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I live in a new home (Tear down and rebuild on old foundation.) The house was finished last June. I am noticing problems that obviously need to be fixed, but am worried about how serious they are with our finances trying to recover from the move.
Problems:
1) Sagging floors. It feels like there is a central beam that goes through the middle of the house and the hardwood floor to the left sags noticeably. You can't really see it but can certainly feel it when you walk on that point. This happens not in the basement, but both on the main and second floor.
2) One place the floor has developed a serious squeak.
3) One place where there is a plank of flooring going perpendicular to the rest (top of stairs) it seems to have raised a few milimeters above the other flooring.
4) Cracks - There are a lot of cracks occuring between things like the molding and the ceiling, cabinets and the ceiling, built in shelves and the wall, etc. It looks like the seams were painted and are seperating slightly - I dont see any dry wall or ceiling cracks.
It is freezing cold, and its the first winter, in the boston area, so I did not know if maybe these are all happening just because of climate issues or if something bigger is going on. Any tips would be helpful.
First off, I’m guessing you hired a (one) contractor who was responsible for the entire build of your new house?
And, the contractor built from plans and specs that were obtained from a registered architect and a construction permit was issued?
Is this the case?
The contractor had purchased the home and did the rebuild and we purchased it off him, I'm not 100% sure all the permits that went into things but the lawyer we had for the purchase signed off that all permits/laws were followed and valid.
Just curious. Do you know whether a structural engineer certified that the existing foundation was sound and substantial enough for the new construction?
If you feel you're not getting a "warm and fuzzy" feeling from the builder you need to first consult with a PE/Structural Engineer and have him/her evaluate the construction of the house. If the report brings to light substantial problems, you have the ammunition to confront the builder. And you'll also have the instrument to pursue a legal resolution- if needed.
I don’t know if a structural engineer signed off or not - certainly don’t get a “warm and fuzzy” feeling from the builder. He’s pretty gruff. He did some really nice work in places that someone who was trying to be cheap wouldn’t have done and he is very active rebuilding in the immediate area, it doesn’t feel like he was simply trying to scam us but maybe I’m just gullible
The very first thing you need to do is to find out if there are drawings that we’re prepared and stamped by a registered architect! If the builder never gave them to you, or if they were not part of the closing documents, then you need to make a trip to your building department.
This is what any professional would ask for when doing a field inspection of your house to determine if there are structural issues. If designed by an RA, the structural integrity of the house and foundation would be their responsibility as long as it was constructed accord to the plans.
If no “new” drawings exist, ( not the ones from the original house) then there’s no way to know what the builder did design wise and it would all have to be evaluated by a professional.
Also, you never mentioned and any cracking of the foundation walls and if there is no evidence of such, chances are the foundation is not an issue.
Determining if there are approved drawings that were submitted and approved by the building department should be your very first step!
The very first thing you need to do is to find out if there are drawings that we’re prepared and stamped by a registered architect! If the builder never gave them to you, or if they were not part of the closing documents, then you need to make a trip to your building department.
This is what any professional would ask for when doing a field inspection of your house to determine if there are structural issues. If designed by an RA, the structural integrity of the house and foundation would be their responsibility as long as it was constructed accord to the plans.
If no “new” drawings exist, ( not the ones from the original house) then there’s no way to know what the builder did design wise and it would all have to be evaluated by a professional.
Also, you never mentioned and any cracking of the foundation walls and if there is no evidence of such, chances are the foundation is not an issue.
Determining if there are approved drawings that were submitted and approved by the building department should be your very first step!
There are states where “stamped” drawings are not required for single family residential building. However, a qualified structural engineer should have been included in the design process to verify the integrity of the existing foundation and the design of the new construction.
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