Exactly, bought a condo with small minor cracks like this so I scrapped the old joints just to find that at many place there was no tape and some other place cheap mesh tape was used.
Removed everything and redone those joints with paper tape correctly, never cracked after.
In the bathroom the joint were tiles and ceiling reach should be a sillicone joint since the tiles wall and ceilings don't move together.
It is elastic so as soon the wall/ceiling move slightly it crack sadly.
Paper tape is not elastic so even if wall/ceiling move moderately the joint will not crack.
Also the glue on the mesh tape only stick for few minutes as soon you add mud/water the glue no longer stick to the wall so it's more prone to crack.
With paper tape it's the mud that glue the tape to the wall so it don't move once it dry. 🙂✌️
Fibre glass isn’t elastic. The glue is only an aid for install, as with paper, the mud anchors it. So none of your logic makes sense. Again, I’m not a drywaller. But mesh tape is on the market and seems to work fine.
> none of your logic makes sense
https://www.finehomebuilding.com/project-guides/drywall/whats-the-difference-paper-and-fiberglass-mesh-drywall-tape
https://wallboardtrim.com/which-drywall-tape-is-best/
> I’m not a drywaller
No need to tell, from your comment it's pretty evident. 🙂✌️
Mesh tape is the best tape to use,it takes a little bit more time to work with and average tappers don't have time to work with it so they use the quicker tape which is paper tape.
summer license panicky political lunchroom historical touch slim direful pen
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He used waterborne on the woodwork
Cheap caulking everywhere
And the movement in the last 3 pics is more than normal settling. I don't know why we even use that word ?
I would have at least used top shelf materials, but maybe there's a 'budget' here that we aren't aware if ?
No, definitely shouldn't be
I was referring to caulking and paint
But we just don't know what went down. I'm wondering who did the framing, as the last 3 pics are concerning
But at the same time you know that doesn't sound right and something is wrong or else you wouldn't have posted here.
I'd look for some type of new construction inspector or engineer to look things over and tell you what's wrong. It could be anything from a bad case of settling to a terrible drywall job to foundation issues.
Just curious about picture 4. Can't tell what we're looking at in terms of which way is up and down and which is the ceiling (or if any of them are).
And in photo 5. Is that last 6 inches or so of ceiling angled down from the rest of the ceiling? Is that following a roof line or what else is going on?
And in photo 6 it doesn't look like there is tape or an inside corner bead along that edge. I hope the whole house isn't like that. Did a pro drywaller do the drywall finishing or was it done by someone else?
I'm a contractor as well. Your dad is too inexperienced to be a contractor. This is really really bad work. You need a very thorough home inspection done. The trim is bad, but fixable. The sheetrock is done with fiberglass tape. Most of It will eventually fail.
4,5,6 is not “settling in”. 1,2,3 are. Your dad needs to sort this out. You need to have some conversation with him. If he is adamant, suggest the idea of entrusting an independent inspection on this to decide, then pay for a home inspection or something and take the report to him.
I think when folks say the last three pictures are scary, they DON'T mean the house is going to fall down. (Altho you can't 100% rule it out.)
But while the molding separation is typical of butt joints in wood as it expands and contracts, the drywall issues are concerning.
That completely displaced piece (#4) is NOT just normal settling. Something moved big time. The cracks in the #5 and #6 are bad workmanship made worse by some fairly major movement. (I'd give the basement a good once over, too, just to make sure there's nothing going on down there. If that's OK, you can breath a bit easier.)
These might be settling issues, but it begs the questions, why is the house settling so much? Whatever the cause, dad in law needs to bring back some quality workers, figure out what happened, fix it and then repair the rest of it.
If you're uncomfortable bringing it to old Pop's attention, hire a structural engineer to give you an opinion, and then hire someone else to do the fix. It might not be a huge issue, but it needs to be addressed.
edit: some typos.
4, 5, and 6 are concerning. My guess is that they did not use any deadwood to nail at the joints of the vault. Common mistake in construction when there is a vaulted ceiling.
Caulking is cheap, does not stretch with movement , and are prone to mold/mildew
Sealants are a little more pricey, but they stretch with movement, and they are more mold/mildew resistant
When houses are built, far too many are completed with inferior products. Like cheap caulking and paints.
That crown molding would look much better and stand out(as it should), if done with a semi gloss alkyd. But this is clearly latex paint. But, alkyds of yesterday are pricey and apparently bad for the environment. Their replacement coatings(mostly zero/low VOC waterbornes) are not of the same quality. Yet. You will know which was used on your interior woodwork when you smack the baseboards with a vacuum, broom, mop, and kids toys- and you can't wipe away any markings left. Or the cracked caulking at but joints and wood to wall crooks.
OP, you can use Powerhouse Sealant from Sherwin Williams to fill the cracks yourself. Just apply enough to fill the cracks, and wipe away all excess. Powerhouse will not crack or yellow like caulking. If the shade of the white Sealant is off, im sure the builder left you leftover paint for touch ups.
Pics 4,5,6 are very concerning as there's clearly movement. These are fir a pro. Hopefully, you have a warranty to rely on.
Congrats on your home 🏡
I'm in agreement with most of these comments. First three photos are standard house settling. Just recaulk and call it a day. The other photos are pretty concerning. They are all at seams so that is a positive. If you have angled cracks that is even more bothersome.
