What is this?

[rmarion]

also... maybe flooring was applied to soon (fully adhered) before 24 day waiting period...


another option..

pull up tile... allow concrete floor to dry for 2 months...

gotta make sure no under slab leaks ongoing...

Thats priority #1!!

 

[Keymyster]

I am trying to find a solution for my builder. It’s getting worse with the wet weather. I would love to find an easy fix. The builder is willing to fix it if we can pin point a solution

Never goes away it seems. Starts eroding the concrete below. My garage is being eaten away.

 

[was thatguy]

I am hoping someone can help me identify what this is and how to fix it. We purchased a new build in Havasu in the a new development. Grading is less than 2 years old. In a couple of areas we have this white salty looking stuff coming up through the grout lines. I have seen water pool up and I am assuming it’s a by product of moisture seeping up. It’s nowhere near any plumbing. My builder has no idea what it is and I can’t find anything online.

View attachment 1348529 View attachment 1348530

Your house is still under builders warranty required by state law in AZ, given the <2 years since purchased as you stated.
Your problem is exactly as those knowledgeable about construction here have said.
My house is a 1 year old new build in Mohave.
All the houses (6) on my side of the new road are the same. None of our houses have this issue, BUT the houses one street up have experienced this. Same builder, but those houses are more like 2 years old.
Speaking with a couple of those neighbors last year after I moved in, they warmed me to keep an eye out for the same thing. I have not seen it in my house, been just under a year since I closed.
Those neighbors one street up finally compelled the builder tear up their floors and dry and seal the slabs somehow, applying some sort of product like the members here have stated, then re-finish the floors.
They said it was about a 6 month long process starting with the complaints and finally the repairs.
Apparently the builder learned from this before building the smaller houses on my street.
Also they used inexpensive synthetic flooring in my house (and my immediate neighbors) just in case it needed done as well. Lol

eventually I’ll probably have better quality flooring installed, but maybe not.

It seems highly unlikely that your builder does not know what this is and has not ever had this problem, unless your house is his very first build?

I know almost nothing about home construction and even I know about vapor barriers and moisture leaching.

Given the images you posted, and the experiences of what my neighbors did, you are looking at pulling up all your flooring, drying and sealing, and reinstalling flooring, and your builder is responsible for all of it.

 

[Justfishing]

It's what's specd by the engineer on the plans. Personally I would prefer compacted base, 1/2" or so of sand, 6mil then slab.


The slabs over sand always seem to Crack more than normal. But I need to pass inspection.

Take this to the engineer.

BSI-003: Concrete Floor Problems | buildingscience.com

buildingscience.com

 

[NicPaus]

Take this to the engineer.

BSI-003: Concrete Floor Problems | buildingscience.com

buildingscience.com

Had inspection earlier. He agreed. No sand. He said compacted base 4". 6 mil on top and slab directly on plastic.

 

[done]

Here in CA
Here we put 6mil plastic down before we pour any slabs inside a house and garage slabs. The foundation I was setting up yesterday. Calls for 4" of sand over 6 mil in the garage. The dirt has a lot of clay. So I am compacting base first. Then a little sand, 6mil and the remaining sand.

Not sure what a good fix would be for existing. Possibly pouring a 3'-5 walkway around the whole house to keep the rain from seeping in close to the house. But it could be a ground water issue if water table is high and it rises during storms.

Exactly, My house developer left out the moistener barrier plastic and home owners sued , That was the cause of the white alkaline deposits in the winter on the
garage floor .

 

[rmarion]

someone just brought up a great point...

normally hidden defects have 10 year statue of limitations....

2 or 3 years on non- hidden defects...


Lawyer Up