- The reasons why cracks form in the walls and ceiling of your home
- Why you should be concerned about yours
- What you need to do next to ensure they don’t lead to major, costly repairs in your future.
Picture this… you’re sitting down in your home after a long day’s work, trying to relax and unwind (much deserved). You’re enjoying the feeling of being home. You put your feet up and take a deep breath in, *sigh*.
Suddenly, your eyes catch something in the corner of the room…
Argh, it’s that little crack in your wall.
You know, the one that you spotted a while ago?
The one that you know is annoying you, because you know walls aren’t meant to have cracks in them.
Yep, that one.
Why Do Cracks Form In Walls And Ceilings?
As you can imagine, there are an array of reasons why your house may be getting cracks in its walls. Some cracks can mean quite minor repairs and others can be the sign of major issues that, if left alone, will require major (and costly) work to fix.
Some of the main reasons cracks can appear in walls and ceilings include:
- Earth movement
- Wood studs, posts or beams shrinking or warping
- Ceiling joists over spanned or overloaded
- Unstable or contaminated dry wall
- If in a concrete wall, air pockets (or ‘honeycombing’) were formed from poorly mixed concrete
- House foundation contracts and expands as the seasons change
- Worst case scenario: foundation issues
Why should you be concerned about yours?
Any crack, no matter if the cause is minor or major, requires an inspection of the area, so that you can be confident in what is happening behind the walls of your house. Having the knowledge and understanding of why cracks are forming means you can decide what course of action you want to take – whether repairs need to be done immediately, what these repairs will cost and what type of trade you need to fix the issue.
This is why you should be concerned about yours; to gain an understanding of the severity of the problem and what your next steps are…
What are the next steps you need to do?
It’s important to get a diagnosis quick-smart to avoid costly delays.
As you know, once there’s a crack, it’s not going away – it’s only going to get worse, so it’s imperative to gain a strong understanding of why this is happening.
Your next step is to do just that: find out what’s going on.
- What is causing the crack?
- How quickly is the crack going to worsen?
- What needs to be done to fix the issue and prevent more cracks from appearing?
- What trade or expertise do I need to engage to get this problem sorted?
The way to get these questions answered by a NON-BIASED and completely INDEPENDENT body is to have an experienced and licensed building inspector inspect the area and provide you with a detailed report that answers your questions.
By engaging in a building inspector first, rather than having a builder or underpinning company take an initial look at the crack, you will have peace of mind in what trade to hire and roughly how much the repair work will cost.
At the end of the day, your home is the most important asset you will ever have – so it’s time to get on top of these little niggling signs that there’s something not-quite-right going on behind the walls.
Imagine that *sigh* of relief when you can come home from a busy day, put your feet up in your favourite spot, and enjoy the peace of mind you’ll get from having your crack fixed.
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BUILDING INSPECTORS ADELAIDE is owned and operated right here in South Australia. We are award-winning building inspectors, fully qualified and fully insured. Our inspectors have conducted over 30,000 inspections across South Australia.
Enquire about our services here.
