What would you say about this defect and recommendations?

This is at a window coming from the upstairs there was a landing at the bottom and the window is high up. Advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks!



Do you want me to write your narrative ?
What do you think about it?

3 Likes

The whole flipping place is falling down. Recommend evacuation ASAP!.

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Looks like differential settling. Sometimes it seems to be more thermal expansion/contraction, but it’s not always obvious which it is. Always curious. about that when I see it when I think about how corners are normally framed. In homes less than 50 years old, I most often see it in garages. In older homes, it can be anywhere. Like all settling, it can indicate or be associated with major settling that needs remedial work and sometimes it is more cosmetic.

5 Likes

Don’t over think it or paint yourself into a corner by specifying the cause of damage. Note that damage was observed and recommend having a qualified contractor make corrections.

12 Likes

It looks like moisture damage, but can’t see the whole picture. Improperly installed window? Roof leak? Most likely, there is hidden rot.

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Did the Flipper even bother with sheetrock, or just went straight to mud over the studs??

Racking and vertical movement are both a possibility. I have seen termite damaged subfloor settle so check wants under that corner.

We don’t know if that is the corner of the house or a partition in the middle of the house, :thinking:

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Could be a bigger problem or a nothing burger. But, what catches my eye is the bowing piece of trim combined with the sheetrock issue. So I would likely give this a bit more of attention vs a typical drywall crack. I would follow the wall load path all the way to soil looking for anomalies such as bowing, deflection, racking, cracking etc. I would also hit it with a thermal camera just to see if there is an anomaly indicating possible moisture intrusion (a recent repair could throw that off).

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Probably just poor workmanship, those inside corner next to trim can be difficult to finish out. Pointing out every sheetrock blemish is exhaustive so I don’t do it unless there’s a hole in the wall, leak stain or the customer mentions it. Most houses have a lot bigger “fish to fry”.

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I agree. My previous house had the same thing at the in multiple locations at the junction of outside walls and inside partition walls. I had it professionally repaired and it returned within a year.

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in tucson that means water is getting in from above and travels or has traveled down the wall

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It also could be the lack of insulation in the outside corners and interior partition grabbers creating condensation, deteriorating the drywall tape joint.

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From that picture its simple, recommend repair by a contractor, may indicate settling, poor workmanship etc. More importantly make sure you check out framing/ foundation under because sometimes that indicates a significant defect.

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If it were settling, the window sash would not be square in the window frame.

Poorly taped inside drywall seam. Tape shifted.
No structural issue.
Recommend a licensed plaster contractor or painting contractor and move on.

1 Like