House cracking...Settling? Low humidity?

[HawkeyeScott]

Need some more experienced folks than I in the home ownership department...

We live in a townhouse that's almost 10 years old. Just recently (last few days) have we noticed some changes in our house. The most obvious thing is some new cracking around windows and wall corners. It's perhaps most noticeable in our nursery where some chair rail molding has separated from the wall. It's nothing major and will be fixed with some new caulking and paint.

Also, we've noticed it takes more effort to close several room and closet doors in the house, mainly on our 3rd story.

My first reaction with the cracking - since most of it took place on one side of the house - was that there some very minor settling around the foundation. I believe that to be pretty common in this region. But the doors make me wonder if it's a product of the very low humidity we've been experiencing here of late. (We've just been through an unusually cold and dry period.) Perhaps the lack of moisture in the air is changing the actual size of some things?

Again, this is not a huge concern. But it would be nice to hear some of your opinions.

Always appreciate the help.

-Scott

 

[Mr Nice]

I would be VERY concerned about the cracking cause if it is only 10 years old, whats gonna happen down the road.

Can you post a picture of the cracking ?

 

[JustinH]

I have seen this happen quite a bit with new builds. Plenty of little cracks in the corner of the walls.

Just patch them up, sounds like the house is still settling a little bit.

I have seen new houses that were about 5 years old do this..

 

[HawkeyeScott]

I should clarify. It's not the walls that are cracking. What we're seeing is a sepearation of chair rail molding from the wall and where a couple of window frames are caulked in.

The window frames would suggest to me some settling. But the chair rail molding - which is attached to that wall and that wall only - would suggest shrinkage from the low humidity.

No picture tonight, but I can tell you the largest gap is between the wall and the molding. Width-wise, you could probably wiggle a penny in there.

 

[IndyIan]

Sounds to me like the house is shifting a bit. Low humidity makes wood shrink and typically makes sticky doors open easier. I'd have a look in the basement and see if there are any cracks that are getting bigger in the foundation.

 

[LS2JSTS]

Many minor cracks from settling occur over any period of time. 1 year to 50 years a house can settle a bit at any time. Cracks that go off at 45 degree angles from an opening or vertical are usually signs of minor settling, no big deal. Cracks that run horizontal to the floor, whether they be in concrete drywall or a window/door opening are the ones to keep an eye on. And can often indicate a settling/shifting along a plane that could indicate major damage.


Sounds like you have a handle on that, and may not be what you are seeing. With the chair rail and trim remember that finish nails dont generally hold for anything. They are a smooth shank with no bite. So if the drywall or the wood trim expands or contracts at all, the nails will move along with it. The chair rail itself could have a slight warp that is getting worse over time as well. I should ask, is your trim solid wood, composite wood or is it fiber based. The fiber stuff wont warp or twist like the wood/composites do.

In any event if the gaps aren't too big. Remember caulk is your friend. Fill with a good color matched flexible caulk and the problem wont come back.

 

[Virtuoso]

Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
Many minor cracks from settling occur over any period of time. 1 year to 50 years a house can settle a bit at any time. Cracks that go off at 45 degree angles from an opening or vertical are usually signs of minor settling, no big deal. Cracks that run horizontal to the floor, whether they be in concrete drywall or a window/door opening are the ones to keep an eye on. And can often indicate a settling along a plane that could indicate major damage.


This is great information, and even put my mind at ease (we have some angled cracks at the tops of our doorways). 80 year old house though, can't ask too much!!

Thanks

 

[JohnBrowning]

Shifting load points is what we normaly hear as creaks and mystery noise's that are not sharp. after 10 years the house should not be continuing to have any settling at the foundation major enough to cause cracking at all the wondows and corners. I would get into the attack and check for any damage......The floor joices(sp)and the rest of the struactual member are not made from composite engineered lumber I hope as I have seen that stuff fail in 95% of the applications I have seen it used in when talking residental. THey tend to sage and pull away from their attachment point which changes the geometry of everything drastily and will cause cracking at all corners and around all windows and cause aligment issues of the door frams. You have to shift the entire structure to cause all of the things you report a minor shift from humidity will not cause the laundrylist of things you describe!

