Cracks in wall joints, stairs seperating from walls,

[kirkland99]

Hi guys my first post here. I recently purchased a 2 floor cottage that was completed inc 2005. In the past few months I have noticed minor cracks in some of the ceillings where the gyprock meets, the stairs leading to upstairs have also slipt apart from the wall ( aprox. 1-2mm), the vanity in the first floor bathroom has also split off wall(1-2 mm) and the countersin the kitchen(also first floor) have also came off the wall(1 mm). I am thinking this is a major cause for concern. What do you guys think?

[pawnhead]

I am thinking this is a major cause for concern. What do you guys think?

Well it could be, but it could also be minor settlement movement if the house is built out of timber framework. The timber may not have been seasoned properly and it's just acclimatising to the environment.
Of course it also could mean that the builder decided to save some money on the footings by not putting any cement in. If that's the case then it would be a concern.

1 or 2 mm in the first few years wouldn't overly concern me, but here in Australia there is a seven year period where the builder must rectify any cracks and faults. Of course defective workmanship has no time limit constraints.

[Davem1]

I can see from your location that you are from Canada, but from building houses in Australia l can tell you that this is a common problem with new houses, the term is referred to settlement.
Settlement issues can mainly caused by expansion and contraction of the land on which the house is resting on. 1-2mm is nothing to be really concerned over.
Inspecting the outside of the property for other signs of cracking would be a good idea as this can give you a good idea of the seriousness. Staircases are a very common spot for settlement issues.
Settlement in Australia can take years to mature, usually because of clay soils. Clay expands and shrinks considerably when moisture fluctuates.
Contact your Builder or have a independant inspection carried out. But l wouldnt be worried as from your description its only cosmetic.
Though further information on your house would help us understand the severity. Is the house a slab on ground or brick piers, is the house cladded of bricked.

Hope this helps, any photos as well?????

[willow370]

If your house is buildt up of plated trusses, pop your head up into the roof and just for safety reasons check that the plates havnt moved AT ALL and that the timber joins are fully closed, if there is even the slightest bit of give and the plates have started to slip, the house is very dangerous. If it is a pitched roof check for the same problems but without the plates. Just for safety reasons

[ozwinner]

If your house is buildt up of plated trusses, pop your head up into the roof and just for safety reasons check that the plates havnt moved AT ALL and that the timber joins are fully closed, if there is even the slightest bit of give and the plates have started to slip, the house is very dangerous. If it is a pitched roof check for the same problems but without the plates. Just for safety reasons

What a load of tihs.
Do you even know what you are talking about?

Why put the fear of god into people just for the sake of making an irrelevant post?

You sound like a wanna be, you just have made it yet.

Al

[willow370]

i was simply asking him to make sure his trusses are ok

[ozwinner]

i was simply asking him to make sure his trusses are ok

Maaaaate, Ive been in the building game for over 36 years, and have yet to hear of one "falling down".

Sorry there was one that I heard of, a frame collapsed after a humongous wind.

Again, they dont just collapse.

Al

[ozwinner]

Back on topic.

The cracks are probably due to settlement, timber/ground shrinking etc.
If you were in Oz I would suggest the drought has made the ground shrink causing the cracks.

My place which has been here since 1975 is showing very small signs of drought cracking.

Al

[willow370]

im sorry, we know of one house that was saved from collapsing because they got to it quickly and put supports under the trusses, the problem was the wrong plates were put on and the door that the girder was sitting on had no lintel in it. Another time a building at a golf course collapsed and killed several people because the trusses were designed wrong, i may not have been in the industry as long as you, but my co workers that told me these stories have been in the industry longer then even you.

I am not going to argue over this any longer, sorry.

[ozwinner]

All hear say!!
All rumours put out by people with nothing better to do with their time.

Al

[johnc]

Al,

You should have added that you have been around longer than pre fab trusses you old dog.

[willow370]

Haha, who says they are rumors? we know the companies that produced the product, for good reason i am not going to say which ones they were.

[Honorary Bloke]

Now that we've driven off another poor sod who just wanted his question answered, I would have said that given where he is located, it is partly settlement issues and partly perhaps expansion/contraction. I know of homes in colder climes that have these small separations in the winter and then are miraculously "healed" when the warm weather returns. The usual repair is to cover the crack with flexible silicon caulk so it "gives" a bit as the timbers move.

Oh, and Willow, even if true the odds of it being what you say is one in a gazillion or less. Unless, of course, you are implying that Australian building practices are slipshod.