Originally Posted By: jnosworthy This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Figure the same two year old house, single story, say 2600 square feet, steep hipped roof, lots and lots of wasted attic space made up of a combination of trusses and conventional rafter framing. floor framing looks like 2 x 10’s and 2 x 12’s throughout, drywall on all the walls and ceilings, hardwood and ceramic tiles throughout. Homeowner complaint: growing gaps in between the bottom of the baseboards and the top of the hardwood floors, also, growing gaps above the line of kitchen cabinets and the soffit bulkhead above, also growing gaps at the tops of 5 interior round columns. Now here’s my questions … do you think the problem is with the floor or the roof and why ??n Look forward to you thoughts, John
Originally Posted By: jnosworthy This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
My observations tend to make me think that it can’t be foundation as there are no visible indications of differential settlement, or cracks that tell a story. When you say floor, I can only imagine possible drying out of one time excessively wet floor joists, might I say might offer up a difference or movement of materials of say 1/4" for this large size joist. However, if the wall cabinets in the kitchen are attached to the wall, and not the floor, why the 1/4" crack above the cabinet tops to the bulkhead above them, isn’t the ceiling moving UP?? Similar for the round interior columns with the adjustable capitals at the top, they now show the caulk and paint is a 1/4" short at the top for some reason?
How about this theory, when you load the newbie roof trusses with the weight of the sheathing and the 40 year laminated shingles, by applying weight to the top chords of the trusses, various web bracing parts come into tension and compression, right??. Isn’t it probable that the bottom chords of the trusses would raise upward a fraction near the midspan point ?? Aren’t they designed in fact to do that ?? I seem to recall that while banging nails in the early eighties back in colorado, that my boss said to me and another guy one day that we should NOT nail the bottom chord of the trusses to the top plate of the middle non-bearing wall in a rancher house, cause if we did, all the sheetrock finish later applied along that wall /ceiling intersect would surely crack and separate !! I think we applied clips that allowed the truss slight movement up and down, but restrictred left and right wobble. In fact I think the trusses where built with some slight camber because I don’t recall them coming close enough to actually rest on the top of the middle wall. I was already to shim the gap before driving some sinkers, when I was instructed otherwise. I said ok but what about the drywall. I learned to float the last 12" or so inches of the ceiling sheetrock next to this middle wall, no screws or nails applied here, then butt the top wall sheet to this lid sheet, tape and finish and never look back. I wonder if it worked as intended ?? any more thoughts ?? thanks
Originally Posted By: jnosworthy This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Erby,
you are the man … thanks for the links, the first one explained it fairly simply. Now if the lawyers can just understand it … this lawsuit will solve itself much quicker john
Originally Posted By: ecrofutt This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I’ve seen truss uplift lift an entire wall that was securely fastened to the bottom chord at least 3/4" high so you could see into the next room right under the wall.
Originally Posted By: jnosworthy This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Erby,
Tell me please, was that wall perpendicular or parallel to the bottom chords ?? Towards the center of the house or near the perimeter ?? In this situation the gap is evident at the baseboard shoe, at interior partitions near the center line of the house, BUT also next to a hallway that is an exterior wall.
