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Residential concrete slab help.

Being located on top of a hill is less critical than if your area is subject to tornados or hurricanes.

Was a geotechnical report prepared?

2x4 exterior walls limit the amount of insulation in the walls. Many projects use 2x6 in order to accommodate more insulation.

Hire an engineer to help you to understand your risks and develop an approach.. Some times it may be cheaper to pay the contractor to do things different from here on. Sometimes it may be appropriate to get a new contractor but if you go that route consult with an attorney familiar with construction.
 
I'll pro
Being located on top of a hill is less critical than if your area is subject to tornados or hurricanes.

Was a geotechnical report prepared?

2x4 exterior walls limit the amount of insulation in the walls. Many projects use 2x6 in order to accommodate more insulation.

Hire an engineer to help you to understand your risks and develop an approach.. Some times it may be cheaper to pay the contractor to do things different from here on. Sometimes it may be appropriate to get a new contractor but if you go that route consult with an attorney familiar with construction.[/QUOTE
I'll probably have to consult an attorney. Thank you for all your information.
 
Mark

I am familiar with Xypex and have used it in repair situations but there is a difference between cracks in walls with water leaking through the cracks and a slab on grade where your concern has to do with moisture migration from the soil to the interior of the residence.

Concrete slabs may slow down the moisture transmission but they are less effective than assumed. In many locations there is not enough moisture under the slab to be a concern. If there is, you normally address it by having a good membrane directly under the slab. If this is not done just repairing the cracks may provide little benefit and you are better off by providing a surface treatment of Xypex on the entire slab.
 
There is a curse that goes "may you be blessed with a law suite where you are in the right" The reference to an attorney was with respect to firing the contractor. In general it may be that you are better off paying more money and accepting some delays. Avoid litigation. it can be very expensive, result in delays, and be emotionally draining.

It may make sense to accept a less than perfect building than to fight to get perfection.

f you are married make sure that your spouse is supportive. These sort of problems can put a strain on a marriage.
 
Garrett, I hope that you take the bull by the horns in this situation before you start framing. It is bad enough what we see when there are permits and inspections, when there are no permits or inspections, I could only imagine how lackadaisical construction may be. Good luck. You really need to slow this down and make sure it is all done to the state code regardless of whether or not there is a permit.
 
There is a curse that goes "may you be blessed with a law suite where you are in the right" The reference to an attorney was with respect to firing the contractor. In general it may be that you are better off paying more money and accepting some delays. Avoid litigation. it can be very expensive, result in delays, and be emotionally draining.

It may make sense to accept a less than perfect building than to fight to get perfection.

f you are married make sure that your spouse is supportive. These sort of problems can put a strain on a marriage.
Thank you. Yes my wife is on board and absolutely disgusted with the work done so far. With all the changes I'd like to make I'm told I cant use my pick of contractors nor can i talk to the contractors also my say so means nothing. Like when I told the builders I did not want control joints cut in the slab over a week after pouring. So the builder told his concrete guy to go cut them before I found out.
 
Garrett, I hope that you take the bull by the horns in this situation before you start framing. It is bad enough what we see when there are permits and inspections, when there are no permits or inspections, I could only imagine how lackadaisical construction may be. Good luck. You really need to slow this down and make sure it is all done to the state code regardless of whether or not there is a permit.
I'm trying to find the right routes to get a state inspector to make sure these guys dont screw me. However all I have found are engineers charging $650 for an assessment. Which I dont know if that will even help.
 
Every two story house that I have been involved with had an engineered set of plans. The cracks appear to be shrinkage cracks. I am not familiar with Xypex but I did watch an application video. I don't think that it is a viable solution in your case. I would recommend Redgard. You stated that you have a bid of $7000.00 for some method of crack repair. That seems too costly for what you need.
 
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Brfore the project gets too old, get a copy of the concrete delivery tickets. Did your contracg with the gc make reference to any strength?
Crack control joints must be cut within 24 hours or else they are useless. He ran out and did them to try to look like he knew what he was doing.
Were those pictures taken 5 days after the pour? The forms are usually stripped within 48 hours. Sounds like a "good ol boy" contractor. "We always do it this way"
 
Sounds like problematic soils and or fill. With a soils report and follow up inspection, either by 3rd party or the inspector. If as you say no inspections or an approved plan of some type, would be hard to justify before a judge in the event this went to court. The first to be asked of, is, are there a set of approved plans?
We are a little more in the dirt in my jurisdiction when it comes to soils. We require to borings to sample the soil characteristics for shrink swell potential and the soil compressive values for support.
I suppose a soils test could be done after the fact along the perimeter to at least put this part to rest FWIW, otherwise as suggested fill the cracks & monitor for additional settlement
 
1. Who prepared the plans?
2. Do they license contractors in Oklaholma?
3. What month and time of day did they pour the concrete?
4. What was the temperature?
5. Can you terminate the contractor and cut your losses?
6. Was a vapor barrier specified/installed?
 
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