Multiple Dynamic Cracks - Drywall

I have a problem with expanding/contracting cracks in a living room wall. The house was built in 1986, the material is drywall, standard stud wall, and the room has a cathedral ceiling. This is a load bearing wall.

The first crack has existed since we moved in 8 years ago. It opens in the winter to about 1/8” and then mashes closed in the summer to probably ¼” overlap. There was an attempt to repair it (prior owner) – mesh tape with about 1/8” of a hard product after cleaning and filling the crack.

The second crack was also previously repaired and is now re-developing through its repair. In the attached pictures it is just inside of the blue tape - it's still fine enough not to show on the attached pictures.

Miscellaneous info: The second floor behind the cracks is an unfinished/unheated attic. Appears this area bulges about ¾” from the plane of the wall. The wall-ceiling joint is dressed adequately with a wide bead of caulking. On the opposite side of this wall from the first crack, there is a fine diagonal crack about 10” long going upward from the corner of the door opening.

I’m getting ready to paint and am looking for input on the best course to repair the cracks for the long term. (And my wife won’t buy into just raising the picture.) I've done a bit of dry walling on new construction and remodels as well as moderate sized patching jobs. I’m a little concerned on the movement this area is showing. I've looked at several other threads on this site and have some ideas, but was wanting some thoughts specific to my problem. Thanks, looking forward to comments.

 

Welcome to the forums!

How is that wall supported, particularly under the near corner of the doorway?

Mod Note: I edited your post to remove the formatting. If you type directly in the boxes in the forum, that problem shouldn't happen.

 

Thanks for the welcome...
First, apologies; I gave incorrect information in the post - that is not a load bearing wall.
The house is on a crawl space, one of two support beams for the floor joists would run just to the left of the wall opening. These support beams run perpendicular to the wall in question.
Also, just looking over the problem to reply to you, I'm becoming suspicious of the intersection of the (real) load bearing wall in the next room which intersects the back of the problem wall just to the right of the up/down crack.
Hopefully this, and the new picture will provide the information you requested.
Thanks.

 

It appears that the wall with the crack is dropping at or near the cased opening while not moving near the balcony. I would look in the crawlspace to see exactly where that support beam is located relative to the load-bearing wall and the cased opening.

Do the edge of the balcony and the wall between the kitchen and the dining room form one continuous line, or are they offset from each other?

If the support beam is directly under the kitchen/dining room wall, you might need to add a footer, a pressure block and a support post under the near edge of the cased opening.

Are you sure? It appears to be supporting a second floor wall and the ceiling of the dining room, as well as the floor and room on top of that.

 

I've attached a picture with tape markings on the wall. I outlined the dining room wall, and placed an 'X' above the support beam. It falls just off the support wall. The horizontal tape is the ceiling line in the dining room.
As you can see the balcony and dining room wall are offset.
The nearest support post is 18" into the dining room. Attaching some pictures of it - doesn't look good, but I don't know if that would account for a crack opening and closing?
Also, regarding the load bearing status - roof trusses and floor joists in the dining/kitchen run parallel to the problem wall. Nothing is tied into that wall, in that area.

Thanks...

 

Is it an optical illusion or do both floor joists run downhill from the block pier? I've never seen a joist shimmed like the bottom pic shows What size are the floor joists? and how far between piers?

It doesn't appear that there is any movement with the block pier. Do all the other piers look good? Any other discrepancies in the floor framing? Making sure there aren't any framing or foundation issues will go along way towards insuring the wall repair will be permanent.

Fixing the crack in the drywall is fairly straight forward. If needed, scrape out any loose material and then mud and tape the crack. Paper tape has a LOT better reputation than the self adhesive mesh tape.

 

Marksr -
That bow is an illusion - they're loaded but not bowed like that picture looks like. That said the beam does sit low where it comes off the pier on that broken shim board.

I didn't crawl all the way to the back, but it appeared all the piers had these shims on them. They (builders) caught the others closer to center so they aren't almost falling off.

I think the joists are 2x12's 16 OC with a 14' span. The beams are 3-2x12's nailed, with 12' between piers.

I didn't see anything obvious on the joists or pier except for the crushed shim. That pier is located just about the right place to cause the wall to drop. The puzzle is, the crack contracts back closed about 3/8" in the summer. I'm not able to figure out where that movement would be coming from.

If I can get the wall stabilized, the cracks themselves shouldn't be a problem.

I appreciate the suggestions and the questions. The discussion has helped me see some things I had missed and make sense out of some of the issues.

 

Cracks tend to be more noticeable or open up in the winter when the air is drier and close up in the more humid summer. Running the HVAC all year [no open windows ] helps to keep the humidity at a more constant level. That said, 3/8" is a LOT of expansion/contraction!

I'm a painter not a carpenter/builder but you floor joists sound like they are big enough for the span. Earlier you said you didn't think it was a load bearing wall - why? Is that wall not over the beam?

 

The beam runs perpendicular to the problem wall. Roof trusses and floor joists run parallel to it. Balcony may be supported by this wall, but it is on the other side of the (support) beam.

