clay. No streams or creeks nearby. The house is on level ground, even with houses behind and in front. The neighborhood is mostly flat, with the exception of the golf course about a block away.

call gary @ osbourne engineering.

independent of the home builders.

Yeah, I would call another external engineer immediately. Something's wrong.

I like the responses on this board better. On my real estate board the final conclusion is that the builder thinks I'm being an ass by asking questions and having an inspector come out.

Thanks for the responses.

It's (going to be) your home. If it takes another engineer coming in and inspecting it to make you comfortable, then do it.

The builder and his inspector may be stand-up guys who aren't trying to shaft you. Then again, they may very well be looking out for their best interests only. If they aren't trying to screw you, the worst you'll be out is a few hundred bucks for the second engineer's opinion. The opposite case has the second engineer giving you grounds to argue for a fix to be made before the house goes up.

I used to work for Horton and know their construction folks at that division fairly well. There is a construction manager above your builder's manager.

Post Tension foundations usually take about seven to ten days to reach the strength necessary to be able to withstand tensioning.

During that time surface cracking can occur. The cracks usually are not serious unless there is some sort of deflection involved. Either up or down or side to side. My two cents.