Answers to Everyday Questions : What to do about 2 year old house with cracked concrete slab?

What to do about 2 year old house with cracked concrete slab?

12 Responses to “What to do about 2 year old house with cracked concrete slab?”

1. stashboxfull said :
   March 9th, 2011 at 8:03 am

   Go to your local hardware and get some concrete caulking or some hydraulic cement and fill the cracks.
2. Suzie said :
   March 9th, 2011 at 8:53 am

   OMG you contact your contractor right now!!
   he is liable. and he WANTS to correct his work(ers)
3. john c said :
   March 9th, 2011 at 9:35 am

   the slab should have been cut to relieve pressure points.but the builder is right its normall.it should not get any bigger than it is
4. Dusty said :
   March 9th, 2011 at 10:27 am

   No this is not normal on a slab that is only 2 yrs old. One of our buildings is now over 10 yrs old and still has no cracks. The other one started to get cracks in less than a year and we had to get a different co. to tear it all out and re-pour the floor. We have since had no cracks in the new floor and were successful in our suit against the first contractor. This is the short story version though, but, no – not normal at all.
5. smart E said :
   March 9th, 2011 at 11:08 am

   Patching the cracks is in fact a good idea, and hydraulic cement is the way to go — it expands slightly as it dries so it helps to fill cracks, but it will also leave a raised “bead” along the crack which you will need to take care of or you will have an uneven floor surface.

   But you need to take a good look at the bigger picture. Why did the slab crack? Your builder is full of crap.
   If cracked slabs are normal to him, he needs to find a better concrete contractor and you need to call him on the carpet for this. You didn’t pay him to build you a house on a cracked slab. You paid him for a whole slab. The guys who poured the concrete should have known they needed to put expansion joints in the slab, or to pour the slab in segments seperated by an expansion barrier.

   Sorry…
   …getting wordy.

   Keep an eye on the walls and cieling above and around the cracks. Especially above doors and windows as it is likely cracks will develop there as well. If so, the builder needs to come in and shore up you foundation at his expense.

   Document every communication you have with him regarding this problem.
6. mike b said :
   March 9th, 2011 at 11:51 am

   I would use something like crackmon to keep track of the cracks. If they get any bigger or if the slab on either side of the crack moves up or down then you have a problem. Cracks are normal for slabs.

   1/4″ is a little big though. I would put the crack mon on that one.

   http://www.builderswebsource.com/tools/crackmonitor/crackmon.htm

   http://www.prginc.com/pricelist-masonry.htm#flat
7. Hex92 said :
   March 9th, 2011 at 12:44 pm

   Its not normal. He did a $&*^ job on the slab. I have a garage slab that is 50+ years old and it doesn’t have any cracks in it.
8. john said :
   March 9th, 2011 at 1:04 pm

   ask him if it normal for him to pay for the cost , of the repair ?

   OK cracks happen,, really depends on what the soil was like before they built . i would suggest hes at fault .
   you need to take pictures, then get three quotes, to repair this crap, maybe contact your insurance co;
   then ask for a building inspector ,to take a look at this ,or an engineer, or both .
   but make sure he pays up or pours a new slab .
9. STEPHEN H said :
   March 9th, 2011 at 1:11 pm

   this isn’t normal, either the mix contained too much cement or dried too quicky and shrank. The mix should ideally have contained a plasticiser to slow the drying process, or the slab should have been sprayed with water when part-dried.

   If the concrete is also damp it would indicate that the layer of visqueen (plastic damp-proofing) is missing and the water in the concrete has gone downwards, speeding up the drying process. If the plastic was in place it would have retained all of the moisture, drying out slower

   As concrete hardens to a peak over a 40 year period this will get worse

   I would get a structural engineer to look at the damage before passing the report on to the builder. is the house still under warranty? if not you can still claim for shoddy workmanship.

   The concrete floor is not load-bearing and could be dug up and replaced without affecting any other part of the building
10. hooksteve said :
    March 9th, 2011 at 1:13 pm

    Cracks in concrete are normal. As concrete hardens and settles after it is poured, the weight it puts on the ground can cause it to shift thus causing cracks. I poured a 1000yard slab last year 300ft by 50ft around 2ft thick and the only cracks it had were so thin paper could not be put in them. 1/4in wide is a cause for concern. A reputable contractor should work with you to solve the problem.
11. 01Sd4453Cqzh4c said :
    July 15th, 2013 at 4:59 pm

    885651 313862You produced some decent points there. I looked online for that dilemma and identified a lot of people goes coupled with with all your internet site. 487649
12. Tiffany Co said :
    July 25th, 2013 at 7:29 am

    I visited several blogs but the audio quality for audio songs present at this website is genuinely superb.