I’ve worked for more than 20 years as a structural engineer in regions of Queensland that suffer the threat of cyclones. With Cyclone Marcia looming off Rockhampton at the time of writing, I’d like to address those new home builders in Brisbane that think they can relax because “Brisbane doesn’t get cyclones.”
Brisbane Doesn’t Get Cyclones
Fundamentally you are correct. And the benefit is you can build beautiful, big, high ceiling houses using a lot less timber than you can in cyclonic areas.
But if you as a builder are cutting corners to trim costs: I put you on notice. Brisbane still gets storms – and they can be furious!
Brisbane Homes need to Built Better
The building structures and building practices Brisbane builders are using to save money are well below what I consider adequate.
Brisbane builders you are also putting your clients – the new home owners – AT RISK if:
If you have cut the budget for your soil testing
If you have strong-armed your engineers to produce ‘cheaper’ designs
If you use a particular certifier because they don’t inspect quite as thoroughly
We Haven’t Done That Before
Too many times in my career as an engineer I have heard concreters and carpenters say ‘We’ve never had to do ‘that’ before.”
Well guess what. Building standards were improved a long time ago and it’s time you updated you practices.
Start Building Better
It’s time that substandard designs, cut price soil tests and poor building construction techniques are eliminated.
Australian standard AS1684.2 is the manual for residential timber construction and you should be using it. Storms DO happen in Brisbane area. Are the products you are producing going to pass the test?
A Message to Home Buyers
If you are a home buyer and you are about to build a new home, there IS a way you can get value for money, a good design and peace of mind in the next storm.
You cannot simply rely on what you are being told by the builder. You cannot even rely on what other customers are saying.
To be truly responsible for your own decision, the only way you can be sure you’ve chosen a good mass market builder is to inspect the buildings they are building.
And if, as my old neighbour used to say, “You don’t know shit from clay”; get some expert advice on your side.
An inspection by an independent inspector or structural engineer of a building being built by your builder will give you peace of mind.
Check Out the Workmanship
I have some suggestions for you for next time you walk through a display home:
Look for cracks in the concrete.
Some builders cleverly disguise the concrete surface their display homes with vinyl, carpet or spray on floor coverings. Under that surface is a representative sample of the concrete finish you can expect with your new home.
Ask to see the concrete! When it comes to cracks, you’re as good at spotting them as me. So look and find.
Cracks in concrete mean a variety of things and may not be a problem, but if you are looking for bang for your buck, then aesthetics are important. Builders know how to produce crack-free concrete but they rarely do. DO NOT accept substandard concrete.
Push on the walls. Find the tallest wall in the house – it might be a feature wall or a vaulted ceiling. Push on the wall! See if the wall moves. Push on another lower wall and see if it moves too. Some builders are using skinny sticks of timber in walls and they have been for years. There is no excuse. Regardless of wind classification or cyclonic region you are building in, the walls in your new house should be sturdy and SHOULD NOT MOVE when you push them.
Check your walls for straightness. A friend of mine had a new house built near my place. He asked me to look at it two months after he moved in. He complained that the walls weren’t straight. He could tell because the line of the tiles didn’t align with the walls. His walls were crooked. It wasn’t too late to fix because the building was still under warranty but it left him with a bitter taste in his mouth. After a lot of hard arguing and complaining, my friend had his walls straightened and the tiles re-done. Get in early. Check out the lines of the display home walls against the lines of the tiles. Don’t accept substandard workmanship.
Arrange an Inspection
If you have found a builder you like but you want a hand inspecting a house under construction please contact an independent building inspector.
An independent inspection at timber framing stage or concrete slab stage will give you the expert advice you need at a price much less then the hassle of a substandard building.
If this article has helped you please leave a comment.
This article was written by Matt Cornell of Cornell Engineers.
If you are buying or selling a home, I recommend you get a building and pest report every time. Not from a structural engineer – although some structural engineers can do this work – but by a full-time pre-purchase building inspector.
I’m a structural engineer and I always engage a professional building inspector when I buy a property – and I’ll tell you why.
This building will get a spruce up with some minor structural upgrades.
Cornell Engineers are pleased to announce they have been awarded the structural engineering design and documentation of the proposed renovation of a duplex unit in New Farm, Brisbane.
Director, Matt Cornell, said “This building has a lot of hidden potential. The owner has great insights and will be able to turn this property into a gem!”
