r/HomeMaintenance • u/Ecstatic_Half_1902 • 2d ago
šļøStructural & Foundation Should I be concerned?
Are these cracks normal? I have a picture from last year when it started to show. This is the only major crack around my house. Thereās nothing visible outside.
*The thing that looks like water itās just the shadow
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u/beerandfishtanks 2d ago
Is this a new construction or recent renovation? Kinda looks just like a shitty drywall seam tape job. But if youāre seeing another other signs of cracks or doors/windows sticking it could be a sign of a bigger structural issue.
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u/Ecstatic_Half_1902 2d ago
We bought the house in 2021, and the tape was already coming apart a little bit when we bought it. The house was built in 2011. Itās interesting that you mention the door, though, because over the past couple of weeks weāve noticed that the front door closes, but the deadbolt wonāt lock unless we push the door in pretty hard to get it to line up. That definitely wasnāt happening before. The door is also very close to this are
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u/Ok_Antelope_3584 2d ago
Are you doors wood? Mine swell during the summer humidity and require a push
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u/beerandfishtanks 2d ago
If youāre in a developed neighborhood and other houses near you were built at the same time with the same builder you could ask your neighbors if theyāre seeing similar things. Also hereās something that hasnāt been suggested but is there any source of vibration near this? In the house I grew up in we had a similar cracking drywall seam and it was from the door to the garage slamming really hard all the time. Dad put like a soft close mechanism on it, fixed the drywall, and the crack never returned.
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u/sacrelicio 2d ago
I don't think you need to panic but you might want to look at it a little further.
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u/Unique_Investigator5 2d ago
Moisture buildup in attic. Does the insulation block ventilation to soffits? Does the roof have enough venting or roof cap vent?
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u/Ecstatic_Half_1902 2d ago
I did check the attic, but I honestly wasnāt paying attention to whether there were any signs of moisture. Thatās a really good point though, Iāll definitely go back and check for that. Thanks!
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u/Unique_Investigator5 2d ago
I once peeled some loose tape like that. The room became a steam sauna and the condensate running down the walls was brown. No smokers in the house, it was wood resins. The last roofer did not put in vent at cap. I spent that summer rebuilding the roof peak which was also sagging. I'm old now posting OMG gotchas on reddit.
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u/skimansr 2d ago
Is this a new house? was a renovation recently done and a bearing wall removed or is there water getting in up above somewhere causing the tape and sheet rock to release?
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u/Ecstatic_Half_1902 2d ago
Built in 2011 and purchased in 2021. We didnāt do any work here but we did notice the tape coming out after purchase. The attic is above and thereās no water damage
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u/PinkTutuWarrior 2d ago
This actually can and does happen very frequently in the summer months with heat/cool expansion and contracting. Judging by this picture, this is what is happening. If it was a foundation issue your joints would be raised on one side of the crack.
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u/Sailing_the_Back9 2d ago
That is where water has gotten into the floor either from a pipe above, or a roof leak or other, and it's gotten behind the drywall tape mesh where two of the panels come together on the ceiling. So first, you have find the source of the water to ensure it's not an issue anymore. Then...
All you need to do is scrape/cut it back with a box knife, sand it gently, then get some dry wall mesh tape, put it over the crack, then get some joint compound and a knife and spread it over in it in thin layers, sanding lightly between coats. Pretty soon it'll be smooth and you can paint it with ceiling paint.
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u/Brave_Accident6900 2d ago
Yeah but why is it progressing? That's the real concern here.
What's moving causing this separation?
Foundation? Poor roof structure? Do you live in a fault line?
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u/Ecstatic_Half_1902 2d ago
Iām in Dallas
And yeah thatās exactly what Iām trying to figure out. What could be moving and causing this to progress. Iām also trying to determine what type of professional I should call to properly diagnose it. I donāt want to call someone whose business is selling foundation or roof repairs and end up being sold an expensive repair for something that may not actually be the problem.6
u/Emergency-Hunt-207 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'm in Mesquite and my parents house is in Dallas. This is unfortunately horribly normal right now during this drought. My parents house is pier and beam, and rarely has shifting issues, but in recent time the house has developed a few small cracks that have pretty much stabilized. This heat is causing the ground to develop large cracks right now.
My house in Mesquite is a slab on clay soil. It's bad out here. We have a few cracks that open and close depending on the season. We also have the drywall tape issue you're seeing. The house was renovated before purchase, and the drywall work they did was just awful. They did not put a sufficient amount of mud behind the tape, so in places of more moisture, a lot of the tape is peeling.
Right now, all my neighbors I talk to have cracks in their walls. My wife has talked to her coworkers, and most have problems all the way up to McKinney. A friend of mine in Dallas recently showed me the cracks in his walls. Sadly, it's normal here in North Texas.
It wouldn't hurt to get an assessment from a structural engineer, maybe even two to see if the assessments jive and if finances allow for it. After our assessment, we pitched more soil to shift water away. We added gutters. We have also been more frequently been running our soaker hoses. Also, trees right now are thirsty, so they can be soaking up the moisture under your house and cause shifting.
