Wendell,

I think that the PE veered off course when he made a blanket statement that cracks over square openings are not a problem.

I looked at a 1 yr old 2 story last month. Brick veneer corner of second floor centered over O.H. door. Top of door opening is sagging, cracks from door up to roof. Homeowner is taking the builder to court. Prior to building this home the builder was banned from construction in the village (Glenview) for one year due to lousy workmanship.

It seems that a header wasn't part of the framing game plan. They also skipped squash blocks - virtually the entire basement ceiling was just re-drywalled. This due to a slight plumbing problem on the second floor from poor installation.

Apparently the builder didn't forget his tricks of the trade - or learn any new ones - while he was on leave.

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Eric Barker
Moraine Woods Consulting, Inc.
Barrington, IL