Thread: Cracked wall

Should I worry about this crack? What is causing this wall to crack like this ??

I cannot make out what is at the right side of the photo, but it looks like the cracks starts at a corner. These are usually stress cracks that occur due to lumber shrinkage of deflection (sagging) of floors. At that size I would not typically be concerned. If it increases in size significantly, then it may be a concern.

Nice picture!
Kitchen behind yes?
Bearing wall opened up with no header installed?
You must learn to photo document. Wide angle and close up
Picture should tell the story
You are the narrator

Originally Posted by Mark Reinmiller

I cannot make out what is at the right side of the photo, but it looks like the cracks starts at a corner. These are usually stress cracks that occur due to lumber shrinkage of deflection (sagging) of floors. At that size I would not typically be concerned. If it increases in size significantly, then it may be a concern.

Thank you for your post.

I have reloaded the images. The other image is the same wall but from kitchen side. Is there a way to stop this?

Agnes

These images are better. They do look a bit worse than the first image. My level of concern would be about the same as in my last post if the cracks have been there for a while and have not grown much. If these are new cracks I would be looking closer for a cause. If this is above a crawl space look for damaged or deteriorated floor joists or beams, or very wet conditions.

Check for support directly below that door frame. The wall has shifted downwards since the last time the wall was painted. The drywall seam on the red wall is an amateur patch from the look of it, which is now cracked maybe for the second time.
So yes it is a concern, until you determine why it happened.

I would be a little more concerned about the first, horizontal crack than the other one. The second vertical crack is slight settlement taking advantage of where there is probably a joint between two sheets of drywall.
It also depends somewhat if I see other cracks in other places, any pattern to the location of the cracks, age of home, what is the underlying structure (slab, basement, crawlspace??). Can you see it on both sides of the wall? Were there any additions to the home? Humidity levels? Soil type?

Originally Posted by Aga Lakomy

Should I worry about this crack? What is causing this wall to crack like this ??

Aga
There is much too little known from a picture such as this. If the soils are a class of clay that is highly expansive then this could be normal and acceptable for a given location and foundation type, etc..
If the soils are sandy and well compacted then it would not be normal, depending upon foundation type. If it is a slab, then something could be wrong with structure or foundation. If it has a crawl space and piers with extremely sandy soil, the there could be settlement at the piers and levelling of the piers might be required.

I have even found houses with major sttuctural issues that had cracks such as this as the only indicator. Wood rot and termits could even be a cause. In Florida we even see this as a possible sign of sink hole or major soil shifting, espeically if it appears suddenly.

I could go on and on with the possibilities. You need to find out what is causing it, a patch and paint will not stop it from happening again and depending on the cause you may be able to effect proper permanent repair or it may be "the way it is" for the build and conditions.

Originally Posted by Aga Lakomy

Should I worry about this crack? What is causing this wall to crack like this ??

I think we need more information. If this is your home, how long have you lived there and do you know if any "Flippers" had the home before, or did you make any structural changes to the building?

Besides the normal structural issues that are dealt with on a day-to-day basis, the trend now is to make "open spaces" without any apparent regard to the structural integrity and safety of the structure. I'm sure you have see the TV shows---they are on every day. Only once (Flip the Block) did I see an inspector doing his job. Mike Holmes excluded in this discussion.

Just one question. Over what period of time did that crack develop?