The dining room wall - if you look @ earlier pictures in the background - is supporting unfinished second floor joists and runs parallel just off the beam. That wall comes into the back of problem wall in the area of the cracks. I'm suspicious of that area as it's right in the area of the cracks.

Like you say, that's a lot of movement. This is one of those painting jobs there is nowhere to stop - cathedral ceiling LR & entry, two hallways. I don't want to make it a frequent event.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

wow That looks like you have some serious settling problems......or.... is the DW on each side of the crack nailed tight. Push the DW on each side of the crack and see if it "gives" at all.

 

Chip,
It's tight, and when I sound it, it's normal (patched) wall.

 

Oh well, we tried. Its hard to tell whats going on structurally unless you make dimensioned floor plans of the area. Start with whats under and supporting the floor, then whats on top, then what you think is loaded on top of that

 

Well, the under is fairly easy; but how the support wall for the second floor joists and balcony affect that area, well, I'm still studying. Since it has to be patched anyway, I may do some 'surgery' in the area to see what and how things are tied in.

 

dont tear into it yet. no use making more patch work than necessary. probably wont see much anyway. make a basic floor plans of the general area and we can probably figure it out

 

How long have you lived in the house? Have the cracks gotten worse over time?

 

Chip -
Don't worry, not one to jump in until I know how deep the water is...

House was built in '86 we moved in late summer 2005. Crack had been patched & spot painted when we moved in. It hair-lined that winter and now gets about 1/8" in the late winter and mashes back to about 1/8"+ overlap in late summer. In the last couple years, a second previously repaired crack also is returning.

If you look back at the first set of pictures I uploaded, the blue tape follows the second crack; in the later pictures, the yellow tape marks the second crack. Previous in the thread I explained the other tape markings.

Thanks.

 

If its been there a long time and isnt getting worse, you dont have anything to worry about structurally. A lot of times cracks will appear as a house "moves" between the seasons (caused by differing humidity levels) You can see that the big cracks you have appear to follow joints in the drywall. When hanging a house we try to plan so sheets span over certain framing members to avoid cracking later and offsets that are hard to finish.

 

Let me check to see if I'm hearing you correctly.

Are you saying that the wall with the cracks in it is parallel to the floor joists, and is 18" to one side of the point where the two beam ends rest on the pier?

When you took the picture of the pier with the failed shim, where were you? Which room were you under, which way were you facing, and how far away (and in which direction) were the walls we can see?

 

Nashkat1 & Chip -

Hopefully this drawing will answer your questions and help orient you with the pictures & narrative. Fairly close to scale. The support beam does sit just off the dining room wall.

As far as upstairs loading: floored attic (tall 1.5 story house) above dining room, and then the balcony.

Thanks.

A

 

OK, thanks.

The proximate cause of the cracks in your living room wall appears to be the failed pier, but there may be more involved. That includes that the main support beam may not sit directly under any wall, and there does not appear to be any framing support for the LR/DR wall.

You need to lift the load off the pier with the broken shim and replace the original blocking and shimming with solid blocking. Seasoned oak would be my first choice. Measure on the side of the pier away from the LR wall and add about 1/16" to 1/8" to make this piece.

You should not add any patching to the walls until after you have rebuilt the framing and support systems. In fact, any that was added earlier should be removed. Then use tape to mirror the framing and support onto the floor above, and use a long level to determine the slope in each direction toward the pier.

When you are ready to make the actual lift, you should use a pair of "bottle jacks" - heavy-duty hydraulic jacks that can lift multiple tons each, or heavy-duty screw jacks. You will need enough short pieces of heavy seasoned timber to builds four cribs, spaced around the pier. You will also need two 6' to 8' lengths of heavy timber - at least 8 X 8s - to span the support beam. The cribs should be built so that the live end, toward the jacks, is about twice as long as the fulcrum end.

Once you have the cribs on solid footing, below the loose gravel, build the fulcrums, set the jacks in place, and lift one long timber onto each set. Start by raising the jacks, alternating between them, just enough to solidly push against the beam. Every few days after that, you can raise each jack just a bit. Probably no more than 1/8" on any given day.

When the beam is lifted enough to let you put the new blocking in place, do that, and lower the beam just enough to keep the new blocking from moving. Then, before you take all of the load off the jacks, install blocking under the LR/DR wall. Then lower the jacks all the way - but not all at once.

I would advise you to engage a local structural engineer to make a hands-on evaluation before doing anything else. As for the actual work, most rigging companies - house-movers - are experienced, equipped and bonded to do this.

 

When I saw the broken shim and the way the beam was sitting, I figured this was the road I'd have to go down. I've helped raise smaller buildings, so I understand basics of it, but that was some years ago - I'm thinking out of my DIY realm at this point.

I appreciate your input on this problem, it has been very helpful. I'll try to continue to post as I work through the fix.

 

Thanks, Bcat. Feedback helps everyone learn!

