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Paul Tooley
07-24-2007, 06:22 PM
I know, this has probably been run past everybody a bunch of times. This is probably the first time that I felt iffy on a call (sorry for the verbosity).
Condition:
9+/- year old single floor home on slab with front porch contiguous to the slab. there is a crack between 1/16 and 1/8 inch running from the front edge of the porch to the center of the entry and about ten feet into the entry hall. The entry hall appears to be one of the composite faux-hardwood floors about 3/8 inch thick, click-lock tongue & groove things. When the lighting is just right a wear-line is visible where the finish has been worn dull. Also, there is a barely noticeable hump/ridge felt with stocking feet when rubbed left to right over the faded line.

What I told told my client was that, because of the slight feelable ridge and the obvious wear line, I am recommending that the flooring be pulled up and the cracking evaluated by someone greater/smarter than I to determine the actual condition and recommended repairs or corrections.

My question is, am I going too far? or is this reasonable?

Oh yeah, in the pictures, look at the faint dull line in the "wood" flooring. The line stopped at the transition to carpet, but I have no way of knowing how far it went.

John Arnold
07-24-2007, 06:28 PM
Sounds like a reasonable call to me. And it's not that big a deal to take up the laminate flooring and put it back.

Jerry Peck
07-24-2007, 07:15 PM
Before going to all the trouble to pull the fake wood flooring up, it would be a whole lot easier to pull the carpet back.

When everyone is through looking at the crack under the carpet, simply stretch it back into place with a carpet kicker.

Sure beats messing with that fake wood, which may break and need replacing.

Paul Tooley
07-24-2007, 07:23 PM
Thanks John and Jerry. The other half of the story on this house is in the Plumbing section. much longer but, after talking with the seller, I did not want to appear to be on a vengence-seeking warpath.

Scott Patterson
07-24-2007, 07:27 PM
Slab is cracked. For it to transmit through the flooring you can bet that it is a good size crack. Defer to a structural engineer who specializes in residental foundations. That is about all that can be done, IMO.