cracks in bedroom above garage

Specific Inspection Topics Interior Inspections
#1

Hi all,

I just tried to practice my inspection skills in my friend’s house. I found there are some cracks in the bedroom above garage. But I don’t see any cracks on the exterior walls. I am wondering what causing the cracks and how to report to clients. For now I just told my friend to caulk them first and keep monitoring.

I believe they are just shrinkage cracks because no exterior cracks. Am I right? But it is above the garage, could be any settlement issues? The window is facing to East. The house is about one and half year old.

See pictures, from pic 1 to 8 (from left to right). The crack size on Pic 1 & 2 is about 1/10 to 1/8 inches. The rest are much smaller like 1/16". Pic 9 is taken from outside.

thanks.

#2

These cracks are indications of movement at least in part due to insufficient structure. That looks like a lot of brick spanning the garage opening under the window and without a really structurally significant lintel that area is probably sagging. Is it done sagging? Maybe! Maybe not! Interior walls are repaired using drywall compound and tape not caulking!

#3

Sorry, but I will have to disagree with that statement. The brick is most likely a veneer and regular corrugated wall ties used sparing any stress or movement on the deflection side of openings.

Significance of the lintel is not visible.

I would tend to believe more in the line of the fact that after just a year old, the moisture in the wood framing is drying and the shrinkage at the weak links ( window corners and wall corners) is having an affect on the drywall.
Re-taping is recommended. :slight_smile:

#4

Cracking is only over the garage. If drying wood was the issue one would think the problem would be more wide spread. Drying wood? I doubt it!

#5

Agreed

#6

Insufficient structure and sagging lintels. Can you really see that in the photos provided?

#7

Hi all,

Thank you for all replied. I think it moved because I can see the crack on the left (Pic 1), the bottom crack is bigger than the up crack. The wall may be rotating to left. More information, I only found these drywall cracks in this room (above the garage). All drywalls in other rooms in this house are fine. Only this wall had drying issue??

It is hard to see the lintels behine the bricks.

thanks.

#8

The OP did not say there were only cracks over the garage. He said there were cracks in the bedroom over the garage but nothing on the exterior brick (which is most likely veneer).

If there was insufficient structural support, he would have seen at least cracks in the brick mortar.
In my opinion, the brick span under the window is not that much (1 car garage door).

My guess is wood shrinkage, which could be more significant in that areas if the floor was not properly insulated on the exterior part (between the garage door and the “overhang” part.

#9

Harrison, what part of the country are you in?

#10

I am in Toronto, Canada.

#11

Sounds like he is In Toronto Ontario ,or very close to it .

#12

Sorry Harrison the pics are not that great invest in a better camera first. Based on what I see I agree with Marcel drying process caused the cracks…what I would look at is the top ledge where the sill and the vinyl meet … look for moisture entry points.

When they build these t homes they go up fast and an excessive amount of moisture could have got in between the sill and brick veneer before the vinyl siding was installed.Most likely it will just be OSB behind the siding …does the room above have the same cracks? … if not look hard at the sill across the top that it was caulked correctly and the joints as well. More pics (closer) would be great! If there was any transverse rotation it should show in the baseboard…look there as well and remember that when you have a 90 over doorways or windows they will usually be the first to crack on settling but cracks should be in other areas to confirm. Hope this helps and this is JMO

PS just some advice…the guys here are awesome so listen and learn! :wink:

#13

Diagonal cracks at the windows are typical of foundation movement, but any significant movement should show up in the brick or grout lines. Splitting of the tape in the vertical crack of inside corners is typical of differential settling, with one wall either not settling or settling more slowly than the adjacent walls.
If it were shrinking framing, you’d expect to see settling happening at about the same speed in all walls. It looks like something is happening with the exterior wall that is not happening the same way in the walls that butt it.
No cracks on the first floor or in other parts of the 2nd floor?

#14

Hi,

Thank you for all replied. I checked the caulk between the sill and vinyl, they looks ok to me. And I also tried to see the baseboard, but there were some furnitures, I can’t see the baseboard at the two corners.

Yeah, that’s what I don’t understand. I think it was some movement on the interior wall but not exterior wall (Since I didn’t find any cracks on brick and mortar). For brick veneer, is it possible only the interior wall had movement but not exterior wall, or they always moved together?

Again, I only found cracks in this bedroom, no cracks above and below the room.

I like this forum much, the guys here always give me good advices.

thanks.

#15

For brick veneer, is it possible only the interior wall had movement but not exterior wall, or they always moved together?