We own a Dolce Vita home built 3 years ago.
We uncovered a severe/moderate floor crack (10 feet in length and 5mm in width)in the basement in 2016. Contacted DV, and got a response from area manager basically saying it was passed the 1-year warranty and we should fix it ourselves.
We had a technician coming to take a look and we were surprised with his comments. He said there are clear marks showing the crack started right after the house was built and the contractor tried to cover the crack by painting over the crack; and the crack has to be checked further since it connects two walls, there might be foundational cracks on the walls. We can clear see there is this paint mark over crack which the contractor tried to cover, we have never had anyone to fix the floor, thus apparently it was there before our possession.
Contacted the builder again today and was told again they do not cover as it has passed the one-year warranty.
Our concerns are 1.) even if the paint over the crack wasnt intended to "cover up" the crack, it deterred us from recovering the crack in the 1st year for a warranted repair 2.) it is a crack of more than 5mm in width and potentially is of structural in nature (connects two structural walls).
Very disappointed with DV.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $70,000.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Company Response
Hi Wallace,
Thank you for taking the time to express your concerns.
Concrete cracks, although are not ideal, are completely normal in homes from the shrinkage and settlement process. We want to ensure that we would never cover up any defects. We paint all of our basement floors to help reduce the dust and keep your socks clean when you walk around until you decide to finish the basement. When we painted your basement floor in 2014, the crack (if any at the time) would have been too small for us to detect.
We take great care in the quality assurance in all of our homes. All of our homes have coverage under the Alberta New Home Warranty and we encourage you to reach out to them at contactcentre@anhwp.com. They can help you assess if the crack is indeed a structural issue. If they advise us that it is, we will definitely be back to help repair the issue.