My wife and I recently bought our first home, which is around 100 years old. We've noticed some significant cracks between the door frame and wall of our laundry room and back porch, both inside and outside. I've attached some photos for reference. To me, it seems like there may be a slight bowing in the wall, but I can't accurately measure it. Our inspector didn't mention this issue in his thorough report, and we haven't seen any damage in the basement or on the second floor. Considering this, do you think it's worth bringing in a structural engineer to investigate further? We're eager to avoid unnecessary expenses on something that might not be a real problem. Thanks for any advice!
2 Answers
From what I can see, it looks like old water damage that was covered up poorly with a lot of caulk and paint. Those repairs seem to be failing, which might explain the cracks you're seeing. I don’t think it’s a structural concern, but definitely worth keeping an eye on.
I had a similar issue with an addition that suffered from a shallow foundation. You want to look out for horizontal cracks at the tops of door frames specifically. It seems like a lot of caulk and paint are just finally giving in. Maybe just scrape and redo it nicely, but I wouldn't worry too much about it being a major issue.
That makes a lot of sense! We haven't noticed any other cracks, and the foundation feels solid. If it turns out to be just cosmetic, we’ll add it to our long list of to-dos! ? Thanks a ton!
I totally agree! It looks like that thin strip of plaster was damaged and not fixed properly. It's surprising the inspector didn’t catch that.