Surface Cracking on Slab
Surface Cracking on Slab is a low-severity soil & foundation defect SURE inspectors have documented across 5 inspection reports.
Causes
- Typical concrete shrinkage
- Curing stresses
- Concrete curing processes
- Minor settlement
- Thermal movement
Symptoms to look for
- Visible cracks on the slab surface
- Visible crack in concrete slab
- Visible cracking in levelling compound
- Cracks in the grout layer
Remedies
- Periodic monitoring of recorded cracks to ensure slab integrity
- Monitoring as part of routine maintenance, with further assessment to be considered if any signs of progression are noted (no immediate action considered necessary).
- Monitor and rectify as required prior to floor finishes installation
- Monitor and rectify as required prior to floor finishes to ensure suitable substrate
Worth asking our inspector about this specifically.
This is common across Perth stock and usually fixable without drama, but the scope of the fix varies. Every SURE inspection includes 12 months of free advice. Call out the defect by name and we check for it directly.
Curated entries in Soil & foundation
- Curated 1–4/5Trees in Close Proximity to Dwelling
Large trees within the foraging radius of the dwelling - typically any tree within 3 m for small species, or within 10 m for large eucalypts - introduce two distinct risks: root-driven soil moisture fluctuation that causes differential footing movement on reactive clay, and a direct termite foraging corridor between a timber food source in the crown or root system and the building structure. Neither defect is always present, but the proximity constitutes a conducive condition that warrants ongoing monitoring.
- Curated 2–5/5Reactive Clay Soil Movement Affecting Foundation
Seasonal expansion and contraction of reactive clay soils causing cyclical foundation movement, wall cracking, and floor level changes. Prevalent in Sydney Western Suburbs and some Perth clay zones. Severity depends on soil class (H, H1, H2, E) and footing design adequacy.