What Causes Cracks In Walls

While the natural movement of building materials surprises many homeowners engineers architects and builders expect and plan for natural settling shrinking and swelling.

What causes cracks in walls.

These cracks are serious and require professional attention. Leaky windows and roofs can cause moisture to get into your home s walls. Contents common causes of cracks. Other horizontal cracks in walls may be caused by the pressure of a failing wall or indicative of load bearing problems and are a safety concern.

Causes of cracks in walls small insufficient depth of foundation. Causes of cracks in walls if your home was recently built cracks in walls could be the results of new home settling. This causes the drywall to get wet soften and deteriorate which then leads to cracking. This is a sign of structural damage usually related to a weak wall.

Exceeding the design load on the ground. Small cracks located above interior windows or doors are usually harmless. There s no exact method for determining how serious a wall crack is without hiring an expert to examine the wall but you might be able to. Causes of these cracks in masonry walls can be movement of building causing settlement and subsidence.

Quite often found in old buildings can lead to the mobility of the soil under the foundation due to heaving or other reasons. We explore which cracks are cause for concern. How to determine if the cracks in walls are serious. This usually occurs if you want to save money by making the foundation too narrow on the mobile ground.

The causes of wall cracks. Long horizontal cracks that extend along the joints where interior partition walls and upstairs ceilings connect generally signify roof truss issues which cause ceilings to detach from walls. Cracks that cause concern are those which run across the length of a ceiling and then continue down a wall along the same line. Whether cracks occur on the finished surfaces of masonry wood or metal stud walls the most common cause is the movement of building materials.

New lumber sometimes called green lumber contains a high level. If the cracks in your walls are showing discoloration such as brown or yellow tinted stains then the problem may be the result of water damage to your home.