Help! Cracks in wall, some parts big, what to do?!?**Pics**
 

Hello,

Here are some pics of my parents house (I'm living with them while in college). Anyway, I was in my room, and I stood up a second to look out the window (next to my bed), put my hand on the wall, and started feeling something crumbling under my hand! Had I not pushed against the wall I would have never known that "crack" was there, but when I pushed against it, it started to cave in. I then traced it (pushing agsinst the wall, following the crackling) and found this! Is it my parents' house just settling?

I'm thinking, the previous owners just painted and filled over it, otherwise the cracks would have been visible if they happened since we moved (and before the previous owner painted over it)? Or would it be possible for it to track and the paint not crack with it? Before it looked 100% normal? We live in a two story house. The upstairs we live in, and the downstairs is a fullsized basement. So what should we do? :(




Picture of crack going down the wall


Here's the link to an upclose and big picture of the crack
http://img96.exs.cx/img96/3530/bigpi...cknwall5ta.jpg

Help? What do you think I should do?

"JonathanF" wrote in message
...

JonathanF Wrote:
Hello,

Here are some pics of my parents house (I'm living with them while in
college). Anyway, I was in my room, and I stood up a second to look out
the window (next to my bed), put my hand on the wall, and started
feeling something crumbling under my hand! Had I not pushed against
the wall I would have never known that "crack" was there, but when I
pushed against it, it started to cave in. I then traced it (pushing
agsinst the wall, following the crackling) and found this! Is it my
parents' house just settling?

I'm thinking, the previous owners just painted and filled over it,
otherwise the cracks would have been visible if they happened since we
moved (and before the previous owner painted over it)? Or would it be
possible for it to track and the paint not crack with it? Before it
looked 100% normal? We live in a two story house. The upstairs we
live in, and the downstairs is a fullsized basement. So what should we
do? :(




Picture of crack going down the wall
[image: http://img96.exs.cx/img96/9296/cracknwall16tq.jpg]

Here's the link to an upclose and big picture of the crack
http://img96.exs.cx/img96/3530/bigpi...cknwall5ta.jpg


Help? What do you think I should do?


--
JonathanF

It looks like the house is settling and the cracks were just filled and
painted over as you suggested. You should get a structural engineer to come
by and check it out. If you know a builder he may also be able to give you a
clue....How long have your folks owned the home? I ask because in most
states they have disclosure laws and if this was covered up by the previous
owners then your next trip may be to an attorney.....good luck, Ross

Jonathan,
You really need to stop posting the same stuff so many times.

The cracks look like normal, garden variety cracks in a plaster
wall. You can v out the cracks and use either setting drywall
compound or Imperial plaster to repair the crack. Particular
attention needs to be paid to the finish texture of your repair
work if you want to truly disguise the patch. This will require
repainting the wall to cover the work. There is a fair chance the
crack will reappear.

(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"JonathanF" wrote in message
...

JonathanF Wrote:
Hello,

Here are some pics of my parents house (I'm living with them
while in
college). Anyway, I was in my room, and I stood up a second to
look out
the window (next to my bed), put my hand on the wall, and
started
feeling something crumbling under my hand! Had I not pushed
against
the wall I would have never known that "crack" was there, but
when I
pushed against it, it started to cave in. I then traced it
(pushing
agsinst the wall, following the crackling) and found this! Is
it my
parents' house just settling?

I'm thinking, the previous owners just painted and filled over
it,
otherwise the cracks would have been visible if they happened
since we
moved (and before the previous owner painted over it)? Or
would it be
possible for it to track and the paint not crack with it?
Before it
looked 100% normal? We live in a two story house. The
upstairs we
live in, and the downstairs is a fullsized basement. So what
should we
do? :(




Picture of crack going down the wall
[image: http://img96.exs.cx/img96/9296/cracknwall16tq.jpg]

Here's the link to an upclose and big picture of the crack
http://img96.exs.cx/img96/3530/bigpi...cknwall5ta.jpg


Help? What do you think I should do?


--
JonathanF

JonathanF wrote:


Hello,

Here are some pics of my parents house (I'm living with them while in
college). Anyway, I was in my room, and I stood up a second to look out
the window (next to my bed), put my hand on the wall, and started
feeling something crumbling under my hand! Had I not pushed against
the wall I would have never known that "crack" was there, but when I
pushed against it, it started to cave in. I then traced it (pushing
agsinst the wall, following the crackling) and found this! Is it my
parents' house just settling?

I'm thinking, the previous owners just painted and filled over it,
otherwise the cracks would have been visible if they happened since we
moved (and before the previous owner painted over it)? Or would it be
possible for it to track and the paint not crack with it? Before it
looked 100% normal? We live in a two story house. The upstairs we
live in, and the downstairs is a fullsized basement. So what should we
do? :(




Picture of crack going down the wall
[image: http://img96.exs.cx/img96/9296/cracknwall16tq.jpg]

Here's the link to an upclose and big picture of the crack
http://img96.exs.cx/img96/3530/bigpi...cknwall5ta.jpg


Is that a lathe and plaster wall? My Dad's house was made like that and it
was always cracking - not much you can do as far as i know except strip the
wall and put up sheet rock.
Eric
--
King County Washington: Voter Fraud Capitol of the US

I didn't mean to post it three times, this website was slow and and so it just kept "loading" but wouldn't post, so the third time I posted it work, but then the other two popped up.


We've been in the house for about 12 years or so I'm guessing, so I guess we can't do anything then about it besides fix it ourselves?

JonathanF wrote:
Hello,

Here are some pics of my parents house (I'm living with them while in
college). Anyway, I was in my room, and I stood up a second to look out
the window (next to my bed), put my hand on the wall, and started
feeling something crumbling under my hand! Had I not pushed against
the wall I would have never known that "crack" was there, but when I
pushed against it, it started to cave in. I then traced it (pushing
agsinst the wall, following the crackling) and found this! Is it my
parents' house just settling?

There are black specks on the wall - holes or artifact? Is the wall
adjacent to an exterior doorway? Good place for termites to locate.
Had annual termite inspections? That is where I would start.