Is my house coming down?
Question:My townhose is 15 years old and some of the ceiling drywall panels appear to be popping apart. I also notice it where the corners of the walls meet and looks as tho the walls are shifting. I have been told that drywall separation and sagging are normal in modern homes, but I am concerned that perhaps the house was built poorly and the wall and panel shifts are abnormal. Parts of the walls appear to have shifted and sagged enough to separate the drywall panels. And some of the walls no longer seem to be straight, and seem to be warping At what point should I become concerned that the structural integrity of the house is at stake? Are there other signs or clues, that might mean that the house is structurallly poor, or am I over reacting? The house has not been painted or drywall touched up, or repaired in 15 years.Will the drywall panel shifts continue or will they stop at some point. I am wondering if I just paint and touch up the drywall cracks if all will be well for another 15 years
Answers:
Check with your neighbors and see if they are having problems. This may be something the homeowners association needs to address, particularly if it is a building foundation problem.
Check the foundations.
It is normal for a foundation to sink over 5-10 years. It should slow down after that tho. The drywall cracks and separates can be repaired. If you think it is excessive or abnormal, contact a foundation expert for an opinion.
Your foundation is shifting because you don't have gutters. The water around your foundation from rain is causing the soil to expand and contract too much. Put the gutters on before repairs.
Sounds like a structural problem to me. Either foundation or framing. An inspection by a experienced and qualified structural engineer is your best choice to determine the problem and how bad it is. Foundation movement caused by expansive soils is a continuing problem caused by changing moisture content of the bearing soil. There are things that can be done to reduce the magnitude of the movement and the resultant distress.
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