Thank you guys for calming my fears…I tried googling and it scared me more!
This individual “seems” to be concerned with the “safety” of the structure Roy. Would this not be your impression? If that is the case, how do you justify your response? A Professional Structural Engineer P.Eng (in Canada) would most certainly be more qualified that a home inspector to inspect structures. Would you not agree? They design structures and inspect the construction of structures, so why would they not know enough to inspect the structure in question?
Can a home inspector state the structure is “safe” Roy? Please explain… If safety is the concern here, then why not spend the money on a professional licensed to deal with structural concerns?
Cracking along seams, specially corner bead and wall/ceiling joints. I’ve seen something very similar (compression cracking) in a home that changed from wood shakes to concrete tile.
Doesn’t require an engineer, just a drywall contractor to estimate repairs.
You may be entirely correct. I only mentioned the Structural Engineer because of the safety concern. Also, since it will cost $$ anyway, this way there will be peace of mind (in this case) and a stamped report of safety.
Not a structural concern and needs repair by qualified drywall contractor, point blank.
I have seen these cracks for the last 45 years. You repair them when they happen. Like concrete, it will eventually shrink, move and hairline crack.
Actually, I’m wrong. If there was a change to a heavier roof covering material, the roof framing should be checked out by a SE to ensure that it’s sufficient to carry the increased load.
From the InterNACHI Narratives:
“Widespread vertical and horizontal wall/ceiling cracking appeared to be the result of compression and may be connected to the installation of a roof-covering material heavier than the original roof covering material. A change to a heavier roof-covering material can cause additional settling in wall framing that can damage drywall. Additional settling of wall framing would typically continue until the framing reached equilibrium with the new roof-covering material after which the wall would become stable.
You should take steps to ensure that the existing roof framing was evaluated and approved by a structural engineer as adequate for support of the structural load imposed by the present roof-covering material.
If the seller is unable to provide documentation of inspection and approval of roof framing by a structural engineer, the Inspector recommends that before the expiration of your Inspection Objection Deadline, you have the roof framing inspected by a structural engineer to ensure its safe condition. Failure to confirm safe conditions may result in a dangerous condition that may be expensive to correct.”
And sometimes it is caused by improper drywall installations.
Here is an example;
There are several factors during installation that can cause cracking down the road. One cause is piecing together drywall around doors or windows. Full sheets of drywall should always be used above doors or windows.
A second (and more common) cause is failure to properly secure drywall sheets to the wall studs. This causes movement between two sheets and cracking along the joints between them.
http://www.renovation-headquarters.com/drywall-installation-openings.html
The drywall joints are shown in deep blue.
However, although this may be the easiest method of installing the drywall sheets and will most likely have the least amount of waste, in the long run it is a recipe for cracking.
When buildings settle, and all buildings will settle to some degree, the vast majority of the stresses are placed in the corners of openings. This means that if the drywall joint is located in the corner of the opening it is more likely to crack at that point.
The proper method of positioning the sheets of drywall around windows and doors. The drywall joints are shown in deep blue.
And more explained on this website here; http://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Drywall_Crack_Causes.php
True Marcel. I think the difference is most likely to show up as more uniform cracking throughout the home if it’s caused by roof compression, since lots of times different parts of a home will settle at different rates over time.
Here are the photos from the home I inspected with compression cracks.
Yes Kenton, I agree with the additional loading those cracks fit the reaction of the deflection of the members under the induced loading.
But the OP’s photos are definately not structural issues.
The OP’s photo shows a section of a dropped ceiling (framing below the trusses for duct work). This area could also just have a weak framing connection to the wall…movement will happen. Some of his photos show corner bead and drywall tape that just came loose…period. Who said anything about changing the roof covering to a heavier type?
Worth repeating.
Perhaps the OP was concerned because of the bathtub, and it’s weight when full.
That’s a very small crack.
I agree, these cracks look cosmetic from the pictures. Sheetrock move around, tape becomes loose, caulk beads dry out. This is all cosmetic. If the cracks are straight lines were sheetrock edges meet a corner or meet another piece of sheetrock it probably is cosmetic. What you want to look for is evidence that the wall or ceiling framing has moved. If the sheetrock has cracked across the middle not just separated at the seems it can indicate that the wall studs or ceiling joist have moved (separated or move toward each other). So if you have random cracks in random directions you need to look closer at the framing behind the sheetrock to see why it has moved. If you see the wall or ceiling has dropped or is bowed out/in, you will want to determine why the framing members have moved. From the pictures it doesn’t look like you have any movement in the framing members, but with this in mind you may want to take a closer look. Also you may want to look on the opposite side of the wall, or in the attic. Look at the structural components (studs, joists) and see if there is evidence of movement. Sometimes a level (horizontal and vertical) is a good tool to help evaluate these components. Once I noticed a bedroom wall that bow out in the middle by a couple of inches. So I went to the attic to take a look at surrounding components. I found that the roof had shifter, a couple of rafters cracked, and additional weight was being put on the top of the wall. A good home inspector should be able to find this, and structural engineer would probably just state the obvious and hand you a bill. As a home inspector when I find something like this I recommend evaluation by a licensed contractor.
Hope that helps. Good Luck!
Would you say the same for the crack photo i recently posted above the bathtub window? This one confused me the most, because when the inspector was here, he pointed out a few of the “seam” cracks, the ones that are straight and follow alongseams…but he didnt mention the one above the bathroom window, the small one going out at an angle from the corner. Ironically, when he was talking about the other cracks, along seams, he said “these arent a concern, we don’t get concerned unless they are coming out from corners of windows or doors, at an angle”…
Well, then, why isnt the one above this bathroom window a concern? Is it because it is small?
The corner crack photo in post 16 is not a concern either. This is common on a build-up of drywall compound at the corner bead and heavy texturing…shrinkage crack.
Yes, it appears to be a small hairline crack, under an eighth inch wide, and it also doesn’t appear to travel at an angle, like for example, from the window to the ceiling. It appears to only be a few inches long. If it shows a similar crack on the outside of the same magnitude, it should be sealed to prevent moisture intrusion.
Work a few decades in construction, take all the InterNACHI courses, read all the emergency and structural forums on this MB, ask many peoples opinions…
After a while you may realize that there might be many things to worry about, but that this isn’t one of them. Needlessly Focusing on this one issue might actually make you miss something that is important, whether it is something else in the HI report or home buying process.
If you still have concerns, call Russell Ray, he offered to talk with you in a preceding post.
There have been many more inspectors that have read this thread, and have not posted, because they agreed with the consensus. If they had a differing opinion, they would surely have stated so. People enjoy arguing on here all the time, but there is nothing to argue about regarding your subject and posted pictures.
All the best to you.
This crack is coming off the corner, like a crack caused by foundation movement, but also like a re-entrant crack in materials that are applied in a plastic state, like concrete or drywall compound, and then shrink as they cure, like concrete or drywall compound.
The fact that this crack is not continuous (see red arrow) says to me that it’s a shrinkage crack resulting from an overly-thick application of drywall compound and is not a structural concern. Foundation movement strong enough to cause cracking usually causes it at more than one location.
Note the similarities to the concrete cracks caused by resistance to shrinkage.
It depends on how long those corner cracks are but even the length of the cracks is somewhat dependent on the size of the wall where the corner cracks are, as well as the materials with which the wall was constructed.
Everything you’re posted so far is not of a structural concern. Just cosmetic stuff.