Cornell Engineers provide structural engineering for new houses, extension and renovations in Brisbane and Mackay. The Brisbane market is performing really well and a tasteful renovation and extension makes great sense. Matt Cornell said, “We’ve had some great feedback from clients. We offer a personalised and intelligent structural engineering service and that complements committed and involved owners and builders. We particularly love working with our home owners and designers. I guess that’s what makes us a little bit different to the current offerings in the market.”
This wall will open up into a new light-filled courtyard.
This building will get a spruce up with some minor structural upgrades.
Have you just noticed some cracks in your house? I’ll bet you’re worried. Why did they appear? How do you fix the cracks?
First thing you should know: You’re probably going to need help to fix cracks in your house. They’re not normally the sort of house damage you can fix yourself unless you:
diagnose the problem
solve the problem
and can repair the damage.
So don’t be afraid to schedule an inspection of cracks or damage with a structural engineer. An engineer experienced in diagnosing and fixing the damage in buildings can offer invaluable advice and get you on the road towards satisfactory building performance.
Take Immediate Action
If you think your building is unstable – stay clear of the area and arrange for a qualified and registered builder to stabilise the area straight away. Then arrange for an inspection by an experienced structural engineer to design and document a permanent solution.
Start a Crack Diary
Depending on the nature of the damage, I sometimes recommend monitoring the damage.
Be a little scientific about this process because it will help later. I suggest that a crack diary records:
where the cracks are; and
how long the cracks are; and
how wide the cracks are.
Write a new entry every couple of weeks or when you notice new damage. “No change” is as important as “some change”, so write it down!
Here is the link to our handy crack monitoring kit that might help you keep track of the cracks in your house.
Digital photos are time-stamped so your photos and the diary should correspond if possible.
This is an excellent example of a monitoring photo. It clearly shows the crack and a piece of photocopied ruler has been bluetacked to the wall to help monitor the width of the crack.
An excellent example of how to monitor a crack in a house.
Use a Water Level
You won’t be able to tell whether your slab is level just by walking on it. I use a professional digital water level. They’re expensive but make life easier if you do a lot of testing. Here’s a video I made about the water level I use:
You can make your own using material from around the house. See how to make your own water level. Rolling a marble on the floor will tell you a little bit but it won’t work on carpet. That’s why a water level is better.
Turn the Levels into a Contour Plan
Slab heave results in uneven slabs
Contour plans help structural engineers diagnose the cause of movement and damage in a house. The process is quite complicated so you will need an engineer for this part.
Our Youtube video talks about how we assess slab contour plans
Ask for Help
Get the damage checked out by a structural engineer. Do this BEFORE you decide to sell your house and BEFORE a building and pest inspection and if there are signs of collapse BEFORE any part if the structure starts to fail.
Do Cracks in Walls Indicate a Structural Problem?
Cracks in walls tend to indicate some sort of movement in a wall – but they don’t necessarily indicate a structural problem.
Depending on the width of the crack they might not indicate anything at all.
Most times a hairline crack can be monitored without any further action.
A crack wider than 5mm wide or a group of cracks 3mm wide could indicate structural movement and that it is time to contact a structural engineer to investigate the cause of the damage.
Why is My House Cracked?
I’m a structural engineer. When I take calls about cracks in houses, this is what I want to know and why:
How old is the house?
If the house is within the statutory warranty period, you might be covered by the builder’s insurance policy.
The age of the house also tells me a little bit about the type of construction to expect and puts into perspective the age of the damage.
A 10-year-old house and a 10-year-old crack that hasn’t changed in 10 years is a different scenario to a 3-year-old house and a 1-year-old crack that is developing rapidly.
Did the damage occur as the result of an insurable event?
If yes or maybe, refer the damage to your insurance company. See Lodge a Claim below. Don’t forget to stay clear of any unstable areas. Your insurance company may arrange a temporary ‘make safe’ visit by a builder.
What sort of house is it?
Is your house single storey? Is it double-storey? Is it on a concrete slab or is it on pole footings? Is it brick veneer or concrete block or is it timber frame? Is the roof tiles or metal sheet or something else? This tells me about the type of construction but also starts to give clues on what could be causing the damage.
Has something changed recently?
Cracks in houses rarely just happen.
Is there a new retaining wall near the house?
Has the building flooded recently (see Building Insurance below)?
Has the structure been changed recently?
Have you planted or removed trees or shrubs recently?
I’m looking for clues as to the cause of the damage. A recent change might give me ideas on how to solve the problem.
Get your pipes tested!
If I can’t link the house damage to a recent change or an insurable event, I will suggest you get your house pipes checked by a qualified plumber.
Leaks in pipes can cause a lot of damage to houses.