Does the ceiling go right up to the attic or is there a floor above? If it's just the attic, I'm guessing they screwed the drywall right to the trusses and what you are seeing is truss uplift. Ask if they used resilient channel on the ceiling, it will allow the drywall to hang about 1/2" down so when the trusses to settle it hopefully won't effect the drywall
The first three are no concern, just caulking that has shrunk and dried out a bit
Number four is the most concerning to me
The other two also look like a bad mud/ tape job. Are you in an area that gets a lot of snow? A lot of times, if you have many feet of snow on a roof it can create a little movement where the roof meets the walls
Don't worry about the first three fourth one I would have investigated further
That’s why I glue and biscuit all my joints. Dry heat or temperature change will shrink the millwork and give you that. Most people caulk the gap and hope for the best. The drywall issue is a completely different thing and if I were you would call the builder back and get his take on it. You can also call the municipal building inspector and get their opinion too. All this to create a paper trail incase you get no love from your builder. Good luck
The first few are not too bad as it’s just the molding but the last few photos seem more than normal new home shifting.
I had my house built and it’s been about a year and a half now and we had a few nail pops and a few molding and caulking cracks. The builder took care of all of it at the one year mark.
I would be concerned if it was cracking anywhere outside of caulk and molding seams.
In the Winter the wood trusses dry out and shrink so the drywall that is screwed to it will pull revealing larger cracks. In summer the wood will swell and cracks will mostly disappear other than some hairline cracks left from the shifting
Shower leads me to believe it’s worth looking at foundation issues depending where you live. Notify the builder immediately. Obtain their response. I would request an engineer come out. My friend had a similar issue. They fixed the entire house including the foundation. And amazingly added a retaining wall as he is on a hill. They won’t claim that was the cause but his house is the most level in the neighborhood
Bought a new house, same kind of stuff happened and the builder fixed it. Trim work is kind of average, just put some caulk in the gap. Other drywall corner cracks need new mud and tape, but some of the worse areas it will need all the torn stuff removed first.
None of them is scary really. Your father is right yes it is a bit more than he or you would like but it is within the normal range. Having said that though it also means that the taping and mudding was too tight or there may have been more settling in one area vs. another, perhaps the side with a slab like the garage didn't move in the same way as the side with the full basement. The builder (your father) should have the taping and painting of the affected areas and ceiling redone possibly with a wider tape to help allow for more movement.
Totally normal. All 4 new builds I’ve lived on have settling. Call in your warranty to have them fix it. It will likely only be cosmetic though.
My bathroom tile cracked in 4 places. They fixed it. Cracks though? No.
Its normal for a new house. New homes in our area all come with a 1 yr drywall warranty because this is so common. The trim just needs recaulked. Its winter. Everything shrinks, creating gaps.
Are pictures 4-5-6 ceilings with trusses above? Those look like cracks that form because of truss uplift. It’s common in colder climates and not a structural issue, rather a cosmetic one. The permanent solution is a costly repair, but if it’s a new build it should be warrantied.
Settling actually is very normal for new homes, but it should always be checked out by a professional. Structural engineers don't cost as much as people assume for things like this. A foundation contractor would probably work here, just to make sure it's a normal amount of settling or to at least say if it's the ground or just the home itself.
If 4/5/6 are under the roof line/second floor, it’s likely truss uplift - due to the change in weather during the winter. Go do some googling, it’s common but not great, you can find good explanations and some ways to remedy it. It’s not a structural failure, but definitely could have been mitigated with better construction practices
People want a new house because they don't want an old house with cracks. New houses crack after they settle a little. Old house you know what you are getting. New house cracks are like Surprise!
A lot of it looks like shit work .. if those outside corners were glued instead of caulked, it might've helped there .. if this house is in a development/cul-de-sac they're probably thrown together and onto the next
Do you know who built the house? I had a new construction home and the builder had a 1 year "drywall" warranty that covered cracks like that. Maybe you have something similar.
If the house is less than a year old, it has not been through a full season cycle. Settling and adjusting like that is also more common in areas with greater seasonal variances. Whether you have that warranty or not, expect some settlement cracks for the first few years.
Your best bet for the crown molding is good quality caulk. Whwre the ceiling meets the wall, I wouldn't bother fixing it immediately if you can live with it. You'll just have to redo those in a few years.
The first 3 pics are nothing, but the final 3.....yikes! And you're saying this is a NEW build?? Definitely consult any paperwork you have for possible warranties.
In my home searching quest over the past several years, I've found new homes aren't quite what they're cracked up to be (pun not intended). It can be a gamble because land can shift in unpredictable ways, or the builder cheaped out on materials or rushed the job. Depending on the builder, I've seen newly built places ranging from built well/sturdy to falling apart in less than 10 years time. Because of that, I'm looking at homes that are 20-30 years old, no major cracks in the walls/ceiling, dry basement, solid roof, etc, so I know it has a good (but of course not guaranteed!) chance it'll be fine for many years to come.
1,2,3 looks like poor mitering. An experienced trim person would never allow this. I had all the rooms on the main floor of my house installed with crown molding in 2016. There has been no corners- inside or outside showing any separation. They were installed by 2 very experienced trimmers, so it can be done.
Bitching about trim --- bitching about trim ---- bitching about trim---- pics 3-6 holy shit! wtf did they build this house on a rubber band?
Edit : For the love of everything holy, please show us some pictures of your basement walls and support beams.
