Ceiling crack, trying to get an idea what I'm in for

Just this past week we noticed a crack in the ceiling near our kitchen. I have also noticed some difficulty shutting/opening some doors on that end of the house. I'm more than likely going to need a contractor as this is way above my pay grade. Hoping you guys have some ideas just so I can have an idea what I'm in for and how urgent the situation is. Slab foundations, wood framed, brick veneer on the front.
















All on the right hand side of the house. The crack by the window is under the window to the right of the door.

Thanks for any insight?

 

Welcome to the forums

So you've been in the house a while and the crack and door issues are recent?

 

Has anyone been in the attic? Has there been any major construction nearby?

 

Been in the house since June 2010. No major construction in the area to my knowledge. I was up in the attic a few months ago moving satellite connections. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, but wasn't on that side of the house a whole lot. I can get back up there if you've got an idea of what I should look for. The only other incident was July 2011 where one of the columns fell while I was at clinic one day. Came home and found it like this. I'd assumed they were attached, but were apparently not. Got it back, but I'm curious if it should be bearing weight or if they are just truly decorative.

Any other info/pictures I can provide?

 

That column was near the part of the house having the issue now?

 

Cracks are recent 7-10 days. Doors have been a while longer, not exactly sure. The green door definitely got worse around when the cracks appeared.

 

Just the crack by the window (blue wall)

 

No need to go back into the attic, I thought maybe someone had slipped or put their weight in the wrong spot.... but that's been ruled out as a cause

The posts on both sides of the porch carry a load. How long was the post not bearing weight? is it secure now? For the most part the porch roof/structure is separate from the living area and I wouldn't think it would affect it much but if there was poor workmanship on the porch - what else wasn't done correctly When was the house built?

 

No gutters means all the water from your roof is seeping in right around the foundation... that's the first thing I'd want to correct. There is a TON of water coming down that valley and its probably causing the concrete to sink, which is why the post fell off. That corner of the house must be going down. Some soil is expansive, and will expand with hydraulic pressure when it becomes saturated with water. Other soil that may have been poorly compacted may settle as it becomes saturated with water. Have you noticed water pooling around the house anywhere, like around the left rear tire of your car, or under the carport? Or to the right of the carport by the exterior door?

And do the 3 interior doors in that top picture all seem to still be square or do the rub on the top/side?

Are there any cracks visible in the brick veneer in front? Or any issues with the floors inside? Cracked tiles, etc?

 

You're probably right. That valley does turn into a waterfall when it rains. No significant pooling up by the house. End of the driveway does pool a little. Everything has appeared to drain well. I was kinda concerned about the lack of gutters as the house I grew up in has them but that appeared to be somewhat of the norm for the area. House was built in the early 70s IIRC. There is only one spot where a tile has cracked and that's been like that since the beginning. Of the 3 doors in Pic 1, the Left door functions fine. The middle door (pantry) actually rubs on the floor in the middle of the arc. The right door (exterior to carport) opens and closes fine, but has to "lifted up" to get the deadbolt to shut. The green door exterior that leads into the side room pinches at the top left corner.

 

Okay well I will take a stab in the dark and say that the green exterior door is unrelated to the other problem areas, unless it has also suddenly changed drastically in the last couple weeks.

Let's assume that the vast amount of water coming off the valley has saturated uncompacted soil and has caused it to settle around the area where the column fell out. Let's also assume that the ceiling joists in the kitchen are cantilevered over the exterior wall and that they form the soffit of the porch roof. (this is something you might be able to verify if you go in the attic again- if the joist is continuous as it passes over the exterior wall and out toward the front of the porch roof.) If the post base was to sink, this would cause the post to fall away, leaving one side of the cantilevered porch roof dangling. The downward pressure OUTSIDE the exterior wall would likely create some uplift on the ceiling joists that are INSIDE the exterior wall, since the exterior wall would act like a fulcrum, or pivot point. This uplift would crack the drywall, since the 1st, 2nd and 3rd joists that are NOT cantilevered would remain stationary as they is sitting on the exterior wall and interior walls that form the entryway and the left side of the carport.