 

[HawkeyeScott]

The chair rail molding was recycled from another house. (I did it myself on the cheap before the baby came.) There was some warping to it, but the pieces that are separating are very short ones, near the wall corners where I'd think they'd be more securely attached. If it was from warping, I'd expect it to be in the middle of the longest pieces.

Thanks for the input guys. I really appreciate it.

 

[LS2JSTS]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
I'd have a look in the basement and see if there are any cracks that are getting bigger in the foundation.



Great Advice!

Usually a good inspection of the foundation will tell the story above, whether there is something to worry about or not.

 

[JohnBrowning]

I did a lot of labor for contraction jobs when I was in college dureing the sumers. In fact I paid for my traditional catholic wedding that way. My UNcles are Union Carpenters and one of my roomates is a contractor and the wife worked at a lumber yard then a lumber mil for probably the first 8 years I knew her. I am not that knoldgable myself but have seen and heard enough to know that what you describe is a major structual issue due to the laundry list of effects you describe. Mild cracking in one place or maybe two drasticly diferent places not that big of deal but when it is at the corners(all) and all the windows and all the doors have alignment issues that is major!

 

[LS2JSTS]

Originally Posted By: HawkeyeScott
The chair rail molding was recycled from another house. (I did it myself on the cheap before the baby came.) There was some warping to it, but the pieces that are separating are very short ones, near the wall corners where I'd think they'd be more securely attached. If it was from warping, I'd expect it to be in the middle of the longest pieces.

Thanks for the input guys. I really appreciate it.


Hmm.....How did you attach the shorter pieces, were they drilled and then nailed or did you use a pnuematic nailer? Air nailers often have a heat activated glue on the nails that helps finish nails hold, a drilled and hand nailed finish nail has very little holding power.

Maybe pull one the short pieces off the wall and inspect it. See if it has warped or twisted over time?

 

[HawkeyeScott]

No basement. Built on a pad.

It took moving here to find this out, but basements are actually very rare in this part of the country. (NC)

 

[HawkeyeScott]

LS2 - I used a DeWalt nail gun to attach the molding.

 

[LS2JSTS]

Can you inspect the slab on the lower level? Do you notice any new or shifted cracks if you can?

 

[LS2JSTS]

Could you describe the doors on the third floor not closing as well in more detail....Are they hitting in places they didnt prior to now before closing, or are they not catching the striker in the same place. Do the doors appear warped? Are they solid wood similar to the trim? Is it all of the doors on the third floor?

Do you have access to a square. Not a small one but a large builders layout square?

 

[HawkeyeScott]

Unfortunately, the slab is covered up by landscaping materials (pine needles).

The separations are mostly on the front of the house. We live about 20 to 25 feet off what's become a pretty busy road. And the number of trucks driving by has increased quite a bit the last couple years. Sometimes you can actually feel them going by, if you're on that side of the house.

Also, I noticed tonight while pushing my daughter in her stroller in the paved alley behind our house, that it seems like the alley has settled a little bit. What used to be a small bump when I'd push her from the alley into our driveway, seemed different tonight. I had to actually lean down and lift the front of the stroller up to get the wheels into the driveway.

One more thing worth mentioning: We had a very wet fall here. Lots of rain and the ground was saturated for a long period of time.

You guys are awesome for helping me think this out.

 

[LS2JSTS]

JB may be right, your last comment has given me more concern than before. The changes in the traffic patterns may have caused something to shift. I dont at this point feel confident telling you this is just normal shifting/settling. You may need someone too take a closer look at this in person.

The doors on the third floor are a bad sign in general coupled with what you say above, and now I'm concerned.

 

[Billy_D]

You need to monitor the humidity inside your home. Too much or too little humidity can create problems for your house. The relative humidity should between 35% and 50%. If you have a dehumidifier, you can set it to whatever level of humidity you are comfortable with. A hygrometer that measures the humidity isn’t too expensive, go and buy one when you get a chance.

 

[HawkeyeScott]

UPDATE: I think the doors may be a non-issue. I checked them all and they still line up fine. No bending or bowing. I got out the WD-40 and sprayed all the hinges. That seemed to free them up and do away with the unusual friction.

On that aspect of our dilemma, I think the dry air just dried up the oil from the last time I sprayed the hinges.

I just took a picture of one of the window frames. Now I'm going to go read about how to post it here.