Wall/ceiling cracks?

[Victor S.]

Hi, all.

Just looked at a HUD property today and noticed the attached cracks in the ceiling/walls. Without going too deep, does this look like a structural issue to you? Roof appears to be new(er). House built in mid 90s.

Thanks!

[Adam Abdel-Hafez]

I agree with Jeff Berg . I used to be a structural engineer before my days as a contractor and we would get calls about this stuff all the time. Drywall cracks pretty easy, so with the slightest movement it will crack. Most homes at some point settle at least a little due to shrinkage/expansion. Now, if you have plaster walls then that is a different story. It takes a lot of movement for plaster to crack, so if that does happen then you need to get somebody to look at it for you.

I strongly disagree with the previous comment that states to basically never worry about cracks and uneven floors. It depends on the type of material and the type of crack/settling to determine whether it should be address or not. Sometimes floors are uneven because the joists that support the floor underneath are rotted, so you have nothing supporting the load on that area. Yes, most times it's not a big deal, but please do not generalize like that.