Qld weather: True impact El Nino is having on our homes

Wild weather is playing havoc all over Queensland - and our homes are copping the brunt of it. SEE THE PHOTOS

Queensland houses are literally cracking in half as extreme weather conditions play havoc with the health of our homes.

After two years of extensive rain, the number of houses with large cracks it them due to building movement are on the rise, with the problem only expected to worsen as drier El Nino conditions settle over the state.

Structural engineers say the reactive clay in South East Queensland means the problem is especially evident in that region, with the worst suburbs being Bracken Ridge, Clayfield, Bray Park and Ipswich.

Photos of damage to buildings and dwellings due to footing system movement. Picture: Supplied by Booth Engineers & Associates Pty Ltd.

Qld could be set for even more wild weather.

Booth Engineering director Stephane Rebibou said cracks due to drainage and water-related issues were common.

“But if the weather does dry out this summer, then I think that we’re going to see much more work because what will happen is the clay has been quite swollen for the last few wet seasons, then it’ll dry very rapidly over the course of the summer and that will cause much more problems with cracking and movement of the foundations,” he said.

Mr Rebibou said the problem can occur in both old and new builds.

Strathpine homeowner Kylie Berry says her home is sinking so much that if she puts a marble on the ground it just rolls.

Photos of damage to buildings and dwellings due to footing system movement.

Photos supplied by Booth Engineers & Associates Pty Ltd.

She has called out several engineers to assess her house and was told the home would need to be underpinned at a cost of more than $50,000.

Underpinning involves extending a building’s foundation to a deeper level to ensure it remains stable.

Mr Rebibou said underpinning was usually a last-resort fix.

“Underpinning is much more costly and more drastic but it’s more instant, as opposed to removing a tree and improving your drainage and your plumbing because that’ll take 12 months to have an effect because you’ll have to wait for the influence of that tree to not impact on the soil conditions,” he said.

Ms Berry said underpinning for her at the moment was simply “unaffordable”.

She said the issue was not visible when she purchased the home.

“We never thought to go and find out what kind of grounds the house was built on,” she said.

“If we had we probably would have found a whole heap of stuff that would have made us think a bit more about buying this place.”

A Queensland Building and Construction Commission spokeswoman said building movement complaints were on the rise and it was important homeowners check drains after rain events to make sure they are open and clear.

Buildfix director Dale Stewart said cracking was not always easy to diagnose in its early stages, but there were some subtle clues that there may be a problem.

“They might not initially see like a crack around the house inside, for example, but they might feel the floor starts to slope or they might see that the doors start to begin to jam and not open like they used to,” he said.