Your experience with raising smaller buildings should pay off here. In fact, it sounds like it's already paying off, when you say you're thinking outside your DIY realm, or comfort zone, here. That boundary is something we all struggle with.

 

That tripple 2x12 beam, where are the splices on the other two layers? (we only see the front layer)

 

Being that you say the crack closes up in the summer time, I would be inclined to bet that the pier is staying true and the other side of the beam and all the joists that rests on the outside wall heaves in the winter (if anything is moving at all) Before you jack anything I would get a laser and see what and how much anything has dropped

 

Chip,
Here's some quality work for you...

What would you shoot with the laser?

And my next chance - probably over the weekend - I'm going to take a complete tour of the crawl space and all the beams and piers just to see if there is anything else I need to know.

We haven't had too much winter the last two years; ground has crusted but only for a few days - I was thinking more moisture component than ground heaving. Although the outside wall moving upward would be the right direction and account for the bulge in the wall.

 

I would get a hold of a rotary laser that spins. That way you could measure down to the floor all over the place and see were the low spots are. You could even set it up in the crawl space and measure up to the joists. Under there you would be able to check the whole house if you wanted to from 1 spot.



yea that bit about the heave was more thinking aloud than anything. I was just wondering why the cracks close up in the summer. I realize the humidity plays a big factor but thats a pretty big crack. The fact that it does close up though leads me away from a sinking post. Do you have any other cracks in the house besides the hairline opposite the biggie?

Also, can you see down inside of the problem area from the opposite side of the wall in the attic?

Once you do repair the cracks, I would cut out a section 4' high by 5 or 6' wide that would span that whole area. That way you would be certain that the new DW and old DW is screwed at every possible location. I would guess that if you were to follow the outline of those cracks it would be one piece of drywall. They hung the wall to the left and hung the wall to the right seprately and that piece is the oddball left over. Being that you have a nice bulge in that area suggests that the wall is not balloon framed and therefore have different framing members meeting there. By spanning the whole area you would reduce the chances of cracks later on.

It is probable that your floor at that spot sank slightly at one time (evident by the smashed shim). It probably happened shortly after being built as things settled. Due to the fact that it doesn't appear to be getting worse, I would think that everything is stable. You could jack the spot up a little if you do find that it is low, but if you can't notice it as you walk around, why bother?

 

If it's not the pier (as the crack reveal between built-up joists are equal), it may just be seasonal cracks as said already. Wood moves with the seasonal relative humidity in the house, especially across grain in a floor joist. Fig. 3: BSI-023: Wood Is Good . . . But Strange — Building Science Information
With the upper sheet of drywall joint breaking below the rim joist instead of on the rim, it may be just flexing. You could add an expansion joint in the drywall to allow for seasonal changes; pp.6, fig.6; http://bestdrywall.com/files/ReduceCallbacks.pdf

A good read; Minimizing Wood Shrinkage Problems

Gary

 

Chip,
Didn't do any crawling over the weekend. Had a little dry(er) weather and am trying to thin out some honeysuckle so I took advantage of being outside.

As far as other cracks, there is a vertical crack in line with this area in the master bedroom. Not nearly as bad, or as much movement. That would be behind me as I took the pictures of the wall with the cracks. There are other places move a bit seasonally - counter back splashes gave me fits for several seasons til I got the right sealer at the right time.

The attic is completely floored, so I can't see into that area. I figure when I repair the drywall I'll get a good look.

I've got calls into a couple local structure engineer firms to see what they have to say.

 

Gary,
I have just glanced over those articles, but they really look informative. I appreciate you posting those links.

 

Here is an update on my cracked wall...

I had a structural engineer evaluate the situation with the wall and the pier with the off-center beam joint.

His opinion is that the pier/beam situation is a structural deficiency that should be corrected, but the crack is a result of "architectural, not structural" members. While the beam crushing the shim could result in the wall cracking, it's in a stable position and the seasonal closing of the crack is likely the structure responding to heat and humidity.

His suggestion was to open up the wall beyond the area of damage and replace with a sheet of drywall. While the wall is opened, check the wall construction for damage or problems. He was interested in the junction of the problem wall, balcony beam, and kitchen/dining room (bearing) wall. As I knew, the loads are not in line with the support beam in this area, and he was intersted in what the wall structure was to support these loads.

Prior to him being out, I had removed some loose patching and it appears the wall bulge is the result of multiple patch jobs - it appears there are at least three patches and the last one was pretty heavy.

His recommendation on the pier was to either jack the beam and replace the existing 2x6 and shim with a 2x8 and high density shim OR build another pier against the existing pier to add support to beam. He mentioned the existing footer had enough area for this, but it would need to be probed to be sure the concrete he saw was supported sufficiently.

Right now I'm tracking down contractors for quotes on the jacking and re-shim. I'll get on the wall when that's done.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and input on this problem.

 

Bingo! Thanks for the feed-back. Send check or money order to; Gary at XXXXXXXX, lol.

Glad we could help!

Gary

 

Anytime! And I've got some other projects - I'll run a tab
B/C