Engage a plumber to check the integrity of your sewer, stormwater and water supply pipes.
Use a plumber with a drain camera if possible because a camera is a quick, easy way to identify the location of a leak. However, to be certain there are no ‘invisible’ breaks, ask the plumber to flood your pipes and check to see if the water level drops (also called hydrostatic testing).
Get any damage repaired immediately!
Schedule an Engineers Inspection
This is where a structural engineer comes to visit your house in person. This is my preferred process:
Tour of the House
Take me for a walk around the house. Show me where the damage first appeared and how it progressed. I’ll only need 10 minutes of your time, but where the damage started is critical in helping me identify the cause of the damage.
The Site Inspection
I take photos of the outside 4 elevations of the house first – before I forget. I use these photos to confirm the locations of crack photos later.
I start at the front left-hand corner of the house and work around the outside of the house in a clockwise direction. I record the location, width and nature of any damage I see. I take a photo of any ‘good’ size cracks for the report.
I record sources of uneven soil moisture around the outside of the house including poor drainage, dripping taps, gardens located against the building and hot water systems that discharge water against the footing.
I categorise all damage on the inside of the house by starting at the front left-hand side of the front door and working through the house room by room by keeping the wall on my left-hand side. I record the location and size of cracks, gaps in cornices and gaps under walls in a schedule cross-referenced to a floor plan with the defect location.
I use a digital water level to record the floor level in each room. Levels are taken in easily reproducible locations such as at doorways and beside windows. That way we can compare levels in the coming months to determine if the slab levels are getting better or getting worse.
The causes of house damage I see the most of are:
Slab heave – an uneven movement of the house foundations caused by changes in soil moisture conditions. This damage is often identified as diagonal cracks starting at doors and windows, doors and windows uneven in frames, gaps under internal walls, broken cornices.
Consolidation of soft soils – downward movement of the house slab and footings one to two years after the house was constructed. This damage is sometimes caused by soft or loose soil becoming more compact under the weight of a house. Sometimes this damage is related to poorly compacted backfill over council sewer pipes and other underground infrastructure.
Slope failure – instability caused by building too close to a slope without sufficient footing protection or footing depth.
Poor workmanship – not as common a fault, but sometimes the plasterboard hasn’t been properly nailed or back blocked. This damage is often characterised by seemingly unrelated straight cracks in plasterboard ceilings or walls which follow plasterboard joints.
How can you tell if a crack is structural?
The direction of the cracks helps me work out which part of your building is moving and which part isn’t. If the whole house was moving uniformly, you probably wouldn’t have any cracks!
I also ask if you have your crack diary. An inspection of a crack at a single point in time can only be used to deduce a limited amount of information. If you are paying for a structural engineer, you may as well get some bang for your buck.
Lots of information is required to solve the problem of cracks in houses. The more you can tell me about the history of the crack the better!
The Slab Heave Investigation
As part of my desktop investigation and assessment I like to analyse and assess as much of the following sources of information as possible:
Historical photos of your allotment from Google Earth.
Results of the plumbing test that you commissioned.
Original footing and slab plan.
Original soil test.
Independent new soil test to current standards with soil moisture contents at 500mm centres.
Previously recorded slab levels.
Photos of cracks from your crack diary.
Bureau of Meteorology rainfall reports at the time your house was built.
The Slab Heave Report
If the damage doesn’t indicate impending structural collapse and the cracks aren’t very wide and you have only just noticed them I might recommend more monitoring.
Otherwise, my report includes my assessment of the severity of the damage, my opinion on the cause of the damage, and my opinion on how to solve the problem.
Note that I use the term “opinion”. An inspection by an engineer can only tell so much. Much of the building is covered with cladding (the structure) and dirt (the footings). So I am using clues and EXPERIENCE to solve problems and provide solutions.
But I can’t see through walls. Can you?
I have inspected many houses and repaired lots of damage, and occasionally homeowners place a higher priority on beautiful gardens against the house, or extra green grass or a large tree than repairing damage in a house.
That’s fine. The next owner of your property could still find the report useful!
Fixing Cracks in Your House
The most cost-effective solution to cracks in houses is to find the cause of the damage, remove the cause and watch the cracks close up by themselves. No expensive chemicals. No extra footings. Just some minor repairs when the building stops moving.
Vertical crack in brickwork wall
A Word of Caution
Regardless of the age of the building or the age of the crack, if you’re in a rush and you decide not to ‘solve the problem’ before fixing the damage please DO NOT repair any cracks in your house or allow your builder to repair any damage without first taking photos and recording the locations of the cracks.
