Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Depending on the soil, climate and weather this could be very common. As long as the house (poured footers and foundation) wasn't constructed on loose, uncompacted fill then this is minor. The steps might have some tricky spots, but I've got that in a 40 year old house. I shove in broken brick, shale, and then soil.
I would actually recommend AGAINST calling your insurance company. I don't want to sound conspiracy-theory-ish, but sometimes just one call in with one question can blacklist you from EVERY insurance company, for you in your home and for future homeowners at that home. They share a database and the records don't go away; even if you don't file a claim, the fact that you called is recorded. Don't call them unless you HAVE to.
jenlion,
You are very correct that even a phone call can be recorded on the homes records. The insurance industry uses two databases to record claims, and many times even just inquiries, on the home. Claims are usually always recorded whether they pay out or not. You can read a very good brief about these at CLUE Insurance Databases.
I guess I have to get some professional inspection to determine if the backfilled soil meets the standards? What kind of inspector should I hire? Thanks.
It would be difficult for anyone inspecting this from telling you specifically whether it was properly back filled (proper materials, compaction, etc.) without performing at least some amount of core sampling or excavating. Either method can be expensive to perform.
As a Professional Real Estate Inspector my recommendation to you is to hire a licensed Structural Engineer with training and experience in residential foundations of your type. A qualified Structural Engineer will have the training and experience in both the structure and soil conditions for residential structures in your area. They will review how the structure is reacting to the current conditions (via movement indicators such as shifting and cracking), the visible surrounding soil conditions, the normal soil conditions for your area and proper building practices under those conditions, and then develop their performance opinion and recommendations from that.
You might have no problems whatsoever except for soil settling issues. But you are asking questions that can only be answered by an inspection of the conditions. It is obvious that you are uncomfortable and unsure of what lies ahead. You have spent a great deal of money to construct this home and I will only ask one question of you. Is it not worth, at least for the peace of mind, to pay a small amount more to hire a qualified, competent and licensed Structural Engineer to inspect your large investment?
Good luck and keep us apprised of what you do and find.
I guess I have to get some professional inspection to determine if the backfilled soil meets the standards? What kind of inspector should I hire? Thanks.
Not necessarily. Based on those pictures, there should be no question to the homebuilder the backfilling was not done correctly. You would expect some settlement, but what you are showing there is clearly beyond acceptable. I would first approach the builder to try and get him to commit to extending the warranty on this issue beyond 1 year (This type of settlement could take several years to stop). You are also running the risk of you sidewalk and driveway slabs being damaged from this settlement.
If your builder is not agreeable, you would want to consult with a geotechnical engineer to get evidence of inadequate backfilling compaction. A geotechnical engineer will have some testing methods to verify the degree of compaction.
Hi Loiter,
This type of settlement would concern me for sure! pepe is correct! The type of inspection/survey.assessment you need is from a geotechnical engineer! Not structural or civil unless the geotech recommends one.
Angies list should NOT be relied on solely; please use great care and pick out licensed experienced, reputable local people. Anyone on Angies list can get their friends to write reviews right?
You need to get this assessed and resolved ASAP! Please let us know what happens!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
