floor has lumps and cracks - what to do?

iamcornholio

If sulphates are the problem, then yes you would replace the whole ground floor slab. Frequently, a source for excess water which kicks off the reaction is a broken drain - in which case you would most likely be covered for the remedial work on the house insurance. Otherwise, this would not be covered on insurance - but check your policy.

Give your council's housing department a ring and ask to speak to one of the technical surveyors for your area - as they will know if there are floor problems with those properties - but speak with an experienced one or a long serving one and not a clerk or call centre person!

tony6403

iamcornholio wrote: »

Remedial work is about £10-15k and requires all the floor and up to 1m of fill below it to be removed and replaced

£10,000 to £15,000 for a floor ??
Can you break down that estimate - we recently refurbished and extended a semi for not much more than the higher figure.

techmob

iamcornholio wrote: »

If sulphates are the problem, then yes you would replace the whole ground floor slab. Frequently, a source for excess water which kicks off the reaction is a broken drain - in which case you would most likely be covered for the remedial work on the house insurance. Otherwise, this would not be covered on insurance - but check your policy.

Give your council's housing department a ring and ask to speak to one of the technical surveyors for your area - as they will know if there are floor problems with those properties - but speak with an experienced one or a long serving one and not a clerk or call centre person!

there was a broken guttering which there was leaking water, not sure if that could cause it?

is this something that can be left until there are obvious signs. i know while the carpet is up and i have cut away some of the asphalt there seems to be a problem. but if i have not got the money for repairs now. can i live with this problem for a number of years until i have the funds to rectify?

or is it something that needs imediate action.

other than that lump the floors seem ok, i will be taking the carpets up in the hall and back room to inspect them and if it is just the front room that is compromised, as above can i look at a temp fix until i can raise funds etc

thanks

kkebay

I would not try to patch or overboard that floor.

optimus_primera

techmob wrote: »

there was a broken guttering which there was leaking water, not sure if that could cause it?

is this something that can be left until there are obvious signs. i know while the carpet is up and i have cut away some of the asphalt there seems to be a problem. but if i have not got the money for repairs now. can i live with this problem for a number of years until i have the funds to rectify?

or is it something that needs imediate action.

other than that lump the floors seem ok, i will be taking the carpets up in the hall and back room to inspect them and if it is just the front room that is compromised, as above can i look at a temp fix until i can raise funds etc

thanks

I am not a builder at all, so cannot comment on the technical side of things.

But this is a serious question to the builders on here, if the concrete slab is 'breaking up', would that not have an impact on the main structural walls on the property,if the damage was close to one of them?

With that in mind,i should think it pretty well in the OP's interest to get proffessional advice asap??

ukmaggie45

If you go to this website you can choose whether to download a file about sulfate attack in concrete as a PDF or a Word Document. It's an interesting document.

I looked into this when we made an offer on a bungalow that turned out (on survey) to probably have sulfate attack. The house we ended up buying just over a year ago showed possible early signs too, so we had the whole ground floor taken out and new concrete laid. We're still waiting on the asphalt to be poured on top of the concrete as build stopped for a couple of weeks over Christmas. Good luck with getting your floor sorted out, whatever the cause of it breaking up.

techmob

well everyone, i am feeling more positive about this

i have dug deeper around the affected area and have come across an old corroded gas pipe. the parts that were breaking up with my fingers were the mortar put in the channel cut out for the pipe. it seems the ashpalt was laid after that pipe.



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the original concrete is solid and cannot be broke away and it seems a channel was cut to lay the gas pipe and filled with mortar and the asphalt layed on top.

i have had a builder round who thinks i shouldn't worry as the floor doesn't look bad at all and that the pipe is probably the cause or the mortar used. Also the builder said because i am right on the coast that sand and lime stone would of been used from the quarry to build the houses on round here

my father in law told me that because the pipe has started to rot/flake off the metal it can cause movement and could cause this problem.

it seems to much of a coincident that the worst area is the part where it is hollow sounding where the pipe is layed.

also i have cut a section where there was a slightly raised part and the concrete under that is solid, i will contrinue to remove any raised parts and then fill in.



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people are telling me not to worry and that it should be ok

iamcornholio

tony6403 wrote: »

£10,000 to £15,000 for a floor ??
Can you break down that estimate - we recently refurbished and extended a semi for not much more than the higher figure.

Well it will be the whole floor removal - say some 50m2 of floor for a typical 3 bed, and the fill beneath to upto 1m deep (50-75 tonnes), digging for 1 1/2weeks, then putting everything back in including refitting the kitchen for the next 1 1/2 weeks, then drying the place out and then possibly redecorating

iamcornholio

optimus_primera wrote: »

But this is a serious question to the builders on here, if the concrete slab is 'breaking up', would that not have an impact on the main structural walls on the property,if the damage was close to one of them?

The ground floor slab is not really a structural component and is normally merely just sitting on the ground in the same way as a paved patio or footpath

Upper floors do have a structural function which brace the walls

iamcornholio

techmob wrote: »

i have dug deeper around the affected area and have come across an old corroded gas pipe.

Scrape the loose stuff out and coat the pipe with a bitumen or similar paint to stop future corrosion from expanding or affecting the new screed around it