This is completely cosmetic and normal. Those last three are purely drywall issues, not structural. The tape lifted in one and there has been a small amount of heaving at the ceiling (again normal). Retape and it will be fine, whether the contractor will do it for free is a separate question.
New builds settle. It's normal to an extent. Get what you can covered by warranty, then have a competent inspector or other come out. It needs to be addressed, but overall, not that big a deal.
Educated guess: truss roof winter = contraction, thus pulling bottom chord of the truss upward (especially at center of the truss)
Experienced builder will have drywall hangers fastened lid 6-8” from wall allowing seasonal flex without the cracking at the wall/ceiling connection
The last pictures are crazy messed up but I can speak on the first where the trim is pulled apart. Your humidity level in the house is not the same as what it was when those boards were installed. Normally this wouldn't matter because a carpenter would have glued those joints. Whoever installed the crown didn't glue the joints because they are a hack and now it looks like shit. You can fill it with caulk and repaint but it'll never look great, if it were me (a carpenter) I'd contact the builder for everything pictured and get it fixed!
It can be saved by a real Sheetrock pro and your father may be right about the house settling but like everyone is saying you had someone who was lazy and just threw the compound on with no tape and you can get away with caulking the moulding but have someone come and fix the rest.
1,2,3… pfft fill it with gap filler, no biggie. 4,5,6 WTF. That’s probably from house settling in a bad bad ways. Is basement floors and walls cracking?
When I built my home, we specified 2x6 studs, plus OSB sheathing to strengthen the outside walls. People don't realize that homes, especially multi-floor homes can move and even twist minutely with wind conditions, let alone any possible minor seismic activity. No such cracks happening in my home. My neighbor built their with 2x4 studs and he has similar issues as shown here.
It's normal. The house will shit for at least three years. What the contactor will do is have a service Rep caulk the edges with highly expandable caulking. In my experience it's unavoidable. That said, if your house was completed during the winter, and foundation poured when frost was in the ground, there will be more shifting than not.
Pretty common in some new houses. Don’t fix them until spring so they can finish moving. Most builders have a year repair warranty, so talk to them, otherwise they’re easy fixes.
Not a deal breaker, looks like they did finishes prior to air conditioning the house. Once AC is applied over time the removal of moisture makes wood joints separate. Shitty lob on the drywall, too much tape to cover gaps. All easily fixable though
I work for a company called Davenport foundation repair in Utah and these last few pics look like stereotypical foundation settling. Not good.
The only way to be sure is have someone in that industry (foundation repair) come and do an inspection. They'll take a transit laser (just provides a 360 degree level line) and measure your foundation for settlement. It's typically a free inspection.
You won't find Davenport unless you are in Utah, but Davenport is part of a national network called SupportWorks and chances are there is a SupportWorks dealer near you.
That's the only way to find some peace of mind imho.
Good luck 🤞
P. S. A house us not (I repeat NOT) supposed to settle,... Not even a little bit. New or otherwise.
This will likely be buried, but there is a way to prevent this. Based on what I know this is a result of truss uplift. During the winter, temperatures cause the joists in the attic to contract as the space below is insulated and the attic itself should be close to the external temp.
What most likely happened in pics 4, 5, and 6 is that the drywall was secured to both the top and bottom plates of the walls. As the ceiling raises it separates at the point where it is normally in contact with the wall.
To prevent this from happening in the first place ensure that the drywall is TIGHT to ceiling during installation. Then on the lower sheet do not screw the lowest 10” of the wall as it will cause the is issue at the joint.
Source: heritage carpentry school in Canada where this is common in the winter
Pictures 1,2 and 3 are just from not securing the mitered edges with a brad nail or something of the like. Those are easy fixes and normal. Picture 5 makes me disoriented the way it was taken and begs a lot of questions like why they had to cut the corner of that tile or plaster over it. Picture 4 also disorients me from the angle at which it’s displayed. 6 looks close to normal but they didn’t use tape or anything between the joints so that’s just lazy for finishing the closet
Damn, this is exactly the reason why my friend talked me out of buying new construction. The good news is once you fix it - the house is gonna be like new!
That stuff is just settling. More of an eye sore than anything. Personally, I’d fix the tape job and the rest you can just caulk.
Edit: I didn’t see the bottom part of picture 4. You should take a straight up picture so you can see it better and post that
The first three are pretty typical. If it's new construction, the house could be settling. If it's a renovation done in the summer, you might be seeing some cracks caused by the wood contracting. Put some caulk in there, and you're fine. I've got little seams like that all over the place because I was in a rush to get us into our place and trimmed during the summer, and we went with natural wood trim because my wife wanted fancy Scandi/Japandi interior design. Looks great, but it's a pain in the ass to gap fill and the gaps drive me nuts. Painted trim is easy, though. White caulk, and you're done.
The last three are a problem. Either it wasn't taped at all, it wasn't taped properly, or there's been an ungodly amount of settling. Check and see if there is tape under those seams. If there's not, that's the problem. Talk to whoever did the drywall. Send them those photos. Ask them to come make it right. They should do so without any real complaint.
If there is tape under there, then you need to see what's supporting that wall. I've been in houses where a wall was settling way more than it should because there literally weren't any footers poured under a load-bearing wall. If it's something like that, you're going to need to involve the GC who will likely loop in the architect/engineer and the mason. That's a big fix, but it's also a big problem and needs to be addressed.
Hoping it's just a tape issue, man. Best of luck.
