Slab Issues - Update

Last Friday, I was promised that our Slab Supervisor would go out to our site and provide feedback on the issues I have raised against the foundation. 

It took 2-3 days of constant pressure from our BC (She's awesome!) to get the issues rectified and get a call from our Slab Supervisor.

Finally, this morning I received a call from our Slab Supervisor. He has confirmed the following:

• All honeycombing will be rectified and repaired using structural grout. The company conducting this repair is booked in for Tuesday. Our Slab Supervisor has agreed that I go on-site and mark all the areas I am concerned and would like repaired. I'm more than happy to do this as it saves them digging around the entire slab perimeter to uncover the honeycombing. 
• 2x Damaged storm water pipes will be repaired and inspected today
• Storm water pipe encased into the portico slab portion will be relocated to 150 mm away from the slab. The concrete will be cut away and 'refilled'. Just before handover we will have the portico area covered with a material that will keep the colour consistent. 

I'm quite happy with the way PD staff have responded to the issues I have raised. I can't comment on the quality and accuracy of the repair work yet but I will do when it eventuates....

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend :) 

Framing start date

We've been given a start date for framing which is the 16/03/2015. We welcome the progress but are yet to hear about the slab issues we raised last week. 

Additionally, unlike what others have experienced with Porter Davis, we have not received the invoice for the slab. I made it very clear to PD that we will not be paying them a cent until the stage is 'complete' and all issues have been rectified. 

Hoping to see the issues rectified before framing has started... the clock is ticking! 

Build Issues List

If there is one thing I have learnt from working at an Engineering firm, especially during prototype builds, is to document and track all issues.

Since we have started our build I have decided to start a 'Build Issue Tracking List' with information such as:

• Date raised
• Rectified yes/no
• Date rectified
• Photo(s)
• Stage of occurrence

I think this will come in very handy in keeping track of all our issues. Here is a screen shot of what it looks like so far. 

Slab Issues - Discussion with Slab Supervisor

The afternoon following slab pour I visited the site to see how they went with the pour. As I previously mentioned, I was quite disappointed with the quality of the poor. Of course my main concern is the integrity of the slab and not the aesthetics of it. 

I raised my concern to our Building Coordinator and Slab Supervisor. I got an email back from our BC within a few hours saying she had spoken to the SS and he would call me ASAP. Next day our SS calls me. He did not for one second of the conversation make me feel like I am overreacting or wrong, which I appreciate as usually that's the default response you get from the builder. 

He agreed with my concerns and also mentioned that he wasn't impressed with the quality shown in the photos I sent. He gave me a few reasons as to why this has occurred but he couldn't confirm until he had seen the site himself. So he assured me that he was heading out on Friday to see it himself and complete a report on the slab. 

He promised that he would share the report with me, get all the issues rectified and provide engineering documents for all the post-pour work done to the foundation. 

Here's hoping all the above happens. Now to wait... 

 

Slab pour!

Great news! Our slab was poured this morning.

Being all excited I left work and went straight to the block. At first it looked really good and clean from the front. As I looked closer and closer I started to notice a lot of 'honeycombing'. For those of you who haven't heard of this term it is when the exposed sides show the gravel in clusters. 

Here is a link that gives some good information regarding honeycombing: 

http://www.cesinspectionstexas.com/concrete-honeycomb/

I was really disappointed to see this and after looking at the opposite house slab (Porter Davis home and same concrete crew) I realized that the honeycombing is much more frequent in our slab. 

Fortunately, I have a great independent inspector and he responded to my email (full of photos) within a few hours and gave me some advice and re-assurance regarding what the best way to tackle this issue is. 

Enough writing from me, here are some photos I took this afternoon. 

Foundation Inspection

This afternoon @ 3 pm we had our 'pre-pour/foundation' inspection conducted by Darren from Darbecca Pty Ltd.

When we arrived, the slab team were still completing the final touches. The inspector went ahead to inspect the works that have been completed so far. Communication from the Slab Supervisor was very poor. I had text him photos of the damaged pipes this morning and no response. Fortunately, the drain for the laundry that was broken had been temporarily repaired by a plumber as it would have held up the pour. The broken downpipe drain is still to be repaired and the inspector picked up on that and marked it. 

Even though most issues were rectified on the spot as the inspector pointed them out (nothing major), we still received a full report from him.

Rememberer my concern about the reduced FL of the house and site drainage? Turns out I was right! Here is what the inspector had to say in the report. 

Finally, the exciting part.... Some more photos, enjoy :)

Site prepared and plumbing damaged for boxing....

Another quick update. 

This afternoon (3 pm) will be our pre-pour/foundation inspection. So yesterday we went to the block and to our surprise boxing had not yet been started. 

We did notice that some 'prep work' was done. Pier holes drilled (not filled), gravel laid over site and step downs re-introduced. It seems that whilst they were drilling the piers they damaged the plumbing for the laundry drain. They also damaged the plumbing for the down pipe on the garage external door side. I've made our Slab Supervisor and Building Co-ordinator aware of these and we have been told that they will be rectified by this afternoon. 

Apparently it takes less than a full day to box the site for slab pour.... Let's wait and see if that happens. 

Holes for piers drilled. Laundry drain missing. 

Damaged downpipe drain near garage external entry door. Drain for 'study' room in the garage. 

Portico step down still 150 mm (assuming by comparison to garage 63 mm step down)