I guess what I would recommend is to put a long level (78" would be best) on the bottom of the front porch soffit and see how far out of level it is. If you put the same post column back in, I am betting that it is no longer long enough to hold everything level. If the cement and the post base have sunk, that end of the porch roof probably needs to be jacked back up to level (level with the top of the column on the other side) and a longer post column needs to be installed.

Perhaps if the runoff from the roof is controlled, the sinking (and the sinking feeling) will go away.

 

The green door has gotten noticeably worse in IMO. I did put the same column back up as I wasn't aware it was load bearing. I guess I figure that since it wasn't physically attached it wasn't load bearing. BUT I guess it also makes sense that since it appears to have been load bearing, the weight was enough to keep things in place. I assume a general contractor should be able to handle the jacking and new post? Would gutters be easy enough for me to take care of? I'm moderately proficient with tools and can follow directions pretty well. Also, any idea on ballpark on price (I know over the internet far from exact science, but just to give myself a rough idea)?

And again, thank you guys for all the input!

 

At least on the front of the house it looks like you have fairly short runs of gutter which wouldn't be hard to DIY. You don't want any more joints than you have to... which will be your corners and endcaps. You should be able to buy sections of gutter that are long enough that you don't need any joints in the middle of your spans. Drops, downspouts and elbows can all be located with some careful measuring. Gutter seam sealant is what you will use for your endcaps and joints. You will get it on absolutely everything so either wear some disposable gloves or have some acetone and rags handy, or both.

As far as the pricing is concerned, I would think a contractor would be able to replace the post and jack things back up to level for a couple hundred bucks. If he brings everything on one trip, it should only take an hour or so.

You will want a drywall finisher to come and repair your ceiling and other cracks once things have settled down. You will want to confirm that jacking the porch back up is making a difference on your ceiling level where the crack is. The drywall needs to be flush on each side of the crack, because if it isn't then it probably isn't back to level or isn't done moving. The finisher will need to sand down the ceiling, tape, fill, sand, skim and sand some more, then he will need to blow some new texture. It should blend in fairly well, depending on his skill. I'd estimate a drywall finisher would charge $500 for those repairs. You will likely need to repaint the whole ceiling- I'd recommend you have a professional painter come and spray it. You'd probably be looking at around $500 for that, assuming you would handle the rest of the painting on the walls and such.

But as we always say, be sure to get a variety of estimates. And to tell you the truth, getting personal recommendations or referrals from friends or workmates is priceless. If others were happy with the guys work, its likely that you'll be happy too. Don't just take the lowest estimate. And the highest estimate doesn't guarantee quality work either.

I guess I am thinking that if the brick isn't cracked anywhere, that the foundation is still solid. The concrete sidewalks and porches, however, are prone to sink.

 

I agree with everything X said except [I]"I'd recommend you have a professional painter come and spray it"[I] I don't like spraying in an occupied dwelling! Over spray can and will go everywhere including other rooms. IMO the extra work and risk isn't worth it. There is a possibility that some of the texture will come loose when latex paint is applied. If this is expected to be an issue, the ceiling can be sealed with an oil base primer first.

 

Only reason I mentioned having a professional spray it is that I think that if a DIY tried to roll it, he would not maintain a wet edge and would have a lot of the texture come loose as he re-rolled through areas that had started to get tacky. Ur right that it would require a lot of masking (maybe an hour to put down drop cloths, mask the walls and put painters plastic over everything) to spray.

Harbor Freight does have a nice blower motor and duct for those times you need to create negative air pressure and exhaust a room. Its on my list of things to get! But the oil primer is a good tip... I assume that since it doesn't dry as quickly as flat ceiling paint, that it's a little more forgiving if your re-roll through tacky areas?

 

The water in latex paint/primer can dissolve degraded popcorn enough to make it turn loose from the ceiling. The oil primer seals the popcorn so the water can't dissolve it any. Generally if the ceiling has been painted at any point, another coat of latex paint won't cause any issues. The biggest problem areas are bath rms and any where a window is left open at night. If you paint enough popcorn ceilings you can fairly accurately predict which ceilings will be problematic. Between the texture coming loose and all the little 'kernels' that fall off into your paint - I dislike popcorn ceilings. Personally I'd take any excuse to remove the popcorn and either slick finish the ceiling or use a different texture