Thread: Help! Help! What's going on with this house located in Texas?

I. Construction completed 02/2004
II. Post tension slab
III. 1954 sq ft
IV. Purchased as a inventory home in 09/2004.

City inspection results during construction includes:

1.) Foundation-Steel is missing
2.) Foundation-Clean out beams
3.) Foundation-Deepen beam
4.) Plumbing repair to slab
5.) Drainage of shower pan
6.) Structual sheathing used as wind bracing.
7.) Improper sized hanger at garage ceiling joists.

See some pictures attached.

1.) Cracks in garage.
2.) Cracks in foundation concrete.
3.) Separation around entry door to garage.
4.) Separation around garage door header.
5.) Rusty nails sticking out of foundation.
6.) Front entry and garage entry door slopes.
7.) Cracks in ceiling located at the right and left rear corners.
8.) Diagonal cracks in outside bricks of the home.
9.) Excessive amount of ants entering under multiple base board locations of the home.

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I live in Rockwall near you.

How can the home not have any steel in it, yet you call it a Post Tension slab?

A lot of the home I've seen built in Wylie lack brick ties which the city inspector must not think is important.

The black soil out there is notorious for settlement issues.

Fire ants are everywhere in this area, and have nothing to do with the structural aspects of the home.

rick

K,

You're right between Rick and I are you the purchaser of this home?

Originally Posted by K Lucas

... I. Construction completed 02/2004
II. Post tension slab
III. 1954 sq ft
IV. Purchased as a inventory home in 09/2004.

City inspection results during construction includes:

1.) Foundation-Steel is missing
2.) Foundation-Clean out beams
3.) Foundation-Deepen beam
4.) Plumbing repair to slab
5.) Drainage of shower pan
6.) Structual sheathing used as wind bracing.
7.) Improper sized hanger at garage ceiling joists. ...

K. Lucas,

I'm not far from Wylie either As Rick noted. I agree with all he has commented on. The items you noted from 'city inspections' are common/cryptic statements that the local city code inspector will make during the construction of a home. For example: "steel missing" ... could be nothing more than not enough or not any rebar sections in the grade beams. Builders are using sections of rebar along with the post-tension cables in some/many cases.

Are you an inspector?

BTW - welcome to the IN Forum.

Rick,

In regards to your question: How can the home not have any steel in it, yet you call it a Post Tension slab?

I had the same question and I also wondered why an inspection was even requested if the steel was missing. According to the foundation engineer design the post tension materials were to be supplied by a PTI certified fabrication plant.

I appreciate the response.

I'm a wanna be inspector.

The comment "steel missing" has nothing to do with the PT "cables" or "tendons".

"In addition to" the PT cables you will have "steel".

As Nolan said: "For example: "steel missing" ... could be nothing more than not enough or not any rebar ".

"Steel missing" could mean *one* bar missing, or ... *no* bars installed - I would take as meaning "one or more" bars not installed in the proper location ... the steel could be there, just not where the drawings show it should be.

I don't know where you are getting your information about the city inspections, but it sounds like working notes, not the final.
IF there was a "green tag" issued for the individual phases and the property got a final Certificate of Occupancy (CO) then all of the issues mentioned in the working notes would in THEORY have been resolved and would not be an issue.
In fact those issues noted would likely have gotten more attention by the city inspector and be LESS likely to be an issue.
City inspections do not cover all issues that are possible, they are just a minimum standard.
Did you get an inspection by an independent third party inspector before purchase???

K Lucas posted:
1.) Cracks in garage.
2.) Cracks in foundation concrete.
3.) Separation around entry door to garage.
4.) Separation around garage door header.
5.) Rusty nails sticking out of foundation.
6.) Front entry and garage entry door slopes.
7.) Cracks in ceiling located at the right and left rear corners.
8.) Diagonal cracks in outside bricks of the home.
9.) Excessive amount of ants entering under multiple base board locations of the home.

Response:
1.) Cracks in garage-- As previously stated, the clay soil in your area is unforgiving. The cracks in the garage (at least what is pictured) is evidnece of a home that has probably been vacant for an extended peorid of time. In the HOT Texas summers, if the soils have not have adequate moisture maintenance applied, the end result is that the clay will shrink and cause settlement and/or separation as you have pictured.

2.) Cracks in foundation concrete-- I didn't see that illustrated in your photos, but I have to take your word on it. Be advised, that what you sometimes think are cracks actually aren't. Rock-pockets in the exterior slab are often mistaken for a cracks by homeowners. But again, you were there and we weren't.

3). Separation around entry door to garage--See (reply)#1 above.

4.) Separation around garage door header-- Although this is probably related to the conditions noted in the reply in #1 above, it could also be that the lintel is too thin to support the weight. If that sucker is 1/4" steel in lieu of 3/8 ths, then you can bet that the brick and or medallion installed above will have mortar joint cracks.

5.) Rusty nails sticking out of foundation-- batter board nails. Cut'em off and go about your business...

6.) Front entry and garage door slopes-- not sure how to intrepret this one... Are you saying the doors (themselves) slope or, are you saying that the entrances to the doors slope?

7.) Cracks in the ceiling located in right and left rear corners-- depends on what you are calling cracks... Alot of people will look at the cracks in a ceililng where the sloped corners meet (22 1/2 degree angles) and call this cracked ceilings. As we are well aware of, the soils in our area are unforgiving-- Most of those 22 1/2 degree corners are nothing more than taped joints that split when the wind blows-- these do not represent a true ceiling crack-- instead, are more of a cosmetic condition that you will often find in a brand spankin new home that has never been lived in. Remember, new homes often go a full year without soil moisture maintenance.

Now on the other hand, if the ceiling is truly cracked/ ripped thru the drywall, that's a different condition all to gether and is a symptom of differential settlement.

8.) Diagonal cracks in the outside bricks of the home--Again, the severity of this condition depends on the overall symptoms. How wide are the mortar joint cracks, where are they located (below windows), how long are they, does the inside of the home have these same symptoms at the top of the doors, below the windows and again (actual drywall) is the ceiling cracked? Alot of whether you are looking at structural failure (vs structure settlement) depends on all of these things taken into consideration and not just one at a time.

9.) Excessive amount of ants entering under multiple base board locations of the home-- get rid of em'.

Rich

Post tention is steel cables and is an Engenneered design. In Kerrville texas we require the Engeneered stamped slab plans prior to permit. I have seen 3/8 rebar in these slabs as control points at beam intersections or at fireplaces. This may be what was refrenced on the inspection by the city and may have been called out by the Engeneer on his report.