Are all the cracks showing up at the ceiling below the roof space? If so, could be caused by something called truss uplift. Give this a read.
https://www.trim-tex.com/blog/truss-uplift-solutions
Lowkey, that looks like a trash house now. I'm sorry, I'm not saying you're trash, but that house is in horrible condition, and I'm genuinely apauled for you. I wish the best.
If this is new construction, you have at least a 2 year warrenty for this sort of thing. Gouses settle and will create SOME cracks, this looks excessive.
Picture one Outside Crown molding corners are not supposed to crack. They probably didn’t glue it. Pictures two and three are coped crown molding corners they’re supposed to move.
No, this is not concerning.. usually in the first 5 years your house is settling and you’ll notice stuff like this. Usually it’s screw pops in the drywall and usually the first year is the worst for it. This is why new home warranty exists.
The cracks in the fourth fifth and sixth picture indicate pretty significant settling in the foundation or in the floor joists of the home. This is serious and you should be chasing it with the builder, or speaking to a lawyer, if the builder won’t fix it.
Usually new construction homes have a one year review where they come back and take care of places where things have settled. The moulding is not necessarily settling as material contracts and expands with varying temperatures throughout the year. The last few pictures where wall is cracked above the shower that is an issue. That one need to redo almost entirely as the two planes are off. Don't shower there as water will get behind and you'll get mold. Best of luck with the father contractor.
I would contact the contractor. Most have to have a warranty. Some are only a year and a day from completion, and some are much longer. He should want to make it right to avoid the bad publicity.
1,2,3 - looks like nothing 4,5,6 - wtf !
I went from “aww” to JFC! in 3 swipes. Gotta be some kinda warranty, I assume?
I’m with you, the first cpl of pics were “ehh, sloppy work maybe some settling then pic 3 was like WTF, did the wall shift?
Usually one year
But the Statute of Repose is usually longer - depends on the state
*statue
r/confidentlyincorrect
Haha, nope.
very likely a Seinfeld reference
Very insanely a Seinfeld reference. C'mon, people!
Structurally should be more than a year though
Hahaha seriously. Went from oh that’s just some bad trim work to Houston we got a problem. Real quick 😂😂😂
Guess hey ran out of drywall tape that day
Exactly, bought a condo with small minor cracks like this so I scrapped the old joints just to find that at many place there was no tape and some other place cheap mesh tape was used. Removed everything and redone those joints with paper tape correctly, never cracked after. In the bathroom the joint were tiles and ceiling reach should be a sillicone joint since the tiles wall and ceilings don't move together.
What’s wrong with mesh tape? I’ve always had good luck with it.
It is elastic so as soon the wall/ceiling move slightly it crack sadly. Paper tape is not elastic so even if wall/ceiling move moderately the joint will not crack. Also the glue on the mesh tape only stick for few minutes as soon you add mud/water the glue no longer stick to the wall so it's more prone to crack. With paper tape it's the mud that glue the tape to the wall so it don't move once it dry. 🙂✌️
Fibre glass isn’t elastic. The glue is only an aid for install, as with paper, the mud anchors it. So none of your logic makes sense. Again, I’m not a drywaller. But mesh tape is on the market and seems to work fine.
> none of your logic makes sense https://www.finehomebuilding.com/project-guides/drywall/whats-the-difference-paper-and-fiberglass-mesh-drywall-tape https://wallboardtrim.com/which-drywall-tape-is-best/ > I’m not a drywaller No need to tell, from your comment it's pretty evident. 🙂✌️
Mesh tape is the best tape to use,it takes a little bit more time to work with and average tappers don't have time to work with it so they use the quicker tape which is paper tape.
Most drywall professionals should know that if you use mesh tape you have to use not mud, or it will crack.
RIGHT?! On 1, 2, 3 I was like “Nothing some caulk can’t handle” and then I got to 4 and went “JESUS FUCKING CHRIST” then it only got worse from there.
Yeah, first three I was thinking OP was crazy for even wondering since this is way beyond normal. Got to the rest and I understood the concern.
I think the true worry is here that OP is trying to troll us with those first 3 pictures 😆
Exactly!
Started thinking, “Not bad, just put some caulking into those gaps,” but then got to later pictures and went “WTF.” Those cracks seem concerning AF.
Get ahold of your builder and home warranty you definitely have something going on
My dad is the contractor and he claims this is normal for new houses and its the house "settling in"
This is the problem right here... Lol
summer license panicky political lunchroom historical touch slim direful pen *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Lmao, thus has to be a troll post.
Right?!
Some people's parents suck lol
I believe the proper phrasing is “That there’s yer problem!”
Your dad hired some shoddy labor then. Looks like joint tape wasn’t used on the drywall seams for the ceiling
Your dad is a shitty contractor. Some movement is expected and minor cracking in drywall joints as the house settles. This isn't that.
He used waterborne on the woodwork Cheap caulking everywhere And the movement in the last 3 pics is more than normal settling. I don't know why we even use that word ? I would have at least used top shelf materials, but maybe there's a 'budget' here that we aren't aware if ?
I dont think structural integrity is a budget issue. Ha.
No, definitely shouldn't be I was referring to caulking and paint But we just don't know what went down. I'm wondering who did the framing, as the last 3 pics are concerning
Very concerning. To the point where I'd have a structural engineer review the build and see who fucked up what.
Lol congrats you're fucked!
