My two-story home is now 35-years old, I bought it in 1999, had it inspected at that time, inspector said it was structurally sound. The family room had crown molding when I moved in, there were no gaps between molding and ceiling. There were no gaps where moldings joined by mitering, although visible. Two years ago, I painted ceiling, trim and walls, there were no "gaps." All of a sudden, beginning five-months ago, within the entire room gaps between ceiling and molding and mitered joints began slowly appearing, have grown larger, to less than 1/8" to date. Base trim is in tack. There are a few drywall nails popping out in the ceiling drywall. There are no cracks in ceiling or walls. Except, for vertical cracks on either side of my large patio door, which I did not repair properly two years ago, and reappeared. All this detail is to ask, do you think I am experiencing structural problems, my greatest fear. My house is very dry, and I use the fireplace in this room a great deal.

It does not mean structural problems.

Wood framing dries out over time & moves somewhat during that time.

I agree that the changes are most likely caused by humidity changes. I live in Massachusetts and my house is dry now, too. We have a lot of cracks opening up in molding and on the stairs.

That said, the drywall screws in the ceiling would make me look around for a roof/siding leak. You probably are fine, but I'd check to be sure.

Homeownership, as a female is a tad stressful, and you would not believe how badly I have been ripped off by contractors due to this. I appreciate the replies to my question a great deal, as I was very worried.

In reference to "siding." Two years ago, I had all new windows installed, new family room patio door, as well as new siding. I'm still under warranty, so I will have this man come out and make sure there are no leaks.

In reference to "roof," I have a question. This is a two-story home. I did have someone check for leaks in the attic and crawl spaces, none were found, but that does not mean the man did not miss something. Before I call someone out again, the family room, where the molding problem exists, is on the first floor. Having this information, do you still think it is possible there may be a roof leak. God bless you,

Probably not.

What you are seeing is most likely just from humidity changes. If someone checked the attic, the roof is probably okay.

For ceiling damage to come from a window/siding leak, the damaged area would likely be close to the wall. If the window installers did not do a good job sealing a window, water can enter and would move downward until it finds a place to pool. The first sign of this is more likely to be a stain, rather than popped screws. The latter is a possibility, but low on the list. Just keep and eye on it the next time it rains hard.