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,

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Originally Posted by dclynch

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.

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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.