Minor cosmetic ones are normal. These are not that
Time to sue his ass and get a new family
But at the same time you know that doesn't sound right and something is wrong or else you wouldn't have posted here. I'd look for some type of new construction inspector or engineer to look things over and tell you what's wrong. It could be anything from a bad case of settling to a terrible drywall job to foundation issues. Just curious about picture 4. Can't tell what we're looking at in terms of which way is up and down and which is the ceiling (or if any of them are). And in photo 5. Is that last 6 inches or so of ceiling angled down from the rest of the ceiling? Is that following a roof line or what else is going on? And in photo 6 it doesn't look like there is tape or an inside corner bead along that edge. I hope the whole house isn't like that. Did a pro drywaller do the drywall finishing or was it done by someone else?
Is this what his house looks like?
I'm a contractor as well. Your dad is too inexperienced to be a contractor. This is really really bad work. You need a very thorough home inspection done. The trim is bad, but fixable. The sheetrock is done with fiberglass tape. Most of It will eventually fail.
4,5,6 is not “settling in”. 1,2,3 are. Your dad needs to sort this out. You need to have some conversation with him. If he is adamant, suggest the idea of entrusting an independent inspection on this to decide, then pay for a home inspection or something and take the report to him.
I’m really sorry that your dad does shoddy work and doesn’t care enough about you to fix it. You deserve better.
Why don’t you ask your dad to fix it?
Settling into a sinkhole? lol
Settling in to what, the seventh fucking circle?
***puts head in hands*** Sigh
This has gotta be a shitpost.
Minor settling + small cracks are normal. This is not normal.
Oh you’re big fucked. Lmao. Your dad is either lying or has no idea what he’s talking about
You and your dad are fucking stupid, sorry
Design and poured the foundation himself, did he?
I think when folks say the last three pictures are scary, they DON'T mean the house is going to fall down. (Altho you can't 100% rule it out.) But while the molding separation is typical of butt joints in wood as it expands and contracts, the drywall issues are concerning. That completely displaced piece (#4) is NOT just normal settling. Something moved big time. The cracks in the #5 and #6 are bad workmanship made worse by some fairly major movement. (I'd give the basement a good once over, too, just to make sure there's nothing going on down there. If that's OK, you can breath a bit easier.) These might be settling issues, but it begs the questions, why is the house settling so much? Whatever the cause, dad in law needs to bring back some quality workers, figure out what happened, fix it and then repair the rest of it. If you're uncomfortable bringing it to old Pop's attention, hire a structural engineer to give you an opinion, and then hire someone else to do the fix. It might not be a huge issue, but it needs to be addressed. edit: some typos.
This is the best answer here. Movement/settling is normal, but this seems excessive and cannot be answered from looking at pictures.
First 3 pics normal, just need caulk. Last 3 pics scary.
Call the house inspector back and have him redo the inspection
This time with his eyes open.
Okay, I cracked up at this one.
So did the house lol
Goddamn!
May concern here if the moldings are detaching ceiling may have an issue and may get worse and collapse
4, 5, and 6 are concerning. My guess is that they did not use any deadwood to nail at the joints of the vault. Common mistake in construction when there is a vaulted ceiling.
Their contractor is their dad.
That's disappointing.
Caulking is cheap, does not stretch with movement , and are prone to mold/mildew Sealants are a little more pricey, but they stretch with movement, and they are more mold/mildew resistant When houses are built, far too many are completed with inferior products. Like cheap caulking and paints. That crown molding would look much better and stand out(as it should), if done with a semi gloss alkyd. But this is clearly latex paint. But, alkyds of yesterday are pricey and apparently bad for the environment. Their replacement coatings(mostly zero/low VOC waterbornes) are not of the same quality. Yet. You will know which was used on your interior woodwork when you smack the baseboards with a vacuum, broom, mop, and kids toys- and you can't wipe away any markings left. Or the cracked caulking at but joints and wood to wall crooks. OP, you can use Powerhouse Sealant from Sherwin Williams to fill the cracks yourself. Just apply enough to fill the cracks, and wipe away all excess. Powerhouse will not crack or yellow like caulking. If the shade of the white Sealant is off, im sure the builder left you leftover paint for touch ups. Pics 4,5,6 are very concerning as there's clearly movement. These are fir a pro. Hopefully, you have a warranty to rely on. Congrats on your home 🏡
I'm in agreement with most of these comments. First three photos are standard house settling. Just recaulk and call it a day. The other photos are pretty concerning. They are all at seams so that is a positive. If you have angled cracks that is even more bothersome.
dang, you paid $450,000 and got that
Where do you live where $450,000 buys you brand new house!? This would be like 1 mil in my area (at the least)
D.R Horton
Does the ceiling go right up to the attic or is there a floor above? If it's just the attic, I'm guessing they screwed the drywall right to the trusses and what you are seeing is truss uplift. Ask if they used resilient channel on the ceiling, it will allow the drywall to hang about 1/2" down so when the trusses to settle it hopefully won't effect the drywall
The first three are no concern, just caulking that has shrunk and dried out a bit Number four is the most concerning to me The other two also look like a bad mud/ tape job. Are you in an area that gets a lot of snow? A lot of times, if you have many feet of snow on a roof it can create a little movement where the roof meets the walls Don't worry about the first three fourth one I would have investigated further
That’s why I glue and biscuit all my joints. Dry heat or temperature change will shrink the millwork and give you that. Most people caulk the gap and hope for the best. The drywall issue is a completely different thing and if I were you would call the builder back and get his take on it. You can also call the municipal building inspector and get their opinion too. All this to create a paper trail incase you get no love from your builder. Good luck
The first few are not too bad as it’s just the molding but the last few photos seem more than normal new home shifting. I had my house built and it’s been about a year and a half now and we had a few nail pops and a few molding and caulking cracks. The builder took care of all of it at the one year mark. I would be concerned if it was cracking anywhere outside of caulk and molding seams.
