2012 home…5100 sq foot with poured concrete foundation and SIP …very well built.
There were a few items I wasnt certain of and was going to refer to a structural engineer.
I’ll get some more pics in the morning…
So I realize there may not be lots of timber pinned home expertise on here…but figured I would give it a shot.
There are a few areas where some apparent settlement has occured, and the mortises/tenons have some splitting/cracking issues.
Thinking I’ll just recommend a structural engineer evaluate, but figured I would post on here in case anyone else has had experience with this sort of thing.
These are definitely structural by the way…
From your pictures it looks like they have the same problem in multiple areas where the tenon has split. A lot of stress is being put on the smallest section of wood at that point. Definitely a call to an engineer. It’s entirely fixable, but the trick for the engineer is going to be how to design a repair that doesn’t look like a repair.
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Thanks,
I agree, I cant even begin to see how to fix that without it looking way different than it does now 
Could it be wood shrinkage pulling on the tenons? 
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I was thinking it was the roof trying to “sit down” or spread outwards, and without a ceiling joist tying the two sides together the tenon is the weak point.
Looks like shrinkage from here, I don’t think its a structural concern as the load is carried by the vertical support posts and heavy rafters. While some load may transfer down from ridge, it is still supported by the arched header. You can call for a structural engineer, just to cover your ass -or- suggest they contact the provider of the ‘timber package designer /provider’ if it was engineered /kit-built (if that info is known by seller), but vertical checks or cracks are common as wood dries, just look at deck or carport support posts.
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I agree with Joe. There are other members providing substantial support to that roof and it doesn’t look like a structural concern to me either. Too bad about that split. You can’t always predict when and where stresses caused by cutting wood that are released by cracking will reveal themselves over time. Those gaps… I’m surprised, given the otherwise nice looking work. I don’t know how a real craftsman could wind up creating gaps like that, or letting them be installed as an example of their work.
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thanks for all the responses.
I essentially told the buyer the same thing…that I did not consider these sections significantly structural, and that the cracks see were not compromising the structural integrity in any significant way…but that I would recommend a structural engineer.
He is getting a structural engineer in a few days.
I will hopefully find out what the engineer says, and post it back up on here.
thanks !
Perhaps what he needs is a Timber Framer.
Or, the original builder may have enough pride in work, to want to make aesthetic fixes.
I believe the seller was contacting the builder.
So that may actually happen to some degree…
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So the buyer had a structural engineer take a look
the engineer said it was cosmetic and typical of homes like this.
probably spent 30 min in the house and collected his 600 dollars
But anyways, that is the officially word from the engineer apparently
End result, you got the seller to pay $600 to an engineer to look at something you thought was a non issue. Which is why it only took 30 minutes. Liability is now transferred to the engineer. Engineer is smart to charge the fee.
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exactly
and that is exactly what I had told him
He realizes that now…600 dollars later
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Sometimes $600 is worth a piece of mind. You could remove the whole cross section and the house would still be standing just fine. Don’t tell the buyer I said this
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