Continuous horizontal crack in the exterior wall.

Hello dear experts and members,

a continuous crack has appeared on the exterior facade of our new building (developer purchase). Since communication with the developer now only takes place through the lawyer, I would like to know from you what causes such a crack could have. If, in your objective opinion, a serious defect might be the reason, I will commission an expert report.

Thank you very much for your efforts and have a nice weekend

Melusine

What material was filled in there?
Looks like rising damp to me.

Hello karliseppel,

thank you for your quick response.... it was only filled with normal soil, the driveway was paved right up to the house wall. The crack formed about 30cm above the paving. What can unfortunately no longer be seen here is that the wall protrudes beyond the foundation slab. The house was therefore not built exactly/flush on the foundation slab. The crack gradually appeared after paving the driveway. On the upper floor, a continuous crack also formed on the same side. The builder said that this was a normal settlement crack that always occurs in the area where the roof and the masonry outer wall rest.
Could this possibly be a subsidence?

Best regards

Melusine

It might be a sinking issue, but how much is a house allowed to settle.... don’t let yourselves be brushed off with "It’s normal, that’s just how it is." That is not normal, and it must not happen. Settlement cracks are normal in bathroom tiles, or maybe in floor tiles and grout. But if money is saved on foundation work, meaning no soil survey and no load-bearing ground, then it’s botched work.

If I understand correctly, you are not allowed to pave directly next to the house, there must be a barrier foil in between if you want to do that... Don’t ask exactly what kind, I only know this from our builder who wanted to know early what we were planning regarding this. At-ground stone terraces and paving directly next to the house would have required him to install an additional foil as protection against water from below. We only have this where the entrance platform is planned.

A house settling should also not be allowed. There is a small tolerance, but not much...

Absolutely important, get yourself a lawyer who understands construction law.

So - unfortunately, I can't see any cracks there. I see a possible efflorescence due to moisture. Maybe you could trace a crack in a picture to better show what you mean.

Otherwise, it's quite questionable to insulate the basement and then leave the plinth out. The house "overhanging" above is normal. This cantilevering is structurally proven to be okay and is usually done so that the basement insulation does not stick out like a plinth afterwards.

Who installed the insulation here? Were the insulation values of the basement adjusted again during construction or was it later converted into "living space"?

I have no idea how to fix the thermal bridge at the plinth now. Put insulation boards in front and replaster the resulting plinth and have it covered with a sheet metal. It just looks like it did 100 years ago... houses used to have projecting plinths. Possibly the set height line of the terrain is also incorrect here and it was filled too high.

Completely without backfilling protection, this is basically permissible with EPS depending on the soil class, even if actually everyone installs a studded membrane with fleece and sliding foil in front of it. Those few euros save damage like this. Furthermore, it would be interesting how the terrain slopes around and if there is possibly a gradient towards the building. Surface water ingress is therefore also not to be ruled out. Was paving also included in the developer's service? Was it even a developer? You bought the property, including the house, from them? So real estate transfer tax on the *entire object*???

You notice yourself, many possibilities, many open questions. Only an appropriate lawyer can explain the legal aspects to you. Even more important is the structural assessment on site. That doesn’t have to be an expert report right away, you might have to pay for that again at a court date from an expert appointed by the court. Find an architect on site who simply takes a look on an hourly basis and writes a statement about it. However, they should already know the contractual conditions of the purchase and possibly incorporate them into the argumentation.

-ks

Hello Melusine,

I am currently having trouble enlarging your pictures ... but what is that supposed to be in front of the outer wall? Those brick-shaped parts ...?

What "karliseppel" writes in some parts is correct, in others not - I do not know his training/qualification and therefore do not know if he just guessed well. None of our construction managers have an "overhanging" ground floor - I would like to see this statics.

What this should make clear to you is the following: under no circumstances should you hire an architect, but rather an expert. Even if "karliseppel" is right insofar as the court-appointed appointment of another expert in the worst case - it is well-invested money, because it "does not" have to lead to a lawsuit. Many disputes these days are settled out of court and - also - it depends on the qualification of those involved!

Relying on the internet is like betting on the weather forecast

Kind regards