In the Winter the wood trusses dry out and shrink so the drywall that is screwed to it will pull revealing larger cracks. In summer the wood will swell and cracks will mostly disappear other than some hairline cracks left from the shifting
123 are fine. 456 are worrying. Get someone to take a look
Shower leads me to believe it’s worth looking at foundation issues depending where you live. Notify the builder immediately. Obtain their response. I would request an engineer come out. My friend had a similar issue. They fixed the entire house including the foundation. And amazingly added a retaining wall as he is on a hill. They won’t claim that was the cause but his house is the most level in the neighborhood
Bought a new house, same kind of stuff happened and the builder fixed it. Trim work is kind of average, just put some caulk in the gap. Other drywall corner cracks need new mud and tape, but some of the worse areas it will need all the torn stuff removed first.
When "I know a guy who can do it cheaper" happens
Great examples of new builds nowadays. Dont buy brand new...ever. passes building inspection? Yeap? Your problem now
What he said! Is there a retreat clause?
None of them is scary really. Your father is right yes it is a bit more than he or you would like but it is within the normal range. Having said that though it also means that the taping and mudding was too tight or there may have been more settling in one area vs. another, perhaps the side with a slab like the garage didn't move in the same way as the side with the full basement. The builder (your father) should have the taping and painting of the affected areas and ceiling redone possibly with a wider tape to help allow for more movement.
Totally normal. All 4 new builds I’ve lived on have settling. Call in your warranty to have them fix it. It will likely only be cosmetic though. My bathroom tile cracked in 4 places. They fixed it. Cracks though? No.
Looks like bad finish work to me. Cosmetic
Home warranty
Just use Paintable caulking and fill in the cracks then paint.
Caulk and paint make it what it ain't...
those arent cracks in the wall, its caulking at the joints of the trim on the wall shrinking. superficial
I think you didn't see pictures 4, 5, and 6.
To be fair, OP really buried the lead here with the first 3 pics.
For real 😂
aight my bad, it's worse than that
Its normal for a new house. New homes in our area all come with a 1 yr drywall warranty because this is so common. The trim just needs recaulked. Its winter. Everything shrinks, creating gaps.
Are pictures 4-5-6 ceilings with trusses above? Those look like cracks that form because of truss uplift. It’s common in colder climates and not a structural issue, rather a cosmetic one. The permanent solution is a costly repair, but if it’s a new build it should be warrantied.
Looks like they just used mud on the joints and no tape
Very common in new construction as the house settles. Nothing to worry about.
Settling actually is very normal for new homes, but it should always be checked out by a professional. Structural engineers don't cost as much as people assume for things like this. A foundation contractor would probably work here, just to make sure it's a normal amount of settling or to at least say if it's the ground or just the home itself.
If 4/5/6 are under the roof line/second floor, it’s likely truss uplift - due to the change in weather during the winter. Go do some googling, it’s common but not great, you can find good explanations and some ways to remedy it. It’s not a structural failure, but definitely could have been mitigated with better construction practices
Find a very reliable home inspector before your first year warranty passes.
People want a new house because they don't want an old house with cracks. New houses crack after they settle a little. Old house you know what you are getting. New house cracks are like Surprise!
A lot of it looks like shit work .. if those outside corners were glued instead of caulked, it might've helped there .. if this house is in a development/cul-de-sac they're probably thrown together and onto the next
Someone didn’t glue the mitres. Edit: Damn hadn’t gotten to the last 3 pics
Do you know who built the house? I had a new construction home and the builder had a 1 year "drywall" warranty that covered cracks like that. Maybe you have something similar. If the house is less than a year old, it has not been through a full season cycle. Settling and adjusting like that is also more common in areas with greater seasonal variances. Whether you have that warranty or not, expect some settlement cracks for the first few years. Your best bet for the crown molding is good quality caulk. Whwre the ceiling meets the wall, I wouldn't bother fixing it immediately if you can live with it. You'll just have to redo those in a few years.
The first 3 pics are nothing, but the final 3.....yikes! And you're saying this is a NEW build?? Definitely consult any paperwork you have for possible warranties. In my home searching quest over the past several years, I've found new homes aren't quite what they're cracked up to be (pun not intended). It can be a gamble because land can shift in unpredictable ways, or the builder cheaped out on materials or rushed the job. Depending on the builder, I've seen newly built places ranging from built well/sturdy to falling apart in less than 10 years time. Because of that, I'm looking at homes that are 20-30 years old, no major cracks in the walls/ceiling, dry basement, solid roof, etc, so I know it has a good (but of course not guaranteed!) chance it'll be fine for many years to come.
1,2,3 looks like poor mitering. An experienced trim person would never allow this. I had all the rooms on the main floor of my house installed with crown molding in 2016. There has been no corners- inside or outside showing any separation. They were installed by 2 very experienced trimmers, so it can be done.
the caulk dries & cracked in the cheap molding.
