HawthorneVillager.com

We'll probably try and make an effort to go out at least every 2 weeks... we don't wake up early enough to go to the market! it's only open till noon right?

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ahhh the life of a couple without children, must be nice Ya it's only open till noon... once we're all moved in we'll make sure to ring your doorbell like crazy to wake you guys up so that you can enjoy it too

lol, hahaaha... no worries, we can do the same to you guys at 3AM

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*makes a note to short circuit the door bill to shock anyone that rings it*

Hahaha!!! You two are too much

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Andrea
In and loving every minute of it.
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Re this photo, from Fitdiculous previous post.

Just below, and to the right of the number "78", it looks like there is a defect known as honeycombing that should be covered/parged over. Parging is a cement mix in the consistency of cake icing that usually also has adhesive properties. It is important that honeycombing be covered/parged over before dirt is pushed against it.

Don't let them bury this defect.

Hopefully, they already intend to fix this, but lately, a lot of this is being buried. I'm not sure why municipal inspectors are not calling this out but then again, I don't know if they even see these things. Either way, this is a defect and should be covered because it is the right thing to do. It does not cost much in time or material to look after this properly.



The picture below, (of a different property) shows the same defect. Honeycombing refers to voids on the surface of concrete caused by the mortar not filling the spaces between the coarse aggregate particles. Honeycombing reduces durability, structural strength, and also allows a path for water intrusion.



Andy Shaw - 905 876 4761
http://www.haltoninspections.com

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For Home Inspection services call Andy Shaw at Halton Home Inspection Service. 905 876 4761

And we heard back from our new Customer Service rep at Mattamy regarding the cold floors.

I have reviewed your e-mail and can confirm that we are aware of
previous concerns brought forth to us from owners of homes similar to
yours, regarding the first floor being cold during the winter months.
We built these homes other communities and phases within Milton and as
these concerns were brought forth after closing through our Warranty
Department, Gary may not directly be aware of them. We have reviewed our
plans and are taking steps to help keep this area of the home warmer.
There will be a 1" perimeter slab break between the floor and the
foundation, additionally there will be vertical insulation installed
under the foundation wall to a minimum of 2ft below grade. Both these
steps will help prevent cold air from transferring through and keep this
area of the home warmer.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any further questions
regarding your new home.

Sincerely,

Amanda Blah Blah Blah

So, I'm not a construction expert at all, they said they're aware of it and are taking steps to fix it. I'm happy with that for now. I guess the first winter will tell me whether or not what they did was enough......

R

wicked, thanks for posting that Rob... just like you, I'm no expert either (far from it), is this something that was specifically done to OUR homes? I mean the foundation is up and in some cases the frame... so how can we tell if there is a 1" perimeter slab break b/w the floor and foundation, or the vertical insulation installed under the foundation??

OR

for all I know this is what's already "standard" in these homes and they're just making it sound like they're preventative measures

Halton Home Inspector (Andy). Do YOU think these steps that Mattamy has done will fix the problem?

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Hi All....

I also got the same response from our new Customer Service Rep.

Re. whether those changes were implemented see the following pics that answers the insulation question.

Lot 74


Lot75


What I hope Andy or someone else with more knowledge answers is whether this was already done previously and/or will this make a difference?

As well, what does "There will be a 1" perimeter slab break between the floor and the foundation.." mean???

Cheers,
T

What I suspect is that insulation on our foundation wall is what they are talking about... the slab then sits on the gravel they poured so that it doesn't come in contact with the outer foundation wall, so that the slab isn't directly in touch with the outdoors thereby keeping it warmer in the winter.... my guess anyway

does anyone happen to have pics of our Lot before the walls were put up? (We're Lot 65). I think in one prior pic that was already posted I saw the vertical insulation installed... but I'm not sure what this 1" perimeter slab break looks like... I just hope it was done since these guys didn't really answer our emails/letters until AFTER the foundation was already up...

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Fitdiculous,

Check out page 31 in this thread. I had taken pics befor they had started the framing. I am not sure you can tell from the picture but I do know there was that blue insulation on your foundation wall before the slab was poured.

hope that helps.

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Andrea
In and loving every minute of it.
[/url]

Hey Andrea,

Ya, that was the pic I was talking about, and yes thank you for taking it as I saw the vertical insulation... just wanted to see after when the slab was poured (before the framing)...

do you notice much of a temp difference now? like I'm assuming you've had A/C on a few times now.. is it alot cooler in the summer?

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There is no one solution to this problem, but this "break' will help as it will be a barrier against heat loss at the floor area because it will effectively isolate the interior floor slab from the cold foundation wall. The diagram below shows detail of the proposed location of the riged insulation bond break.

I still think that "air returns" need to be installed low to the first level floor in these homes and front exterior doors need to be installed particularly well to eliminate potential air leaks.



Andy Shaw - 905 876 4761
http://www.haltoninspections.com

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For Home Inspection services call Andy Shaw at Halton Home Inspection Service. 905 876 4761

wow, thanks for the diagram Andy... I wonder why they didn't use this method earlier? cost?

what did they do before? is it too late now to check if they actually used this "break" as opposed to the old method?

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