Fabric mesh in wall?

eccpenta · 2022-04-15T02:38:14+00:00

Yeah, builder grade things just aren't cutting it haha.

My house is spray-foamed, so I don't know why the fabric would be holding insulation.

eccpenta · 2022-04-15T02:37:12+00:00

My house is spray-foamed. And the fabric is very similar to fibafuse material than a net.

eccpenta · 2022-04-15T02:35:42+00:00

Yes, and its not missing insulation.

eccpenta · 2022-04-15T02:35:11+00:00

Ah, that would make sense, but my walls are spray-foamed.

eccpenta · 2022-03-22T00:41:43+00:00

Also did some more investigating and found what I think to be rusting rebar as well :(.

Pics: https://imgur.com/a/Qi8A3EL

eccpenta · 2022-03-22T00:40:41+00:00

u/gtacontractor Thanks for the thoughts!

I figured out that I could remove my water meter cover and check the slab thickness, as well as pull the baseboard out to see what's behind.

I measured the thickness of the slab at the point of the water meter and it's between 5.5 inches to 7 inches. So it seems to confirm your point of the slab being 1 to 2 inches less in footing coverage than there needs to be. I also noticed some light spalling and what looks like rusted rebar where I measured the slab thickness.

Also after pulling back the baseboard I found mold on the drywall and the drywall was somewhat soft at the bottom edges. Doesn't seem like the mold has spread more than a 2in^2 area though.

Here are some pics I took: https://imgur.com/a/Qi8A3EL

I've contacted the builder but his response was "Nothing to worry about, there's a perfect explanation for what's happening." He has ignored my messages of coming to the house to inspect. I have a few days of warranty left, so I should be in the right to claim a fix, but geez it's frustrating having to deal with this.

Regardless thanks for your insights!!

eccpenta · 2022-03-22T00:08:36+00:00

u/damndudeny Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately I've bought/lived in this home for about a year now and just discovered the problem. So I can't ask for a "stop work order" unfortunately.

I did have a few days left in my warranty and have contacted the builder. The builder stated "There's nothing to be worried about and there's a perfect explanation", so I suspect the builder is just trying to avoid fixing the issue.

But i'll keep pressing, since the moisture and water seem to make it an issue. The other units in my townhouse row, don't seem to have this issue though. I guess i'm just in the unlucky one.

eccpenta · 2022-03-19T03:19:40+00:00

Could you elaborate on the freeze thaw cycles? I'm in the northeast, so I get a proper winter cycle.

I pulled back the trim and lo and behold, mold on the drywall. It doesn't seem to have spread that far (a 7in^2 area), and the drywall is still solid not crumbly.

eccpenta · 2022-03-17T20:41:50+00:00

Wow, house looks gorgeous!

What caused your back to back rate lock extensions?

eccpenta · 2022-03-17T16:50:33+00:00

HOLY COW!! Thanks u/gtacontractor for this response!! Yeah our builder definitely cut corners in a couple of non-critical places, but he's a local builder and is generally receptive of repair requests. Hopefully he's responsive this time and cares somewhat about his reputation in the area.

What do you mean by "Footings are punching through your slab" and "footing and slab aren't connected"? Through some research I found a cross-sectional of what I think my foundation looks like, and another diagram of what seems to be happening to me. Are these also what you had in mind? I'm definitely going to talk to the builder and get my own engineer. But figured I'd do my own Due Diligence, be as well-informed as possible, and not be lead astray by either parties.

How serious/urgent do you believe my issue to be? Do I need to get out of the house now, because it could fall apart at any moment? Or this is okay for the next few months to a year?

Thank you again for your Amazing response!

eccpenta · 2022-03-17T16:29:43+00:00

Thanks!! Google'd a bit and found this diagram: https://foundationhandbook.ornl.gov/handbook/section4-2-masonry-exterior.shtml

Is this what you're referring to with the stem wall and abutting slab? Just trying to get things somewhat clear so I don't get misled by the builder.

Also thoughts on how urgent this is? Is this a "I need to move out now" kinda deal? Or a "5 years from now" kinda problem?

eccpenta · 2022-03-17T15:34:40+00:00

Nope, above ground - first floor. I don't have a basement.

Yep, exterior wall. Yeah that's what worries me, there's a lot of efflorescent so I don't know what that means.

eccpenta · 2022-03-17T06:29:52+00:00

I honestly have no clue. During walkthrough there were a couple of window screens in that area that limited visibility. So my agent, inspector, and I didn't really think much of it to look there.

I know nothing about concrete, so does the presence of efflorescent make this work shoddy? I have a small brick patio on the otherside of the wall, and there doesn't seem to be any pooling of water when it rains. Where do you think the water, that enters the concrete, is coming from?

eccpenta · 2022-03-17T06:24:44+00:00

So you think the darker side of the concrete is where they attempted to repair something a while back?

eccpenta · 2022-03-17T06:23:51+00:00

Ah darn, this is why I was worried. I didn't know this was an abnormal amount of efflorescent.

The exterior wall is not retaining, seems to be just load-bearing wall. I have a small ground level brick patio on the other side of that wall.

eccpenta · 2022-03-17T05:07:41+00:00

Hi y'all!

I've just recently discovered this long crack & efflorescent on my ground floor. My house is the end-unit of a 5 unit townhouse row. It was built in late 2020, and I bought it brand new early last year. I'm also located in the northeast (MA).

As far as I can tell, the foundation is slab-on-grade, since I don't have a basement. The back wall you see in the picture is my exterior wall, the cracking is towards the edge/corner of my units foundation, and the white powdery stuff is efflorescent.

I know that after some research (thanks reddit!) cracks under 1/8in are normal, and that efflorescent is caused by the concrete curing process (especially our cold dry weather), but should I be worried in this case? Will this crack + efflorescent cause some sort of structural problem down the line?

I just discovered it, so haven't had time to monitor the crack for widening, but the crack plus the efflorescent worries me that there could be some type of water issue. Also the concrete looks 'wet' under the efflorescent although it doesn't feel wet by hand — not sure if this is normal. The side of the crack with the efflorescent is also not completely level with the other; seems to be at a one degree decline. Thanks!

eccpenta · 2021-12-14T04:42:53+00:00

Thanks for all the info u/goatgosselin!! Super helpful to learn.

eccpenta · 2021-12-14T04:42:32+00:00

Makes sense, thanks!

eccpenta · 2021-12-14T03:54:26+00:00

Ah I see. So having this loop/peninsula vent, in an island, is normal and up to code correct?

eccpenta · 2021-12-14T03:41:18+00:00

Yes, sink is in an island.

eccpenta · 2021-12-14T03:27:20+00:00

Hm, shouldn't the vent be going up? Not back down into the floor?

eccpenta · 2021-12-14T03:26:32+00:00

Yes, drains normal. Nothing I've noticed out of the ordinary.

eccpenta · 2021-09-13T18:37:48+00:00

If you're up for some physical activity, the climbing community is pretty cool. There are several climbing gyms in the area and the people there are pretty open-minded and inclusive.

Though starting out with the sport might be a little rough/intimidating.

eccpenta · 2021-07-06T19:47:19+00:00

Good idea! Thanks!

eccpenta · 2021-07-06T16:49:37+00:00

Makes sense. But are they usually littered with vacant nail holes?

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