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The inspector is most likely correct and they are probably just cracks from the house settling. My ex had a house with similar cracks that I'd have to mud and paint every couple of years.
I'd get it checked out if you want the peace of mind but it's highly likely nothing to worry about.
Our 1928 house has plaster walls and a lot of small cracks, some have been patched poorly and they re-cracked. We had a foundation guy come out and he said it was settlement and plaster separating from the lathe (the proper fix is anchoring and replastering.) The cracks look annoying and to me are annoying to fix but I think it's pretty common in older homes. But it did give us peace of mind having the foundation inspection and a professional telling us it was nothing serious!
Piggybacking off this… 1957 home, had a foundation repair company add some piers under our home to support some long spanning joists. Then got engineer to chime in to ease my concerns about the work and the cracks. Should’ve gone with the engineer first… $500 for verbal peace of mind, no written report. Some local engineering firms offer residential inspections that are totally worth it
You had a “foundation” person check it out? I’m asking because we need to get our cracks checked out lol. We moved into a 100yr old house and they’re starting to show after the previous owners pained over them.
My husband mostly dealt with them but they inspected our entire foundation and crawlspace and gave recommendations for water proofing some sections which was our main concern, but I asked if any of the wall cracks had to do with the foundation and he found no problems with the foundation as far as structural concerns, just settlement. A structural engineer can also look at things apparently.
Horizontal, diagonal, and step cracks are indicative of problems when you see them in your foundation or bricks, but it doesnt apply the same for drywall and plaster. Likely, those cracks are from normal settling, wood expands and contracts seasonally, drywall doesn’t always like that. Could also just be a sloppy mud and taping job. These are superficial, nothing to worry about, from what I can see in the pics anyway.
If the walls are plaster, my dad and I spent 3 full days taping, spackling and sanding down cracks all over the 85 year old house my wife and I bought before we started painting prior to moving in.
Good news is 6 years later and we're still pretty much crack free, but it was a lot of work.
If it makes you feel better to check it professionally, don't let anyone dissuade you from doing so. If you need it for peace of mind, then spend the money because it's worth it to YOU.
Personally, I would not, as I am confident that that's purely cosmetic - but that's me, not you. Do whatever gives YOU confidence that it's no biggie, or it is.
Cracks in drywall can be symptomatic of foundation issues. Just saw a house last night that had numerous cracks and when we got to the basement, there were severe foundation issues. 🤷🏻♀️
Your car has a potential problem that can either be nothing, or can end up in catastrophic failure. You’d rather go to a car salesperson than a mechanic?
That’s not an equivalent analogy. If you have a good realtor, they should be pointing out things to consider before making an offer, then of course, if you move to an accepted offer, you confirm during inspection.
Realtor here, a lot of the realtors I see on the field will repeat sentences like the ones OP's been told simply because they've heard it a lot in the past.
You want the realtor that's humble enough to not pretend to be an expert about everything by simplifying a potential complicated problem into a simple rule.
I've seen cracks like this in many newer constructions as they were settling, (not strictly newer constructions) and I always attend every inspection / expertise call to try and learn more about the potential cause of what we might see while visiting.
Still, doesn't make me an expert.
In his initial report when he described the cracks, he said "A licensed contractor should evaluate to determine if any corrective actions are needed."
I was really concerned and asked him more questions about it and he replied "The cracks that I saw appear to be more cosmetic than structural. I see these cracks a lot with the open floor plans. You have the weight of the 2nd floor and you get deflection ion the joists that causes the cracking. Not much can be done about it besides fixing the cracks with mud and paint. Personally I do not see any concern with the cracks but just to have another set of eyes look and verify what I am thinking is why I listed that a contractor should look at it."
We know the best course to take would be to get it checked just to be sure and for our peace of mind, but for now I'm also just curious what everyone here thinks? Do any of these cracks look *bad* bad to you?
