A Melton West woman is continuing a fight for compensation despite a Melton South building company being ordered to pay her more than $60,000 over issues with “slab heave” in her house.
She said engineers had assessed the damage at $125,000 and her legal costs had ballooned to more than $80,000.
Samantha, who asked that her real name not be used, has applied to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to have her builder pay her legal costs on top of damages she has been awarded.
Slab heave is floor slab movement causing cracks in the floor and walls.
The woman was shattered when the walls in her “dream house”, built in December, 2007, started cracking three months after she moved in.
Samantha reported cracking in her lounge room, front bedroom, en suite and kitchen to her builder, who carried out repair works in April, 2009.
At a VCAT hearing, senior tribunal member Rohan Walker said that despite the April, 2009 repairs and other subsequent repairs the cracking became worse.
He noted that the owner could hear creaking noises coming from the roof space during periods of high wind.
“Most of the damage complained of relates to movement in the slab, which in turn has caused movement and consequential damage to the fabric of the house, particularly the walls, ceiling and plasterwork,” Mr Walker said.
Samantha’s engineer concluded the heave was due to poor drainage.
In his report, the engineer said this was due to the “lack of an effective drainage system” during construction by the builder and subsequent inappropriate landscaping.
“However, the concrete slab already mentioned, which slopes away from the house, separates the garden from the house and there is no garden bed against the north-east corner, which is where the biggest heave has occurred,” Mr Walker said.
“There are cracks through the house, cornices falling off, my floors are very uneven and doors don’t shut,” Samantha said. “I’ve never had my dream home.”
She said she had never been asked if she wanted a conventional slab or a waffle slab.
“In hindsight, I would have gone conventional,” she said. “I know it would have cost me more, but what can you do? It’s costing me even more now.”
The building company was contacted for comment.