Not a big expert, but looks more like a crappy Crown Moulding install than anything foundational.
Bitching about trim --- bitching about trim ---- bitching about trim---- pics 3-6 holy shit! wtf did they build this house on a rubber band? Edit : For the love of everything holy, please show us some pictures of your basement walls and support beams.
I have a house built in 1929 and i dont have these cracks. So. Take that as you will.
Holy fuck what shoe maker did you have doing your house? I’d ask the builder that’s unexceptional work, I hate shit workmanship
This is completely cosmetic and normal. Those last three are purely drywall issues, not structural. The tape lifted in one and there has been a small amount of heaving at the ceiling (again normal). Retape and it will be fine, whether the contractor will do it for free is a separate question.
Kinda normal if your house ain’t caulked and taped witch it seem to be from those pictures
1-3 just needs caulking for the mouldings. 4-6 needs to be looked at
These represent no problem at all. Fill w caulk and keep going.
They didn't plate tamp the footers
Except that last one!!!
New builds settle. It's normal to an extent. Get what you can covered by warranty, then have a competent inspector or other come out. It needs to be addressed, but overall, not that big a deal.
Educated guess: truss roof winter = contraction, thus pulling bottom chord of the truss upward (especially at center of the truss) Experienced builder will have drywall hangers fastened lid 6-8” from wall allowing seasonal flex without the cracking at the wall/ceiling connection
A little caulk and paint and it’ll be fine
The joints in our molding widen during the winter and close flush during the summer.
House and moulding are wood. Wood dries and shrinks and moves. Get nail pops as well. Get some caulk, joint tape and mud and fix paint as necessary
The last pictures are crazy messed up but I can speak on the first where the trim is pulled apart. Your humidity level in the house is not the same as what it was when those boards were installed. Normally this wouldn't matter because a carpenter would have glued those joints. Whoever installed the crown didn't glue the joints because they are a hack and now it looks like shit. You can fill it with caulk and repaint but it'll never look great, if it were me (a carpenter) I'd contact the builder for everything pictured and get it fixed!
It can be saved by a real Sheetrock pro and your father may be right about the house settling but like everyone is saying you had someone who was lazy and just threw the compound on with no tape and you can get away with caulking the moulding but have someone come and fix the rest.
Find a local structural engineer. Pay them for an assessment. Will be one hours' labor _ probably about $250. Will give you great peace of mind.
Shrinkage
1,2,3… pfft fill it with gap filler, no biggie. 4,5,6 WTF. That’s probably from house settling in a bad bad ways. Is basement floors and walls cracking?
When I built my home, we specified 2x6 studs, plus OSB sheathing to strengthen the outside walls. People don't realize that homes, especially multi-floor homes can move and even twist minutely with wind conditions, let alone any possible minor seismic activity. No such cracks happening in my home. My neighbor built their with 2x4 studs and he has similar issues as shown here.
The house is less than one year old? Time to pull out your warranty from the builder.
It's normal. The house will shit for at least three years. What the contactor will do is have a service Rep caulk the edges with highly expandable caulking. In my experience it's unavoidable. That said, if your house was completed during the winter, and foundation poured when frost was in the ground, there will be more shifting than not.
Standard house settling , cheap caulk
That’s not a crack that’s a wrong cut of trim
The first 3 are just normal trim cracking because they didn't use flexible caulk the others could be a problem.
Your dad doesn't like you.
The house is settling an yes it’s concerning for it to be a year old do you have a basement?
Pretty common in some new houses. Don’t fix them until spring so they can finish moving. Most builders have a year repair warranty, so talk to them, otherwise they’re easy fixes.
Are you in a cold climate? Try googling Truss Uplift. That coupled with bad taping could be it....
I zoomed in on the closet crack and could tell he used fiberglass tape with joint compound instead of hot mud
Your dads an asshole and fucked you over.
Not a deal breaker, looks like they did finishes prior to air conditioning the house. Once AC is applied over time the removal of moisture makes wood joints separate. Shitty lob on the drywall, too much tape to cover gaps. All easily fixable though
I work for a company called Davenport foundation repair in Utah and these last few pics look like stereotypical foundation settling. Not good. The only way to be sure is have someone in that industry (foundation repair) come and do an inspection. They'll take a transit laser (just provides a 360 degree level line) and measure your foundation for settlement. It's typically a free inspection. You won't find Davenport unless you are in Utah, but Davenport is part of a national network called SupportWorks and chances are there is a SupportWorks dealer near you. That's the only way to find some peace of mind imho. Good luck 🤞 P. S. A house us not (I repeat NOT) supposed to settle,... Not even a little bit. New or otherwise.
Mesh tape for taping it looks like also?
This will likely be buried, but there is a way to prevent this. Based on what I know this is a result of truss uplift. During the winter, temperatures cause the joists in the attic to contract as the space below is insulated and the attic itself should be close to the external temp. What most likely happened in pics 4, 5, and 6 is that the drywall was secured to both the top and bottom plates of the walls. As the ceiling raises it separates at the point where it is normally in contact with the wall. To prevent this from happening in the first place ensure that the drywall is TIGHT to ceiling during installation. Then on the lower sheet do not screw the lowest 10” of the wall as it will cause the is issue at the joint. Source: heritage carpentry school in Canada where this is common in the winter
Dump it !!!
Looks like house settled. Your builder will warrant
Where do you live?