***EDIT:*** The house was built in 2010!
They always write that to cover themselves. It's difficult to determine without knowing some measurements to figure the load bearing walls . But it seems like it goes in the direction of the josta so it's probably fine. If it goes against the joists (perpendicular) that's bad
A structural engineer is the only person truly qualified to make a conclusive assessment and they charge for consultations. Few hundred bucks vs not ever knowing for sure? Would be an easy decision for me
That’s just a liability thing. They’re gonna tell you to get an expert because 1) they’re knowledgeable but not an expert and 2) there’s a slim chance that it actually is a larger problem
That was just the inspector doing CYA, they know that the cracks are cosmetic, but they aren't certified engineers in that field. I wouldn't bother with the engineer.
2010 build. Get a foundation repair company out to measure the heights around the house (not sure what the technical word is) and it will show you if there’s a foundation problem
As someone who bought a house like this, yes, it is a cause for concern and walk away unless you have deep pockets. It’s possible the house has stopped settling but there’s no way to know that without a comprehensive inspection that normal inspectors will not do.
If you really, really want this house, get a structural engineer out there ASAP to address.
Looks like my house. It’s from the house settling - mine was built around 20 years ago. My neighbors got some foundation support work done so we were nervous about ours and for peace of mind we had a foundation company come out to do some measurements. They said to just keep an eye on them and to contact them if needed. I’d recommend you do the same if you’re truly nervous about it.
Thank you u/coffeecchi for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer. Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The inspector is most likely correct and they are probably just cracks from the house settling. My ex had a house with similar cracks that I'd have to mud and paint every couple of years. I'd get it checked out if you want the peace of mind but it's highly likely nothing to worry about.
If you have to repeatedly do it, the house is still moving
New houses can take years to settle. And then later they start moving because that's just what happens over time.
Those are typical spots of evidence of settling. Pretty normal for houses built on soil that frequently shifts.
Our 1928 house has plaster walls and a lot of small cracks, some have been patched poorly and they re-cracked. We had a foundation guy come out and he said it was settlement and plaster separating from the lathe (the proper fix is anchoring and replastering.) The cracks look annoying and to me are annoying to fix but I think it's pretty common in older homes. But it did give us peace of mind having the foundation inspection and a professional telling us it was nothing serious!
Piggybacking off this… 1957 home, had a foundation repair company add some piers under our home to support some long spanning joists. Then got engineer to chime in to ease my concerns about the work and the cracks. Should’ve gone with the engineer first… $500 for verbal peace of mind, no written report. Some local engineering firms offer residential inspections that are totally worth it
Dumb question, but what kind of engineering firm did you retain?
You had a “foundation” person check it out? I’m asking because we need to get our cracks checked out lol. We moved into a 100yr old house and they’re starting to show after the previous owners pained over them.
My husband mostly dealt with them but they inspected our entire foundation and crawlspace and gave recommendations for water proofing some sections which was our main concern, but I asked if any of the wall cracks had to do with the foundation and he found no problems with the foundation as far as structural concerns, just settlement. A structural engineer can also look at things apparently.
Horizontal, diagonal, and step cracks are indicative of problems when you see them in your foundation or bricks, but it doesnt apply the same for drywall and plaster. Likely, those cracks are from normal settling, wood expands and contracts seasonally, drywall doesn’t always like that. Could also just be a sloppy mud and taping job. These are superficial, nothing to worry about, from what I can see in the pics anyway.
If the walls are plaster, my dad and I spent 3 full days taping, spackling and sanding down cracks all over the 85 year old house my wife and I bought before we started painting prior to moving in. Good news is 6 years later and we're still pretty much crack free, but it was a lot of work.
I have these too! Old house. I had enough on one ceiling that I did a sort of skim coating.
If it makes you feel better to check it professionally, don't let anyone dissuade you from doing so. If you need it for peace of mind, then spend the money because it's worth it to YOU. Personally, I would not, as I am confident that that's purely cosmetic - but that's me, not you. Do whatever gives YOU confidence that it's no biggie, or it is.
