I bought a 20 year old house a few months ago. The house has about 12 cracks in various places starting at the corners of windows and doors on the second level of the house. The structural engineer inspected them and said they are just normal and nothing to worry about. A month ago I marked the end of each crack so that I can keep an eye on them for a while. In the last month all the cracks except two stayed the same. The two cracks are at the upper corner of the door between a bedroom and a bathroom. They got about 1 inch longer each. The area on the first floor underneath that doorway has no cracks or any other indication of settling. I'm concerned about the cracks because they keep getting longer. Is there anything I can do to figure out what's going on? How much bigger can the crack get before I should be really concerned about it? Right now the first crack is about 6 inches long and then there some wall with no crack and then another crack about 7 inches long ( basically the second crack is not even touching the door frame but is in the middle of the wall). The structural engineer said the foundation is fine. The wooden beams supporting the middle of the house started failing ( which caused sloping of the floor in two rooms towards the wall separating them) and we will need to put a post in the crawl space to stop it from going down any further. However, that wall is not right underneath the problem doorway. It's about 8 feet away. With no cracks on the first floor, how concerned should I be about cracks on the second floor, especially the two that are getting bigger?

Thank you.

Is it in the structure of the house like frame work or is it in the plasterboard?
If you have cracks in the basement or outside, in brick work and stuff like that I would be concerned. If it is in the wall boards it is probably something you can just throw some plaster on.

^ +1 but I would also get a second inspection and look into his rep. before having him look at your house.
last time I heard something very similar to this was when I was watching that show "Holmes on Homes"...

I'm guessing from what you said in your description of wall you don't have a lot to worry about with the cracks. My guess is there stress cracks from your floor shifting from your bad support beam. I would get your support beam fixed immediately to prevent any more cracks or further structural damage to your house.

The cracks are probably a result of the saging support beam and probably happened a long time ago. They were probably repaired (covered up) by the previous owner for the sale. If they were "fixed" with just drywall joint compound, no tape, they will reappear shortly, even is the house is not moving. Repair with joint compound and nylon joint tape.

Tell us about your foundation or basement. A house this new doesn't likley have a wooden beam under it like grandma and grandpas place. Most building codes have require a steel I beam for the last 30 years but who knows if this house was built to code. It is moving so we do need to get a detailed description regarding what holds it up.

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Originally Posted by JenniferB1066

I bought a 20 year old house a few months ago. The house has about 12 cracks in various places starting at the corners of windows and doors on the second level of the house. The structural engineer inspected them and said they are just normal and nothing to worry about. A month ago I marked the end of each crack so that I can keep an eye on them for a while. In the last month all the cracks except two stayed the same. The two cracks are at the upper corner of the door between a bedroom and a bathroom. They got about 1 inch longer each. The area on the first floor underneath that doorway has no cracks or any other indication of settling. I'm concerned about the cracks because they keep getting longer. Is there anything I can do to figure out what's going on? How much bigger can the crack get before I should be really concerned about it? Right now the first crack is about 6 inches long and then there some wall with no crack and then another crack about 7 inches long ( basically the second crack is not even touching the door frame but is in the middle of the wall). The structural engineer said the foundation is fine. The wooden beams supporting the middle of the house started failing ( which caused sloping of the floor in two rooms towards the wall separating them) and we will need to put a post in the crawl space to stop it from going down any further. However, that wall is not right underneath the problem doorway. It's about 8 feet away. With no cracks on the first floor, how concerned should I be about cracks on the second floor, especially the two that are getting bigger?

thank you.

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Here is more information about the house: it has a partial basement on a slab. Basement consists of: One part of the basement has 2 rooms, then there is a section that is a crawl space over cement or slab. In the crawl space you can see all the wooden beams/support for the floor above it. That's where the failing beam that supports the wall above ( between the dining room and the kitchen) is located. The structural engineer recommended adding a vertical post ( wood or steel) under the two beams that "have deflected excessively". However, are you saying that this could be causing cracks in the wall on the second floor that is not even right above that wall? The wall with the cracks that are increasing hasn't been painted in a long time so I don't think it's the case that the seller has just painted over the cracks and now they reappearing.

I'm still going with what I said above, and yes if your beam is failing and you don't get it fixed soon you could see cracks anywhere in your house because your whole structure could be shifting, other things that could happen are doors won't shut properly windows won't open and shut properly, and so on- etc... What Im trying to say is if your beam keeps on sagging it could create many major problems. I'f I wer you I would get it fixed as soon as you can to eliminate any more cracking or other problems. Have a Great Day!

I agree with Jack again you need to get the support beam reinforced.
Get a professional to give you your options with estimates

I think we are getting some terms mixed up, you guys know what a beam is but it sounds like Jennifer is calling her floor joist beams. "can see all the wooden beams/support for the floor above " sounds like floor joists to me doesn't it. She has no beam but needs one supported by a jack stand. Everything said about the house shifting is correct and it doesn't mean the cracks will only appear directly over a saging joist. Jennifer, is there one very large beam maybe 6 x 10 running perpendicular to all theses smaller "beams." Could you reach up with a ruler and tell us the size of your beams?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JenniferB1066

I bought a 20 year old house a few months ago. The house has about 12 cracks in various places starting at the corners of windows and doors on the second level of the house. The structural engineer inspected them and said they are just normal and nothing to worry about. A month ago I marked the end of each crack so that I can keep an eye on them for a while. In the last month all the cracks except two stayed the same. The two cracks are at the upper corner of the door between a bedroom and a bathroom. They got about 1 inch longer each. The area on the first floor underneath that doorway has no cracks or any other indication of settling. I'm concerned about the cracks because they keep getting longer. Is there anything I can do to figure out what's going on? How much bigger can the crack get before I should be really concerned about it? Right now the first crack is about 6 inches long and then there some wall with no crack and then another crack about 7 inches long ( basically the second crack is not even touching the door frame but is in the middle of the wall). The structural engineer said the foundation is fine. The wooden beams supporting the middle of the house started failing ( which caused sloping of the floor in two rooms towards the wall separating them) and we will need to put a post in the crawl space to stop it from going down any further. However, that wall is not right underneath the problem doorway. It's about 8 feet away. With no cracks on the first floor, how concerned should I be about cracks on the second floor, especially the two that are getting bigger?

thank you.

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This is what the engineer's letter says: "The wall is supported by a double 2x10 girder below, which has deflected excessively. The girder supporting the kitchen/dining room wall should be supported by the addition of a mid-span post."

This issue did not come up on the initial home inspection (before buying the house). We complained to the home inspectors and they replied saying that they did notice the sloping floors but that it "did not appear to be a structural issue". Do you think this constitues a "structural issue" or not?

Yes it certainly is a structural issue and the inspector should have caught it. I'm not going to give you legal advice regarding the inspector but you should explore to determine if the inspector has any financial responsibility here. A span post or what's also called a jack post will help but you can't place them directly on the 4" concrete basement floor or whatever is down there. A 1' x1' hole cut into the floor and then dug out to at least 12" deep and then a new footing gets poured. This may be beyond you DIY skills, don't know. You may benefits from reading this: Raising A Floor With A Hydraulic Jack