Nail pops and drywall cracks

I've spent so much time perusing forums and sites about the ifs, and buts, about nail pops and drywall cracks but can't wrap my head around the numerous things going on at the same time in this house. Or...maybe I'm crazy. Over the past 3 or 4 months numerous, probably 3 dozen or so nail pops spanning both stories of the house have started to show. I have 3 doorways and hallways that have vertical cracks, no diagonal, over them. Some seem like paint/board is crushed above the moulding. I have 3 windows that have a vertical crack underneath them. The basement has a floor crack I filled in probably 2 years ago near a steel beam (basement is unfinished) has separated slightly. What I don't seem to have is sticking doors, windows, etc. I don't have any large cracks on the basement walls. Those cracks I do have down there are hairline and vertical. All this in a short time doesn't make sense to me to be settling in a 14 year old house (built in 2007). Am I over stressing or should I be calling someone out to look at this, and, if so, who?

I posted a month or so ago where a tree fell into and ripped the basement walkout rail out of the concrete on one side (just noting, don't know if it's related).

 

Vertical cracks are usually a result of poor drywall hanging technique, poor joint placement. As for the nail pops it's hard to say why they would seem to occur in a short time. Is this occurring on one particular side of the house? Afternoon sun maybe? Or is it happening on all sides of the house?

I know that around here, a lot of nail pops are often a result of our cold winters... the nail heads sweat, rust and eventually pop off the thin layer of mud covering them. I expect something similar could happen in the deep south in reverse... maybe due to the air conditioning.

Are they nails or screws?

 

All nails, no screws...high quality. Here's what I meant about the walkway. The paint looks like it's being compressed or cracked all the way across like it's under more stress.



This is the crack on the floor I filled in the past. May be nothing. Also, never paid attention to those bolts in the rim joists...they're just hanging out. Again, may be just stressing out.

 

That's interesting to see the rim joist bolts sticking out like that. Usually the bolts are set in the concrete and there are nuts on the rim joist. I don't think that's causing a stress issue though.

 

Drywall can sometimes sag under it's own weight. I'm not sure I can explain why or how this happens just that I have seen it... I would have to assume it's more likely to occur when drywall is nailed rather than screwed, and a lack of glue and skimping on fasteners probably makes it worse. I've often seen it sag where a vertical area (such as the vertical part above your walkway) meets a doorway or lower ceiling. Often, when the junction has corner bead, the corner bead on the ceiling side will tip as the drywall slips down and it pops the corner bead.

 

Thank you for the responses. They make sense. At this point it would take me a month to go around and fix everything because of how many rooms it affects. My concern is since there are so many in such little time, is there an bigger underlying cause? The only maintenance this year on the house was a new roof cap due to a leak and that was remedied. Next week, it's being completely replaced but only for wind damage, not leaks. Thanks again

 

It's not uncommon to have nail pops. I generally either knock the nail back in or pull it [whichever is easier] and put a screw a couple inches away from where the nail popped. The repairs will need to be mudded and painted. You don't have to make all the repairs at once. Unless they are really unsightly many wait until it's time to paint the room to make the repairs.

 

I will also go with the other guys, nail pops are very common, I've had hoses with them and some without and in the long haul nothing has developed that was detrimental.

A house is sort of a living breathing animal, wood expands in the summer, contracts in the winter, everything moves, and some times things give!

 

Nail pops happen.
If you have humidity swings, they happen more often.
If the house was EVER vacant, they're MUCH more likely to happen.
I'm a Realtor in Pennsylvania. My grandfather owned a lumberyard. My father and uncles had a rule "NEVER buyer a house built in 1955 or 1972." Those are the years when Pennsylvania was hit with hurricanes and many industrial areas close to major rivers and creeks (such as lumberyards) were flooded. Which means that there was ALOT of cheap wet lumber available during those years, and it bends and racks the house as it dries.
I've seen the SAME thing with homes that went through the 2006 crash, where there was standing water in the basement, and the basement partition walls swelled and then had to be removed because of mold. Removing the moldy basement partition walls does NOT fix the underlying problem that the entire house has heaved up around 1" because humidity caused the wood to swell.

 

Sorry to addon to this but found it interesting. My garage has also seen some issues. The stairs going into the house seem to have raised and cracked one of the risers. Also, the door frame/trim is doing the same thing. The apron is no longer level but raised. I'm assuming because there's a slight peak in the middle of the garage floor? The drywall above the garage door is buckled as well.

 

Have you figured anything out with this? I also have nails popping all over my three story home. Mostly in the upper walls. also have the window and door cracks. Some of the walls look like they have a horizontal bowing forming in the middle. All of this within a year and nothing the last seven years I’ve lived here.

 

Sorry, I just came around to answering this. I didn't notice the latest response from January.

My issues was related to a failed load bearing wall on the front side of the house. We uncovered it after seeing some soft drywall underneath the window. Water was intruding behind the flashing of the porticolis over our front step and draining down the window. The entire wall was rotted which caused drywall sag in the rooms above, doorframe issues housewide, etc. The house has since had time to resettle. What a nightmare it has caused!

 

I just like you have searched the internet over for more than a year trying for piece together what has been going on in my house. I came across this forum and saw what you wrote and I couldn’t believe how similar it is to what I’ve been dealing with. In my case we had water damage behind an exterior masonry stone wall. All the rotten wood has since been replaced and now I’m wondering is it over or is there more foundation damage we are not aware of? I believe our entire problem was because of clogged downspout gutter drains. I’m gonna have someone come out and look at the foundation but I was wondering what all you had to have done in order to fix your situation. It has truly been a nightmare. I feel your pain. I hope things have since settled down for you and your home.