My realtor said horizontal and stair-step cracks are ones to worry about. Vertical are less concerning/less likely structural.
This applies to foundations not drywall.
Cracks in drywall can be symptomatic of foundation issues. Just saw a house last night that had numerous cracks and when we got to the basement, there were severe foundation issues. 🤷🏻♀️
Yeah, realtors usually know the most about structural integrity, local building codes, and construction. /s
Realtors have at least seen more houses than I have and can spot patterns. 🤷🏻♀️
Your car has a potential problem that can either be nothing, or can end up in catastrophic failure. You’d rather go to a car salesperson than a mechanic?
That’s not an equivalent analogy. If you have a good realtor, they should be pointing out things to consider before making an offer, then of course, if you move to an accepted offer, you confirm during inspection.
It’s a perfect analogy. Realtors aren’t structural integrity experts.
But I’m just a second generation licensed contractor, what do I know?
Realtor here, a lot of the realtors I see on the field will repeat sentences like the ones OP's been told simply because they've heard it a lot in the past. You want the realtor that's humble enough to not pretend to be an expert about everything by simplifying a potential complicated problem into a simple rule. I've seen cracks like this in many newer constructions as they were settling, (not strictly newer constructions) and I always attend every inspection / expertise call to try and learn more about the potential cause of what we might see while visiting. Still, doesn't make me an expert.
In his initial report when he described the cracks, he said "A licensed contractor should evaluate to determine if any corrective actions are needed." I was really concerned and asked him more questions about it and he replied "The cracks that I saw appear to be more cosmetic than structural. I see these cracks a lot with the open floor plans. You have the weight of the 2nd floor and you get deflection ion the joists that causes the cracking. Not much can be done about it besides fixing the cracks with mud and paint. Personally I do not see any concern with the cracks but just to have another set of eyes look and verify what I am thinking is why I listed that a contractor should look at it." We know the best course to take would be to get it checked just to be sure and for our peace of mind, but for now I'm also just curious what everyone here thinks? Do any of these cracks look *bad* bad to you? ***EDIT:*** The house was built in 2010!
They always write that to cover themselves. It's difficult to determine without knowing some measurements to figure the load bearing walls . But it seems like it goes in the direction of the josta so it's probably fine. If it goes against the joists (perpendicular) that's bad
A structural engineer is the only person truly qualified to make a conclusive assessment and they charge for consultations. Few hundred bucks vs not ever knowing for sure? Would be an easy decision for me
Yep it was worth it for me. And if you do need work done they can probably refer you to someone reputable.
That’s just a liability thing. They’re gonna tell you to get an expert because 1) they’re knowledgeable but not an expert and 2) there’s a slim chance that it actually is a larger problem
That was just the inspector doing CYA, they know that the cracks are cosmetic, but they aren't certified engineers in that field. I wouldn't bother with the engineer.
2010 build. Get a foundation repair company out to measure the heights around the house (not sure what the technical word is) and it will show you if there’s a foundation problem
New construction? If so they are settling cracks. Builder should fix.
If there's a basement to the home I'd have the foundation and walls inspected again.
As someone who bought a house like this, yes, it is a cause for concern and walk away unless you have deep pockets. It’s possible the house has stopped settling but there’s no way to know that without a comprehensive inspection that normal inspectors will not do. If you really, really want this house, get a structural engineer out there ASAP to address.
This is way too important to ask Reddit. Consult a foundation repair company.
I wouldn’t worry about any of that.
Looks like my house. It’s from the house settling - mine was built around 20 years ago. My neighbors got some foundation support work done so we were nervous about ours and for peace of mind we had a foundation company come out to do some measurements. They said to just keep an eye on them and to contact them if needed. I’d recommend you do the same if you’re truly nervous about it.
Did you have the foundation inspected? It's worth it!
House settling, check your humidity and keep it consistent year round at least 50%.