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techguyga
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join:2003-12-31
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techguyga

Premium Member

Opinion needed - New house issues

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Above foyer

Master - trey ceiling
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Master - trey ceiling 2
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Living room 1
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Living room 2
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Living room 3
Hi all, I need some opinions. I moved into a new home in May 2014, as the first owner. The home was completed somewhere around November 2013 and was vacant until we purchased it. It's a 5br/3ba 2-story on a slab. 4 bedrooms and laundry are upstairs. A guest bedroom, living room, family room, dining room, kitchen and breakfast area are downstairs.

About 2 months ago, we started to notice some popping noises in the master bedroom when we walked on the floors. A few weeks later, doors to the master bath and closet would no longer latch and the builder came out and moved the strike plate on both doors about 1/4 to 1/2" so the doors would latch correctly. Since that time, the popping in the upstairs floors has gotten progressively worse, and spread to about half the upstairs level. It's to the point that if we walk on the floors, it's loud enough to wake the kids from their sleep. We've also noticed that there is now random popping even when no one is walking on the floors.

In the last 2 weeks or so, we have noticed that there are areas where trim and walls are showing signs of cracking. While I'm told that some settling is normal, and most homes go through a period where lumber dries after construction, am I right in worrying that there may be a larger issue, or am I overreacting? I've attached a few photos for reference...
wth
Premium Member
join:2002-02-20
Iowa City,IA

2 recommendations

wth

Premium Member

Contact the home builder. I'd think he could/should be able to fix those mostly normal shrinkage problems since you purchased it less than a year ago. The floors will probably need the carpet pulled up and the subfloor would need to be screwed down to the joists. Home may have gotten real wet from rain before roof was installed.
harald
join:2010-10-22
Columbus, OH

harald to techguyga

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Ouch!

Yes, it is a significant problem. In living room 2, the joints are mitered, not coped(see coping in Wikipedia if you are not acquainted with this technique) In the bedroom photo, it looks like a finger joint in the molding is comping apart. I have never seen that.

Sounds like you got took.

Pegasus
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join:2008-01-04
united state

9 recommendations

Pegasus to techguyga

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to techguyga
Im sure there will be wildly varying opinions on this but really its gonna come down to needing to have this looked at by a structural engineer to do an inspection and look over plans.

There are so many variables that go into whats going on. Soil, Lumber,design, climate etc etc. a good expert will know how to put that all into a formula to get you the answers you need.

Personally i have never had a new home crack that much before but really its a whole design and environmental variables that come into play here.

i would presume being a new house situation you have some type of warranty from the builder on construction & materials but i would seek out the inspection from someone on your own at first.

If it comes to be an issue that requires action of course they are going to come up with a person on payroll and ive had situations get sticky because of that matter so knowledge is power.

it all depends on how big of a dollar sign you put on peace of mind.
harald
join:2010-10-22
Columbus, OH

harald to techguyga

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Boy, the more I look at the Master - trey ceiling photo i am confused?

The molding is pulling apart - what the heck is it made of?
nonymous (banned)
join:2003-09-08
Glendale, AZ

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nonymous (banned) to techguyga

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to techguyga
Thoss things can be fixed. Now it all depends on if the settling is normal and has stopped or you can expect more later.
I would say it needs looked at by someone who knows what they are looking ofr. Difference between a little minor settling movement and an issue later.

One newish house I looked at had cracks running from the foundation up the walls. Another had some beams in the ceiling breaking.
Now some had cracks in the new stucco (fairly normal) and mine older has a few cracks in the mortar as block construction but 30 years old. Really do not expect more settling at this late date.

But needs more investigation by someone who knows. Doesnt have to be an engineer though a plus. A pro with many years in construction to me may be almost as good for a quick look see.

Do not yet see cracks in wall? May just be badly installed trim?

bmilone2
join:2001-01-26
Mays Landing, NJ

bmilone2 to techguyga

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Looks like just some normal settlement issues that occur with new homes. Do you also have some nail pops in the drywall?