If you haven’t solved the problem before patching the cracks new cracks WILL occur. When they do, and if you engage a structural engineer at this stage, they will want to see the original damage as well as the new damage.
A Note on Statutory insurance
Is your house still within the builder’s statutory warranty period? Even if the builder no longer builds or the company has collapsed this is relevant.
Statutory insurance can be used to solve the problems and repair the damage. If the age of the house is getting close to the warranty expiring, act BEFORE it expires.
Lodging an insurance claim with the statutory insurance provider gets you on their books before the expiration of the policy. In Queensland, this is the Queensland Building and Construction Commission.
The QBCC has a strict procedure that you need to follow and normally it involves working with your original builder first where possible.
Keep the lines of communication open. Be honest and as friendly as possible. Nobody likes cracks in houses and it can be a very stressful time for homeowners. so try to limit the stress by working with the people that can help you wherever you can.
A Note on Building Insurance
If the house is outside the statutory warranty period, you still might be covered by your building insurance.
Is the damage linked to an ‘insurable event’? If you had a burst pipe or an accidental impact or flood water through your house then the repair of the damage might be covered.
Note that the CAUSE of the damage won’t be covered. You have to fix the burst pipe yourself.
Each insurance policy is different, so read your policy before you make a claim. Knowing your rights is the best way to ensure you receive a fair go when fixing cracks in your house.
Who to call for cracks in your house?
Call Cornell Engineers for some plain advice, a quote or a recommendation on what to do next to fix cracks in your house.
Professional Indemnity Insurance protects you from poor design
What is Professional Indemnity Insurance?
Professional Indemnity Insurance (PI Insurance) is designed to assist professionals that provide advice and services to customers in the event of a claim alleging breach of professional duty or misconduct.
For structural engineers, professional indemnity insurance helps protect a structural engineer from bearing the full cost of defending a negligence claim and the damages that could be awarded in a tribunal or court case. The negligence claim could be made in relation to faulty designs, partial failures or even building collapse.
Even if the engineering professional successfully defends a claim, the costs involved in preparing a defence against allegations can be financially oppressive.
Is Professional Indemnity Insurance Compulsory?
In Queensland, the Board of Professional Engineers advises that Professional Indemnity Insurance is not compulsory.
However I strongly recommend that all structural engineers carry PI Insurance with a minimum value of $1 million dollars.
This Engineer is Protected by Professional Indemnity Insurance
How does Professional Indemnity Insurance help Customers?
Professional indemnity insurance gives customers peace of mind.
If you’re about to engage a structural engineer, find one that carries PI Insurance.
Mind you, professional indemnity insurance is a last line of protection for a professional structural engineer. A lot of things have to go wrong for a policy to be enacted:
A mistake has to be made.
It has to be missed by all those concerned with the design and construction process.
It has to be supplied, built and checked off by installers and suppliers.
The fault has to be detected by either a failure or early signs of failure. According to the news lately this all happs way too frequently.
All through this downhill process, communication and feedback process needs to be broken or stilted.
However mistakes still get made and still get built. Insurance is still required!
Should My Engineer have Professional Indemnity Insurance?
Professional Indemnity Insurance, like all types of insurance, is expensive and so not all structural engineers in Brisbane and Queensland carry professional indemnity insurance.
Cornell Engineers has a current Professional Indemnity Insurance policy. I think structural engineers that carry insurance show that they care about their customers.
Would you ever NOT insure your house?
No. To me it doesn’t make sense to have your home designed, renovated or repaired by a professional that doesn’t carry professional indemnity insurance.
So the answer is YES. Your structural engineer SHOULD carry professional indemnity insurance.
To compare quotes from two engineers – one that has PI insurance and one that doesn’t – is like comparing apples to oranges (well actually – rotten apples). It just isn’t fair to compare one with the other. One cares for you, expects to do a good job, has protection and expects to be around in a few years. The other doesn’t.
How can Australian Engineers Arrange PI Insurance?
Our preferred insurance broker for professional indemnjty insurance is BRIC . Check out their website and have a chat about getting your engineering consultancy progfessional indemnity insurance up to date.
Does your Structural Engineer Carry Insurance?
To find out if your structural engineer structural engineer has a current professional indemnity insurance policy, you need to ask.
When you check your structural engineer’s Certificate of Currency:
it should be in date
it should have a limit of indemnity greater than your project value
it should specify the type of work the structural engineer is protected for
It’s your right and PI Insurance is for your protection too. Insist your structural engineer has a current professional indeminty insurance policy..