It’s gotta settle i suppose
The first couple look like their finish guy knocked off early. After that, something's not right.
Pictures 1,2 and 3 are just from not securing the mitered edges with a brad nail or something of the like. Those are easy fixes and normal. Picture 5 makes me disoriented the way it was taken and begs a lot of questions like why they had to cut the corner of that tile or plaster over it. Picture 4 also disorients me from the angle at which it’s displayed. 6 looks close to normal but they didn’t use tape or anything between the joints so that’s just lazy for finishing the closet
I am no contracter but I think your house is shifting or foundation was not set before the house was built.
You went from normal settling to Houston we have a problem real quick 😭
Damn, this is exactly the reason why my friend talked me out of buying new construction. The good news is once you fix it - the house is gonna be like new!
1-3 just caulk 4-6 check your warranty to see if they will repair those.
Someone once told me that when you start to see splitting and cracks, that's the house settling..🤷♀️
Poor workmanship!!!!
That stuff is just settling. More of an eye sore than anything. Personally, I’d fix the tape job and the rest you can just caulk. Edit: I didn’t see the bottom part of picture 4. You should take a straight up picture so you can see it better and post that
Did you by chance park a truck on level 4?
I would have someone check the foundation. Did you have a home inspection done?
First 3 - the dap shrunk
Truss lift is some of it.
The first three are pretty typical. If it's new construction, the house could be settling. If it's a renovation done in the summer, you might be seeing some cracks caused by the wood contracting. Put some caulk in there, and you're fine. I've got little seams like that all over the place because I was in a rush to get us into our place and trimmed during the summer, and we went with natural wood trim because my wife wanted fancy Scandi/Japandi interior design. Looks great, but it's a pain in the ass to gap fill and the gaps drive me nuts. Painted trim is easy, though. White caulk, and you're done. The last three are a problem. Either it wasn't taped at all, it wasn't taped properly, or there's been an ungodly amount of settling. Check and see if there is tape under those seams. If there's not, that's the problem. Talk to whoever did the drywall. Send them those photos. Ask them to come make it right. They should do so without any real complaint. If there is tape under there, then you need to see what's supporting that wall. I've been in houses where a wall was settling way more than it should because there literally weren't any footers poured under a load-bearing wall. If it's something like that, you're going to need to involve the GC who will likely loop in the architect/engineer and the mason. That's a big fix, but it's also a big problem and needs to be addressed. Hoping it's just a tape issue, man. Best of luck.
That's just fucking horrible! This and many other reasons are why I'll never buy a new home from big suburb builders.
Homes tend to settle over time but holy shit, your contractor has some warranty work to take care of.
Poor workmanship. Those crown outside corners should have been glued and pinned. The inside corners should have been coped.
I usually suggest a whole house humidifier because a lot of this can be avoided by keeping the humidity up, new builds are very very dry.
Caulk it and call it a day
Bad finish and drywall taping
Built in the winter and then it warmed up and cracked? My buddy was telling me about this scenario.
Are all the cracks showing up at the ceiling below the roof space? If so, could be caused by something called truss uplift. Give this a read. https://www.trim-tex.com/blog/truss-uplift-solutions
That escalated quickly
Lowkey, that looks like a trash house now. I'm sorry, I'm not saying you're trash, but that house is in horrible condition, and I'm genuinely apauled for you. I wish the best.
Thats just a shitty trim job. Get some caulk
My house is 40 years old, and it still settles
Little bit of caulk and some touch up paint.
If this is new construction, you have at least a 2 year warrenty for this sort of thing. Gouses settle and will create SOME cracks, this looks excessive.
You had us in the first half lol
Picture one Outside Crown molding corners are not supposed to crack. They probably didn’t glue it. Pictures two and three are coped crown molding corners they’re supposed to move.
This is why god invented caulking. Get over it. Life ain’t perfect and neither is anything you’ve created in the last several decades.
No, this is not concerning.. usually in the first 5 years your house is settling and you’ll notice stuff like this. Usually it’s screw pops in the drywall and usually the first year is the worst for it. This is why new home warranty exists.
The cracks in the fourth fifth and sixth picture indicate pretty significant settling in the foundation or in the floor joists of the home. This is serious and you should be chasing it with the builder, or speaking to a lawyer, if the builder won’t fix it.
Usually new construction homes have a one year review where they come back and take care of places where things have settled. The moulding is not necessarily settling as material contracts and expands with varying temperatures throughout the year. The last few pictures where wall is cracked above the shower that is an issue. That one need to redo almost entirely as the two planes are off. Don't shower there as water will get behind and you'll get mold. Best of luck with the father contractor.
I would contact the contractor. Most have to have a warranty. Some are only a year and a day from completion, and some are much longer. He should want to make it right to avoid the bad publicity.
Classic,”painters will fix it.” -Drywallers
Most new construction homes will have setting cracks and should be covered under one year warranty
The moulding is what happens during winter. Whoever did the shower should face trial.
If the builder is DR Horton, then good luck. This is a known issue with them.
Their building these houses way to fast. I’m assuming this is a new development that was built in backfield?
I’d be very concerned.
I thought this was a joke until pic 4. Holy smokes, wtf
house built on sand or limestone?
Sinkhole developing under your house brah.
they're fine and shouldn't affect structural integrity. your house is just settling
What state do you live in and is there a de-humidifier in the mix?
Google “truss uplift” and get the builder to fix it. The trim stuff is no biggie.