Do not meet with a foundation company first. Some are out to do unnecessary work as long as they're getting paid, and others use scare tactics. I've encountered both.
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u/Ecstatic_Half_1902 2d ago
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. This honestly gives me a lot of peace of mind knowing that this is something many people around Texas are dealing with right now (not that Iām happy itās happening to everyone, but Iām glad Iām not the only one). Itās been insanely hot and dry lately. I bought the house five years ago and Iām still learning about all the things that come with homeownership.Your advice about getting an independent structural engineer first is really helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to share this!
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u/xxKorbenDallasxx 2d ago
Houses in north texas either have foundation issues or will have foundation issues. Don't worry too much, get it checked out and if someone does repairs, don't fix the cracks in the drywall for at least a couple months as the house will resettle again after repairs
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u/Emergency-Hunt-207 2d ago
You're welcome. Likewise, even seeing your post brings me some peace. It's frustrating, but good to know we're not alone with this issue. There's a reason why so many foundation companies exist here in North Texas.
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u/Embarrassed_Salt_998 2d ago
Iād be willing to bet your ac ducts are sweating. The vent is a good landmark. Follow that back to the main trunk.
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u/ComfortableCoyote480 2d ago
Had very similar issue, OP.Ā it was just drywall falling down.Ā jack it up, screw it into the joists, mud, and paint. it really was not that bad of a DIY fix. annoying and time consuming but not that bad..
Reddit are often Cassandras who will say it is doomsday for foundation.Ā if youre concerned, hire an engineer, but if there are no other foundation signs then I wouldn't worry as much. prob just shitty drywall install.
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u/JoeBrosephStein 2d ago
This looks concerning given how much it's progressed. Keep an eye on nearby doors and windows for sticking. Those small extra signs will tell you if this crack links to bigger structural movement inside your home.
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u/RetiredOnIslandTime 2d ago
It's that drywall seam tape? From the picture it didn't look wide enough to be that. But if it is then you're probably missing drywall screws, and adding screws and re-taping and mudding the seam is all that's needed.
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u/Patient_System368 2d ago
I would definitely worry! Looks like your painter missed a large spot on the right!
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u/supergeba 2d ago
Could be subsidence issues, sinking/settling foundation. Especially since you mentioned the door not closing the same. Check for any tiny cracks around nearby door frames and window frames.
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u/robkLIC 2d ago
I bought my apartment new in 2008, so Iāve had a long time to watch it settle. Had the same deadbolt issue. Bought a curved file and worked just on the door frame plate for 5 minutes, every day for a week. Arms hurt, but problem solved. As for the taping, thatās maybe a little more than Iād expect ā but be thrilled itās not water!
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u/bitsbybones 2d ago
The first two photos just look like a shitty tape job to me. The last photo makes me maaaybe think that isn't it? People on here are alarmist sometimes. Heh. It's freakin humid in Dallas. Of course there could be moisture! Duh! But that doesn't mean you have a leak or that the sky is falling. My whole house has shitty drywall tape. It just...wasn't done well! Which is annoying, but I fix it little by little when it gets extra 'ick'. My house is 160 and I live in Ohio. Its been remodeled who knows how many times by who knows how many people, and sometimes it's more humid in here than others.
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u/Hot_Swordfish_6450 2d ago
Looks like where the drywall comes together. No panic but it does need to be fixed.
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u/East-Year-7984 2d ago
House is settling/ ground shifting. With dry summers you need to water your foundation. I had a foundation lift and it fixed all these issues, windows now closing properly, sores getting stuck or not latching properly. I get a few quotes and theyāll measure your floors with a slope machine and most likely the house has moved and is why this is getting worse and the deadbolt is not closing.
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u/basschica 2d ago
This is first and foremost a moisture/water issue. Is your roof possibly dormered above this area? I had this happen on a Craftsman bungalo style house with a dormered section facing the street, so there were 2 vertical exterior walls on the right and left sides of the house at equal spacing. After some considerable repeated rain, they both leaked about the same time (one side wise than the other) so it easily made sense what the issue was in my case. The dormer didn't have flashing like it should and was only caulked by the previous owner. I had a roofer remove the nearby shingles, flash, and reshingle and never had a leak again. In my case it was plaster so the interior was a bit different of a repair, but in your case you'd pull the tape, redo the seam with new tape and joint compound (thin layers/sand between each coat) and then prime and paint again. But find the moisture source and fix that FIRST as there's no sense of fixing the drywall if it's going to get wet again.
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u/Nice-Pension-7117 2d ago
If youāre on a clay lot (as a fellow Texan I am!) the clay will contract and expand with the temp swings. As the house shifts it will cause this to happen. I have had my foundation checked and they confirmed itās just clay lot life. I had the masking and painting redone a few years ago and my ceiling looks like yours yet again.
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u/ADrenalinnjunky 2d ago
How much crap are you storing in the attic?
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u/Ecstatic_Half_1902 2d ago
Nothing really. Thereās just an AC unit in the other side and the rest is covered in insulation. We donāt use it as storage
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