Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Question about a crack in a new home slab/foundation

I am a first-time homebuyer and have recently signed a contract for a new home to be built by a builder in Houston, TX. I went by there on last Sunday and noticed a crack that runs all the way across the slab and down both sides and I am trying to figure out if this is a problem or not. I would appreciate any assistance you may be able to provide. The pictures below were taken last Sunday, about 11 days after the slab was poured. It appears that this forum does not allow hotlinks, so you will have to cut and paste the http:// links in your browser to see the pictures. Sorry for the inconvenience.


http://img208.exs.cx/img208/9343/side4jt.jpg

One side of the house

http://img208.exs.cx/img208/323/otherside5gn.jpg

Other side of house

http://img208.exs.cx/img208/9480/insideatwall7vw.jpg

Inside the house near one side

http://img208.exs.cx/img208/9555/insideatwall22dz.jpg

Inside the house on the other side

http://img208.exs.cx/img208/1050/wherethecrackis2ym.jpg

This will show you where the crack is in relation to the rest of the house

When a slab is poured, allowance is made for settling in the form of expansion joints or zip strips that are formed, placed, or cut into the slab so that any settling will produce cracks along these devices. This is done to control the location of any cracks. It appears to me that a crack through the slab at such an early stage is indicative of poor preparation of the ground for the slab.

Since you have already signed a contract, a quick conference with the contractor followed by a meeting with a structural engineer to evaluate this might be in order. If you are getting into a big expense and the underpinnings are weak, early would be the best time to jump on this.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for your input. I think we have determined that it will most likely not be an issue because they have now tensioned the slab and the crack is much less noticable. I'll take some more pictures tomorrow and post them on here to show the difference. The builder is sending out an independent structural engineer tomorrow to inspect it and I am looking forward to seeing what the word is from him. If there is anything I should be sure to ask him or confirm with him, please let me know because I will be out there at the time of inspection.

Once again, thanks for your input, and I would greatly appreciate any more input if anyone else has any thoughts about it.