Normal House settlement or foundation problems?
So I'm worried there could be a problem. So do you think it's truss uplift/normal house settlement or a foundation issue? Am I being a paranoid neurotic homeowner or are my worries justified?
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Dawn on Jan 06, 2014If it's cold weather related some of the spaces and cracks should return somewhat with warmer summer temperature's.We notice that with our home but it always returns to normal and some winter's it's worse than other's.Helpful Reply
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Jeanette S on Jan 07, 2014We have notices some of the same things here in Atlanta. It has been overly wet all of 2013 and we are having doors stick that have not stuck in 42 years! Some of our paint is to the point of our being able to scratch it off with our fingernail...not flake it off, scratch it off. Hubby sanded down a couple but we have to wait for dry warm weather to repaint! So do not panic right now. You did not say how old this house is. Talk with some of your neighbors as you investigate.Helpful Reply
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The Garden Frog with C Renee on Jan 07, 2014First: is the home newly built or older? This is an important question because new home you will have lots of settling and need to wait til spring before panicking. You speak of bulging screws but screws do not budge so it may be nails and they will come through the drywall (that is why screws are used by most). Was the basement newly finished? Wait until spring to attempt any fixes and unfortunately you will have drywall work. Homes do settle no matter the age but a vertical line crack is something to keep an eye on. I do not want to alarm you or anything but horizontal cracks are something to watch. I know because I have foundation/structural issues in my 28 yr old colonial home built on red clay soil and the previous owner had termite damage that we found out after we built the home that the structural work he had done was half-assed. The cracking trim and such is actually normal and a bit of caulking to disguise the cracks is what most contractors and painters do. Doors sticking could be just a matter of planing them down a bit so when the humidity goes up they do not affect the performance. If this is an older home, your house could still be settling and the history of home and what kind of ground it was built on will help. Here in VA we have what is known as shrink swell soil~hard red clay that during droughts will shrink inches away from the foundation causing all kinds of shifts. Then during a wet season the soil swells back to snugly fit the house. I hope some of what I said helps. I would not worry too much yet. But cracking and bulging nails are sometimes just a part of owning a home.Helpful Reply
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Kristopher Danger on Jan 08, 2014Thanks for the insight. The home is 15 years old, I'm not sure of the soil, but it's southern NH.Helpful Reply
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