My foundation was recently repaired but the repaired ceiling cracks are starting to show through. Is that bad?

Question

I've asked this question before but asked it wrong. Everyone thought i was talking about cracks in my foundation, Im talking about in the the drywall. So...I recently bought a house that had foundation repairs. I have noticed that one of the cracks in the ceiling, that had been repaired with stucko is starting to show through. It looks like it is cracked again. Does this mean my foundation is in need of repair again or is my house just settling? Please Help. Im so worried about the cost of having to repair again.

Answer 1

Houses in our town are always setteling and drywall cracks are normal but I would call the contractor that made the repairs to check his work

Answer 2

It may be just settling, it may be that the foundation repair was inadequate, it may be that the stucco repair was inadequate.  Only way to really get a good idea would be to get a structural engineer out to take a look at it.

I've never heard of a stucco ceiling before... could you be talking about drywall compound cracking?

Answer 3

When a house settles, the hope is for it to settle evenly, usually proper soil preparation and water drainage control helps with this. The problem is, when a house settles unevenly, when this happens it can lead to foundation cracks. In my experience if the cause of the uneven settling isn't properly mitigated, the foundation repair just becomes a band aid to a potentially bigger problem. Should the uneven settling continue, the repair will eventually crack again.

The easiest foundation problems to fix are ones caused by storm water flowing under the house and undermining the base soil, the key is to re-route the water away and around the home and fill the void with a concrete slurry. The more complicated problems, are caused by improper soil preparation and/or compaction during construction or natural uneven settling, these are much harder to fix, usually the repair is to pour a concrete slurry under the home to fill any voids but, this problem will continue as the home continues to settle requiring more slurry pours.

I would hire either a Structural Home Inspector or Engineer to determine the cause of the uneven settling, if it's caused by the failure of the original home builder to properly prep the sub soil or manage storm water, you may go after the builder for the repairs, if the company still exists. If it's due to natural causes than your stuck with the repairing.

Answer 4

it sounds like the new repaired foundation has caused some settling again. I live in a house that's 20 years old and does the same thing every 4-5 years in the same place on the drywall. I'd caulk then paint the cracks and not worry about it if your foundation is in good shape. Some things you just cat fix without making it a full complete renovation getting too costly.

Answer 5

Your house is settling. I painted a year ago and crack I filled and painted over are showing up again. Your house is going to move and settle over time and crack like this will just require regular maintinence as will the foundation. When filling them this time try using a flexible paintable sealent. It's not guaranteed to work but it may stretch rather than revealing the crack again.