Expert: Ted Barnhill (Principal, Design45 LLC) - 2/23/2008

Question
Ted
our home is about 20 years old. every winter one part of our bathroom ceiling separates from the wall about one eighth inch. along with that is that there is a crack that develops running in the same line through part of our living room wall. we live with a crawl space. we have had the crack in the living room fixed about five years ago but it is coming back. who can we turn to to tell us what is going on. we are not rich so we cant afford to put alot of money into this. please help if you can. we live in Illinois by the way. thanks.

Answer
Wayne,

The fact that your crack is seasonal is a good clue to its source.  I wouldn't call it "settling" (i.e., inadequate soils or undersized foundation leading to settling) but rather a cold-related issue.

Is the problem wall an interior wall, or on the exterior?  If the former, you may be experiencing "truss uplift," a condition in newer homes wherein cold roof trusses deform due to unequal temperature and humidity on top and bottom chords.  That is, the ceiling is warm and the roof is cold; as a result, the ceiling in the middle of the home moves upward, separating from the walls.  If this is the issue, the fix is to hide the movement with trim attached to the ceiling, such as cove or crown moulding.

Another possibility is that some portion of your foundation is experiencing frost heaving.  This would mean that your footings are too shallow in some location.  Perhaps the grade outside your home has been altered?  Hopefully this is not the problem, as you may ameliorate the problem by addressing surface water (especially having proper gutters and sloping grade away for the house), but replacing the footings is a big job.

I recommend that you call a few well-respected contractors in your area to have them assess the source of your problem and its estimated repair cost.

Good luck, and feel free to reply with follow-ups.  -Ted