The E
Please allow me to retort
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join:2002-05-26
Burnaby, BC

The E to techguyga

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to techguyga
The cracks in the joints/mitred cuts could likely just be shrinkage as another poster mentioned. I've found that the one area where most builders skimp is in the finish work (trim/casing, etc). Often it's the caulking that's cracked, not the wood itself. Sharp changes in heat/humidity will cause the wood to swell & shrink, and cheap caulking will be the first thing to go. I've never seen finger joints blow-out though, that's a first for me!
The way you're describing the cracking is a little unsettling.... A couple questions: does the floor have much bounce to it? Can you pinpoint where the cracking sound are coming from?

My only concern is that there's a structural problem with the floor joists (over spanned, damaged, over spaced). It's likely nothing more than environmental changes, shrinkage, maybe even nail popping.

Bottom line though; if you're concerned I'd call in an independent engineer, inspector or government body to look at it.

robbin
Mod
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX

robbin to techguyga

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Walk around the perimeter and inspect the slab for cracking. Take pics and post anything that you find.

Tursiops_G
Technoid
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Brooksville, FL
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Tursiops_G to techguyga

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Is that a freakin' HOLE in the drywall behind the ceiling beam(?) in the Living room 3 pic?

Shoddy construction...

Get an independent inspection, and file for repairs under the Home Builder's Warranty.

Grumpy4
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join:2001-07-28
NW CT

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Grumpy4 to techguyga

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This is normal for new construction and modern grades of lumber. Modern lumber and molding is junk compared to building materials of 30 or more years ago. A piece of molding today will often show wood grain an inch or two apart, and is often made of Poplar - a very soft wood. The dimensional lumber of today is often Douglas Fir - another very soft wood.

Painter's caulk and a paint touch up here and there will fix this. Major structural damage from a sinking foundation would likely present as a much more serious interior flaw. Our builder had a policy to return after one year's occupancy to repair nail pops and cracks. Painting was not included in this service, but we were advised to retain the original paint until the repairs were accomplished.

The top photo may indeed show some sloppy saw work, but I can't say for sure from one photo and the associated resolution.

Oak 2 X 4s of a full 2" X 4" and plaster walls are for the most part, a thing of the past. Crappy wallboard joints are the norm now as well. To sand out wallboard joints with a high powered lamp and removing every possible wallboard compound flaw is unfortunately also a dying art. Visible seems have become permissible in modern construction. If you have flawless wall and ceiling joints, you are indeed, lucky, and a true artist / craftsman was there to do it. Those old plaster craftsmen would roll in their graves to see what goes on these days.

Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC

Corehhi to techguyga

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All this stuff seems to be happening a little to quickly. Could be a drastic change in humidity causing it but ????? Winter time with the heat running which this house probably has never seen add to that a bunch of wet weather when they were building the house could be causing all this. I would look the slab over very well. Could also be something wrong with the slab, worse case.

That trim job isn't very good but it could be calked back together and the dry wall could be fixed pretty easily.

dean corso
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join:2007-09-07

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dean corso to techguyga

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New construction is scary. 24" on center rather than 16", pressed fiber board instead of real lumber, etc.
wth
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Iowa City,IA

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wth to techguyga

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said by techguyga:

A few weeks later, doors to the master bath and closet would no longer latch and the builder came out and moved the strike plate on both doors about 1/4 to 1/2" so the doors would latch correctly.

After reading this again, this seems to be "a lot" of movement/shrinkage in 2 doors located in the same part of the house. I'd also have someone other than the builder take a look and see what's going on.
Do these doors fit? Pics?

Snakeoil
Ignore Button. The coward's feature.
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join:2000-08-05
united state

Snakeoil to techguyga

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Reading your post reminded me of a "scandal" in Cherokee county GA, around 1999 or so. What happened wa a builder was paying off county building inspectors. Said build would then pour a slab that was half as thick as it should have been. Those saving thousands of dollars in home building.
What happened is that some of those slabs filed in a big way. I recall one house whose exterior wall, on one side, had dropped 4 inches.

Needless to say it was a mess, and we were happy we purchased an older home.

That said, my experience has been, that the homes have a limited 1 year warranty after sale. So you should be able to get the items looked at.

Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC

Corehhi

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13 years on structural. Of course most builders declare BK by then.

nightdesigns
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nightdesigns to techguyga

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That seems pretty extreme. I built a house a year ago and in that time I just had some minor settling cracks around the windows and a few doors needing adjustment. No door hardware needed to be moved, just tweaked. 1/4-1/2" adjustments on door hardware just sounds massive. I'm wondering if they waited until the end to put the roof tiles on. Here, as soon as the ply is on the roof trusses, the tiles are stacked on so that the house can settle before drywall and finish work.
Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL

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Mr Matt to techguyga

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said by techguyga:

We've also noticed that there is now random popping even when no one is walking on the floors.

