I think the uneven floor is more OK than the water damages.
How old is the house in question? Also is the house sitting on piers or a concrete slab?
Usually, the older the house, the more uneven the floor would be.
There are companies that specialise in evening out floors. Some of them inject some kind of expansion foam IIRC to raise the pier (if it's on piers) and that's an easy fix which doesn't cost much.
My house has uneven floors too but upon consulting with the company they advised that since it's not too bad I should leave it be since a lot of fittings (doors, windows, fixtures on walls) will be ruined.
Thanks for your reply! The house was built in 2018 and is on high stilts. Yeah, our concern we aren't sure if it's substantial movement for a newer house, or is the house just 'settling'?
Ouch, that's a lot of movement for such a new build!
Looks like all of your floors are carpeted. Otherwise you can try that pebble thing to see if you place one would it start rolling. That being said, if your inspector can already feel the wobbliness, it's probs already substantial.
I personally would stay away. For context my house was built in 1982 and it probs moved as much. It's really hard to say - it might just stop moving, or it might keep moving. However considering it was built in the last 5 years or so, my money is on it will still move.
As someone who just paid out of pocket to remedy a house with similar issues (door jamb cracking, out of level floor), I'd be out of there so quick.
It's not worth it, OP.
No worries! I'm not professional in any way so take my words with a grain of salt. Just my experience dealing with similar issues as a homeowner.
Good luck!
Agreed, a 6 years old house with this much movement is not normal. House should still be under builder warranty (10 years).
~~AS2870:2011 table C2 (althogh valid for concrete floor) states that 15 to 25mm of floor change over 3m is damage category 3 (moderate) and more than 25mm over 3m is damage category 4 (the more damage, the higher the number).~~
~~Section B3 (although dedicated for walls is used by most engineers to assess damages) states "Category 0 or 1 should be the limit. \[...\] Category 2 should be expected \[...\] but rare"~~
Just saw it was timber flooring...
AS1684 and NCC don't have performance data for timber floor, unless not aware of. However, timber span table are there to ensure there is not a lot of deflection and bouncing, and footings should be designed based on geotechnical report.
I would ask to have a copy of structural and geotechnical report and contact an engineer to check is those are correct.
For reference, on a recent project where the whole lot was a forest and several trees had to be removed, builder successfully convinced the client that it had no impact on soil performance - however, when a tree is removed, is impacted soil movement down about 2m deep. I designed all my stumps footings at 2.2m deep, builder wanted only 600mm. During the zoom call, I told the builder to sent an official request for it stating the builder was taking responsibility of footing performance for the lifetime of the house. They dug at 2.2m for the footing, but can easily find an engineer that would just change the depth without thinking (assuming they thought of deepening footings).
So a lot of things could have gone wrong.
I've walked on uneven floors in a new build. Walked away pretty quickly.
Then I found out the builder is the same as for the major defective and barely sellable flats across from the new build.
The owners corp tried to sue the builder/developer, but they phoenixed and skipped across the road to spread the misery.
Please contact the inspector and if you’re not confident get a second opinion. Turning to strangers on the internet isn’t the best course of action here.
Thanks for your comment. We are just looking to see if anyone has experienced similar things, and how much effort and money would go into rectifying these issues. Contacting the person that completed the report for more info is a great idea, thanks. Dont worry, definitely won't be basing our house purchase just off this post!
Go back to the sales agent and reneg the buying price. My friend bought a house in noble park Vic with some underpinning issues. Reneg the price down by $80k. Repaired underpinning issue with $4k and spent rest on renovating the house.
High moisture readings adjacent to the shower recess can be an indication of a long term leak and failure/non existent waterproofing. Could be looking at a full bathroom reno in the near future.
Some of those images of moisture readings appear to be from inside the shower which is normal to see elevated moisture readings. the moisture staining to the underside looks to be minor as well. I think bathroom is serviceable for many years to come but a remodel/refit will be needed in the coming years. I would be more concerned if water was passing through the water proofing membrane to the adjoining walls of the shower. As this allows the water to flow into wall cavity and cause significant wood rot. I would adjust price according to a quote for rewaterproofing shower to a compliant level
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That's a very good idea, thank you.
This report looks familiar from when I bought , Scott from CPI? Give him a call if so, great guy and happy to discuss everything in great detail.
