Repairing a recurring corner due to shifting??

Pamk
by Pamk

My house is less than three years old. The front corner of my house is a guest bedroom and I have noticed in winter the shifting of the house has split the tape between the two walls. Is there a product that I can use to cover the split that won’t crack every year? I just put board and batten in my bathrooms and have noticed that the caulk is already splitting. I used DAP Alex Plus in the guest bathroom and saw the cracking so research sent me to sherwin Williams for the master bathroom and same problem. Thanks


  15 answers
  • Dee Dee on Feb 28, 2021

    It sounds as if your home has foundation problems. Since it is only 3 years old, I would contact the builder. Foundation problems do not fix themselves and are very expensive to get fixed. I know that for sure. To fix the gaps you can use a caulking product called big stretch. You can purchase it at Home Depot or Lowes, it has "give" to it so it will not separate.

  • It's probably just the house settling. I would try caulking

  • Builder is responsible. Don't take no for an answer. Hire an attorney that knows real estate law inside and out if you get the run around from the builder. Depending upon what state you live in, the builder is typically on the hook for the first ten years, and in some cases longer. Will be in your purchase papers even if it was a resale and not purchased directly from the builder. Don't "Harry Homeowner" it and lose your window of opportunity. If you have to pay for this on your own, it could be a very expensive and inconvenient repair.

  • Mogie Mogie on Feb 28, 2021

    Have you read your builders warranty?

    Be prepared to act quickly. Sometimes you can protect your rights just by notifying the builder of problems within the warranty period. However, some warranties are cleverly written to let the builder string you along without making the repairs until the warranty period has run out and you've lost your rights. (Don't bring in any outside contractors to do repairs yet, as this could allow the builder to cancel the benefits of the warranty.)

  • Contact the builder. A 3 year old house should not be doing that.

  • Recreated Designs Recreated Designs on Mar 01, 2021

    Hi! I have the same problem with my 10-year-old house. I am in the capital of Canada and they did some major construction close by and it caused my house to shift. It caused a lot of my moldings to separate. I chose to use caulking to fill the gap. It is a little more forgiving and if you get the silicone type it has some give if things shift again. Maybe that would work for your corner as well?

  • Kathy Gunter Law Kathy Gunter Law on Mar 01, 2021

    As long as your house is settling, it will continue to have these issues. For a new house, I would reach out to the builder and also check with local authorities to see if there is anything going on in the area that would cause the issues. I work for a company that does blasting at times and we have houses several miles away that we have paid for repairs.

  • William William on Mar 01, 2021

    The builder is responsible. Get in touch with him. The house is settling and no product will seal the gaps permanently. The foundation or settling issue needs to be resolved

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Mar 04, 2021

    Hello,

    CALL BACK THE BUILDER to deal with this sooner rather than later!

  • Annie Annie on Mar 05, 2021

    Unfortunately, just covering over the crack will not solve the problem. I would be looking at the foundation and determine why the house is moving...

  • You house is settling so these types of cracks are to be expected. Unless of course they’re huge, that’s a sign of trouble. It’s part of homeownership unfortunately to have to keep up with these repairs constantly. Talk to folks in the paint department or drywall section for best tips based on your issues.

  • Simple Nature Decor Simple Nature Decor on Mar 06, 2021

    settling cracks is normal.

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Sep 02, 2021

    Call back the Builder of the home, to check if all is well! If you have a real problem and they are not willing to fix it for you, Call on your Buildings Insurance co. to help you.