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Notify the builder in writing, return receipt. Include pictures. Read your contract. Contact an attorney. If there is a problem carpet will only cover it up. Contact your home inspector.
Full basement? What is the tile set on? If it's directly on plywood subfloor with no hardibacker or cement board over the plywood it's incorrectly installed. If you install tile using thinset directly on plywood the wood sucks the moisture out of the thinset too fast and. "Curing" the thinset too fast thus eventually causing the tiles to loosen up. On concrete either old but usually on new concrete there should be a moisture barrier installed before laying tile.
What's under the cross section? Grab a 4-6 foot level or straight edge and see if the floor is buckling up or down. It could be the house settling in that spot. I would still document everything as a just in case. And go speak to a lawyer as a just in case.
Yes we have a combination of clay and gravel. We are South of Dayton, Ohio.
There isn't one tile cracked by it's self. It is 2 or more, side by side or in a row.
The largest is 3 down, and 3 across, in a form of a cross +
Measure out where this is and go into your basement and see what's there. Is there a wall? If no ceiling is there a seam from the sub floor?
It's porcelain floor tile. We had it laid in, front entry way, Hallways, bathrooms, kitchen, dinning room, Breakfast area.
It started out just being 2 tiles cracked, they fix them. Now the new number is 14. Three in Dinning Rm., 7 in Front entry way, 2 in foyer from garage, 2 in Master bath room. Not in one area of house.
Will the cracks become larger ? should we ask for carpet ?
When it gets cold there are popping sounds night and day. Could this be the tiles cracking ?
1 Yr. Warranty was up in Nov. Ranch with full basement.
Said they have never had this problem before. they have been nice about it, but did mention, "You Know Your Warranty is Up".
There are many different possibilities some of which have been brought up here. Another is the popping sounds you mentioned which could possibly be wood members drying and contracting as a result. These could also cause floor framing to flex and damage tiles.
We could go on and on about the many possibilities but it sounds as if you need the services of a specialist to actually review your build conditions and try to determine why the cracking is recurring. If you know who the tile manufacturer is you can contact them for guidance on finding a trained specialist. If you do not and can not identify the tile you can Google search for local tile contractor associations and seek their guidance on who would be qualified to perform a full review. Another possible option is to contact the large tile suppliers in the area who also might have lists of specialists who can perform these.
Also you should thoroughly review your new home warranty documents to determine if the issue is still under warranty or not. Have your warranty paperwork at hand when the specialist reviews the installation conditions. There might be another build defect causing the tile cracking that would be covered and hence the cause of the cracking which might then also be covered.
Because it's in different areas, it sounds more like a bad workmanship issue. I would suggest you take a pen and tap on each and every tile with the blunt end. If it sounds hollow, it's a future cracked tile and is because of a lousy install. In Texas, this is called a builders defect and is warrantable for life. Surely Ohio has some standards where workmanship is guaranteed.
FWIW, this should cost the builder nothing but arranging to have the original sub replace the effected areas or the entire house if a color match isn't possible.
Not necessarily so. I perform many one year warranty inspections and always try to obtain a copy of the homeowner warranty document(s). All that I have read place cracked tiles under quality and workmanship which is only warranted for the first year. Many builders even speak of cracked tiles specifically in their warranty and state they are only covered for the first year. Of course if the cracking is being caused by something else that is covered under their warranty then the tiles themselves might, but not necessarily, be covered.
As for builder defects I have found no builder that warrants anything "for life". The typical warranty here is 1 year for quality and workmanship, 2 years (from possession) for individual systems (i.e. electrical. plumbing, etc.), and then 10 years for structural issues. After 10 years there is generally no builder warranty on a home.
Also you should thoroughly review your new home warranty documents to determine if the issue is still under warranty or not. Have your warranty paperwork at hand when the specialist reviews the installation conditions. There might be another build defect causing the tile cracking that would be covered and hence the cause of the cracking which might then also be covered.
I believe the OP is in Ohio where repairs due to poor workmanship or improper installation is by law, not by some time dependent warranty.
I do agree the OP will need some form of qualified report to force the builder to make repairs. All the OP has to do is call the builder's bluff. Most likely the builder is throwing out the warranty timeline in hopes the buyer thinks their chance for free repairs is over and not demand the repairs. The drawback is the builder may have the funds to fight this even though in the end, they will be held liable by the courts and forced to make repairs.
I believe the OP is in Ohio where repairs due to poor workmanship or improper installation is by law, not by some time dependent warranty.
I certainly wish they would do that in Texas! Here the consumer gets the short end of the stick and the builders get the protection of laws made for their benefit.
I do agree the OP will need some form of qualified report to force the builder to make repairs. All the OP has to do is call the builder's bluff. Most likely the builder is throwing out the warranty timeline in hopes the buyer thinks their chance for free repairs is over and not demand the repairs. The drawback is the builder may have the funds to fight this even though in the end, they will be held liable by the courts and forced to make repairs.
Yes, I'm not very impressed with our legal system! Once the OP discovers the original cause they can be out thousands of dollars possibly for corrections but that would be much less spent, and less aggravation, than dealing with the builder in a legal battle.
I would check the floors where the cracked tiles for level first- right on top of the tiles. Use the longest level you have and check for unevenness, rocking, dips- anything.
If the house settled that much to cause floor tiles to crack, I'd bet you'd have drywall cracks at window corners, door frame corners, etc..
If the floors are level, then I would presume a faulty install. Maybe uneven tile set used. However it is quite possible that you received a real poorly cured set of porcelain tiles. If they are not fired right- they will be brittle. Do you have any leftover tiles? You may want to get that info together as well.
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