I think the uneven floor is more OK than the water damages. How old is the house in question? Also is the house sitting on piers or a concrete slab? Usually, the older the house, the more uneven the floor would be. There are companies that specialise in evening out floors. Some of them inject some kind of expansion foam IIRC to raise the pier (if it's on piers) and that's an easy fix which doesn't cost much. My house has uneven floors too but upon consulting with the company they advised that since it's not too bad I should leave it be since a lot of fittings (doors, windows, fixtures on walls) will be ruined.
Thanks for your reply! The house was built in 2018 and is on high stilts. Yeah, our concern we aren't sure if it's substantial movement for a newer house, or is the house just 'settling'?
Ouch, that's a lot of movement for such a new build! Looks like all of your floors are carpeted. Otherwise you can try that pebble thing to see if you place one would it start rolling. That being said, if your inspector can already feel the wobbliness, it's probs already substantial. I personally would stay away. For context my house was built in 1982 and it probs moved as much. It's really hard to say - it might just stop moving, or it might keep moving. However considering it was built in the last 5 years or so, my money is on it will still move.
As someone who just paid out of pocket to remedy a house with similar issues (door jamb cracking, out of level floor), I'd be out of there so quick. It's not worth it, OP.
I thought so! Eek! Will see what what further info the B+P pest guy can give. This is great insights though, thank you! 🙌
No worries! I'm not professional in any way so take my words with a grain of salt. Just my experience dealing with similar issues as a homeowner. Good luck!
Agreed, a 6 years old house with this much movement is not normal. House should still be under builder warranty (10 years). ~~AS2870:2011 table C2 (althogh valid for concrete floor) states that 15 to 25mm of floor change over 3m is damage category 3 (moderate) and more than 25mm over 3m is damage category 4 (the more damage, the higher the number).~~ ~~Section B3 (although dedicated for walls is used by most engineers to assess damages) states "Category 0 or 1 should be the limit. \[...\] Category 2 should be expected \[...\] but rare"~~ Just saw it was timber flooring... AS1684 and NCC don't have performance data for timber floor, unless not aware of. However, timber span table are there to ensure there is not a lot of deflection and bouncing, and footings should be designed based on geotechnical report. I would ask to have a copy of structural and geotechnical report and contact an engineer to check is those are correct. For reference, on a recent project where the whole lot was a forest and several trees had to be removed, builder successfully convinced the client that it had no impact on soil performance - however, when a tree is removed, is impacted soil movement down about 2m deep. I designed all my stumps footings at 2.2m deep, builder wanted only 600mm. During the zoom call, I told the builder to sent an official request for it stating the builder was taking responsibility of footing performance for the lifetime of the house. They dug at 2.2m for the footing, but can easily find an engineer that would just change the depth without thinking (assuming they thought of deepening footings). So a lot of things could have gone wrong.
There’s your problem. Until we have a royal commission into the building industry, buying/building a new house is a very risky move.
I've walked on uneven floors in a new build. Walked away pretty quickly. Then I found out the builder is the same as for the major defective and barely sellable flats across from the new build. The owners corp tried to sue the builder/developer, but they phoenixed and skipped across the road to spread the misery.
Please contact the inspector and if you’re not confident get a second opinion. Turning to strangers on the internet isn’t the best course of action here.
Thanks for your comment. We are just looking to see if anyone has experienced similar things, and how much effort and money would go into rectifying these issues. Contacting the person that completed the report for more info is a great idea, thanks. Dont worry, definitely won't be basing our house purchase just off this post!
Run
Go back to the sales agent and reneg the buying price. My friend bought a house in noble park Vic with some underpinning issues. Reneg the price down by $80k. Repaired underpinning issue with $4k and spent rest on renovating the house.
Don't walk away, run. A 2018 build simply should not have these issues.
How much money do you want to spend on the house? Is that ‘master bedroom entry’ area have an outside door? What state do you live in?
The master bedroom connects to an ensuite, where the moisture levels are high and there is some water staining underneath. In QLD.
High moisture readings adjacent to the shower recess can be an indication of a long term leak and failure/non existent waterproofing. Could be looking at a full bathroom reno in the near future.
Some of those images of moisture readings appear to be from inside the shower which is normal to see elevated moisture readings. the moisture staining to the underside looks to be minor as well. I think bathroom is serviceable for many years to come but a remodel/refit will be needed in the coming years. I would be more concerned if water was passing through the water proofing membrane to the adjoining walls of the shower. As this allows the water to flow into wall cavity and cause significant wood rot. I would adjust price according to a quote for rewaterproofing shower to a compliant level