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Cracks in the ceiling...PLEASE help!

02/15/2007 12:41 PM kbhuffman

My husband & I purchased a home in TN 11/05. When we first purchased the home, we noticed several things AFTER we signed & moved right in: First off- this home is 13 yrs old- the entire house was painted white inside when we moved in.
In the main garage-the floor was cracked in a cross shape across the entire double garage-starting from the main bean which is in the center of the garage- the garage floor slants toward the back wall which leads to the house & drops about 1 1/2inch.- you can see where the baseboard has separated and the floor sunk showing the black portion of the foundation. On the backporch- a vertical crack about 2 feet long goes through the bricks above the french doors of the kitchen. In between the kitchen & the breakfast nook- the hard wood floor was cracked along one pannel- but was obvious when walking over that there was a "hump" and that room slants toward the back of the house. In addition, we noticed the basement floor (which is a finished basement) is completly uneven in several spots (we noticed this when installig the pool table). I am concerned now because over the last week I have noticed the crown molding in both the lower & now upper levels starting to crack & separate from the ceiling in just about every room of the house. I know this was not there a year ago when I painted the living room, breakfast nook & kitchen. In addition, I noticed the cracking & separating of the hard wood floor of the door way between the dining room & kitchen - which is consistent with the horizontal crack of the garage- which is right next to the dining room. I am extremly concerned & worried about the foundation & security of our home. Please help with any advice!

Thanks,
KB

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02/15/2007

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Professional opinion

02/18/2007 02:46 AM Glenn Good Moderator

The best advice is to hire a professional to look at the house and answer your questions.
It sounds like the subgrade may not have been properly compacted in the garage before the concrete was poured causing the slab to settle.
Cracks could be common cracks or from movement or foundation settlement. A CERTIFIED home inspector or structural engineer should be hired to look at these problems and answer your questions.
The crown molding problem could likely be from wood and/or caulking shrinkage which is fairly common in new homes. Cracks in the walls would also be present if the problem was from a settlement there.

Glenn

Moderator: Construction Systems, Foundations, and Masonry & Stone

For more information about me, my qualifications, and/or home inspections please visit my website at:
www.consultationdirect.com

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