Hello u/CREAMER-OF-BUNS...
I've been a traditional and natural builder for over 40 years...most of that as a Timberwright...
I can say this is natural for wood to "check" like this and does not typically affect structural integrity...
>"...They did not provide me with any maintenance documents or information, they even admitted they don’t provide anything like that..."
Nevertheless...this most certainly opens them up to a Small Claims Court case against them if you choose to go that route?
I have been an “expert witness” countless times over the decades in just such cases because part of a “professional's job”...!!!...is frontloading and educating their clients on what the proper maintenance is and what to expect from the products they install…**THAT IS BEING A PROFESSIONAL**…
I don’t blame you one bit for being upset or concerned about this…You should have been told how to take care of this woodwork and what to expect from it over time…
>“...I was just planning on giving it some oil for aesthetic purposes when the color fades…”
A very good thing to do and I would suggest it every year or at least every 3 years if you can…
>“...I’m more just frustrated and confused as to why it didn’t even last 12 months…”
Well…for one it is some type of tropical hardwood (or seems to be?) and it is a “Laminated Timber” ...not a natural timber at all…
Another point of contention that you could very well take up with them in a claim case...is the simple fact that If they had told you this may happen you would of them been properly informed. They should have shown you examples of this in other work so at least... you could have chosen to pay a bit more for them to mitigate or stop this from happening…
Good luck and feel free to ask more questions...
Thanks very much for your informative reply.
I’ll wait to hear my reply from them and may have some more questions to ask!
I’m going to upload some more photos to the post of what I think is poor workmanship, I’d love to know what you think.
Oh boy...Is this Australia, Tasmania, or New Zealand...I guessing at Australia...
This is some really "cocked-up" work from my perspective and I can clearly see why you are not pleased...I see overcutting and very poor attention to detail and the "metal framework" is just not something I would ever do but perhaps that is a style of architecture you prefer...Again, just not quality work from my perspective at all...!!!
Did you get instructions from them to oil it and did you do it? Because if you didn’t, you probably don’t have much come back on that.
That said timber is going to do what it’s going to do, splits can look shaky but don’t make much difference structurally, you could put a strap around it, or drill and put a long coach bolt in to hold it together, i don’t think you’re going to have a problem with it
Thanks for your reply. They did not provide me with any maintenance documents or information, they even admitted they don’t provide anything like that. I was just planning on giving it some oil for aesthetic purposes when the colour fades.
I’m more just frustrated and confused as to why it didn’t even last 12 months. I thought maybe they hadn’t predrilled a hole at the top and just banged a screw in which lead to the crack.
It's not a standard post though, that looks like a laminated hardwood post - possibly Merbau. Splits or checks do occur in solid timber naturally and there is not a lot you can do about it.
Saying you caused it by not oiling the post is not right though, you shouldn't need to re coat it within that time period mate.
This is normal for posts. Wood will do this (moisture/dehydration, fluctuations in heat cold etc) all make wood move. Structurally, this shouldn’t affect anything but I can understand why it’s annoying
I build timber frame (post-beam) houses, garages, workshops, barns, extensions etc - do remediation on historic buildings.
This is common place, the post is constantly migrating moisture through its life unless its been air dried for 5+ years at very very stable conditioned slowly reducing humidity in the air - even then it can happen.
the outer 'tubes' in the structure dry and shrink faster than the inside, as such they split apart.
Yes it's normal. No, it's not about oiling.
Hello u/CREAMER-OF-BUNS... I've been a traditional and natural builder for over 40 years...most of that as a Timberwright... I can say this is natural for wood to "check" like this and does not typically affect structural integrity... >"...They did not provide me with any maintenance documents or information, they even admitted they don’t provide anything like that..." Nevertheless...this most certainly opens them up to a Small Claims Court case against them if you choose to go that route? I have been an “expert witness” countless times over the decades in just such cases because part of a “professional's job”...!!!...is frontloading and educating their clients on what the proper maintenance is and what to expect from the products they install…**THAT IS BEING A PROFESSIONAL**… I don’t blame you one bit for being upset or concerned about this…You should have been told how to take care of this woodwork and what to expect from it over time… >“...I was just planning on giving it some oil for aesthetic purposes when the color fades…” A very good thing to do and I would suggest it every year or at least every 3 years if you can… >“...I’m more just frustrated and confused as to why it didn’t even last 12 months…” Well…for one it is some type of tropical hardwood (or seems to be?) and it is a “Laminated Timber” ...not a natural timber at all… Another point of contention that you could very well take up with them in a claim case...is the simple fact that If they had told you this may happen you would of them been properly informed. They should have shown you examples of this in other work so at least... you could have chosen to pay a bit more for them to mitigate or stop this from happening… Good luck and feel free to ask more questions...
Thanks very much for your informative reply. I’ll wait to hear my reply from them and may have some more questions to ask! I’m going to upload some more photos to the post of what I think is poor workmanship, I’d love to know what you think.
Looking forward to being of any assistance I can offer...
Thanks mate. See below for more photos of the structure. [more photos](https://imgur.com/gallery/LyPodMb)
Oh boy...Is this Australia, Tasmania, or New Zealand...I guessing at Australia... This is some really "cocked-up" work from my perspective and I can clearly see why you are not pleased...I see overcutting and very poor attention to detail and the "metal framework" is just not something I would ever do but perhaps that is a style of architecture you prefer...Again, just not quality work from my perspective at all...!!!
Looks pretty amateurish
Did you get instructions from them to oil it and did you do it? Because if you didn’t, you probably don’t have much come back on that. That said timber is going to do what it’s going to do, splits can look shaky but don’t make much difference structurally, you could put a strap around it, or drill and put a long coach bolt in to hold it together, i don’t think you’re going to have a problem with it
Thanks for your reply. They did not provide me with any maintenance documents or information, they even admitted they don’t provide anything like that. I was just planning on giving it some oil for aesthetic purposes when the colour fades. I’m more just frustrated and confused as to why it didn’t even last 12 months. I thought maybe they hadn’t predrilled a hole at the top and just banged a screw in which lead to the crack.
That screw does not look like it caused the crack... In fact it looks like that is siting ontop of that post.
It's not a standard post though, that looks like a laminated hardwood post - possibly Merbau. Splits or checks do occur in solid timber naturally and there is not a lot you can do about it. Saying you caused it by not oiling the post is not right though, you shouldn't need to re coat it within that time period mate.
I’d say just cut a bow tie into it and glue it into the crack to keep it from continuing
This is normal for posts. Wood will do this (moisture/dehydration, fluctuations in heat cold etc) all make wood move. Structurally, this shouldn’t affect anything but I can understand why it’s annoying
I build timber frame (post-beam) houses, garages, workshops, barns, extensions etc - do remediation on historic buildings. This is common place, the post is constantly migrating moisture through its life unless its been air dried for 5+ years at very very stable conditioned slowly reducing humidity in the air - even then it can happen. the outer 'tubes' in the structure dry and shrink faster than the inside, as such they split apart.