Could be signs of a sinkhole forming. See this website:

»www.sinkhole.org/CommonSigns.php

battleop
join:2005-09-28
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"needing to have this looked at by a structural engineer"

Oh good grief. That's some serious overkill based on what the OP Posted but then again it's his money and not your money so why not tell him to go the most expensive route possible?
scross
join:2002-09-13
USA

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scross to techguyga

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How close are these areas to your garage? I ask because at one time we started having problems with our garage door sticking on occasion (it's a heavy wooden door), especially when it was raining outside, and the interaction between the electric opener and the sticking door caused minor flexing in the wood and walls in the rooms adjacent to the garage, leading to issues similar to what you have here. Variations in temperature and humidity in the rooms adjacent to the garage might have played a role, too.

On the subject of home construction quality in general, my wife and I used to like to go to those home builders' shows that were once quite popular. But we stopped going maybe 15 years ago when the construction quality on those homes (even the high-end ones) got so bad that I was actually embarrassed for the builders! And if they allowed such obvious flaws to go uncorrected - even with a big, public show coming up - then you just had to wonder what other unseen flaws were lurking in those homes.

stevek1949
We're not in Kansas anymore
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join:2002-11-13
Virginia Beach, VA

stevek1949 to techguyga

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Is the downstairs an "open concept" type of plan? Where are these issues in relation to the center of the plan drawing? Could it be that the main structural member is undersized for the span? I am not a builder or engineer, but with a little digging I am going to bet that they are structurally related to a center point.

techguyga
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techguyga to wth

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I've already contacted the builder, and yes, they'll repair stuff like this for the first year. They're more than willing to come out and address the items, but I was just curious if those were "normal", or a sign of a larger issue.

They're building another home next door, and said that when the carpet guy came to do that one, they'd have him come over and pull the carpet to address the floor.
techguyga

techguyga to harald

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said by harald:

Sounds like you got took.

Sorry you feel that way...I don't feel that way at all. It's a reputable builder and they have been more than happy to address any issues that we've raised to them.
techguyga

techguyga to Pegasus

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I'm not sure if I'm ready to call in a structural engineer at this point, I'm just gathering opinions and documenting what we find. The builder will come out for the first year to address any issues, and they also purchase a 2-year systems and 10-year structural warranty on the homeowners behalf for all new homes they build. I had already planned to have a home inspector look at the home about 60-days before our first year is up. I just want to make sure I'm not missing any hidden issues that can be addressed by the builder.
techguyga

techguyga to nonymous

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Not sure if the settling has stopped, but I am definitely going to have a home inspector look at things and possibly a construction pro before the one year up in May. I don't see any cracks in the walls, or baseboards for that matter. Everything appears to be on the ceiling of both stories.
techguyga

techguyga to bmilone2

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Yup, plenty of nail pops in certain areas.
techguyga

techguyga to The E

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said by The E:

does the floor have much bounce to it? Can you pinpoint where the cracking sound are coming from?

No, there's no bounce at all. I can't pinpoint exactly where it's coming from, but when you step on it, it sounds like it reverberates across the entire floor. We'll know more there once the carpet is pulled.

I've never seen finger joints break either, but I guess it's possible if the lumber got wet before being installed. Since I wasn't around when they built this one, I don't really know...but I know the fall/winter of 2013 was very wet in our area.
techguyga

techguyga to Tursiops_G

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said by Tursiops_G:

Is that a freakin' HOLE in the drywall behind the ceiling beam(?) in the Living room 3 pic?

No, it's not a hole...it's the angle that the photo was taken. My wife sent me a few photos at the office yesterday. What looks like a hole to you is actually the foyer, next to the room when the photo was taken, with a large piece of metal art hanging on the wall. You're seeing the metal art.
techguyga

techguyga to Grumpy4

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I think I'm going to stroll over to the house they are building next door and see what type of lumber they are using there. They've just hung the drywall, so it will probably be delivered soon if it's not already there. They will absolutely come out to address the items we bring up, and they'll also do any touch-up painting that's needed.
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