A Settling House

gaogi

Active member
I know new houses will settle over time, but how much is normal?  Having been in my new house for 9 months, i'm noticing:

- Lots of hairline cracks in the inside corners of walls
- Popped dry wall screws in the ceilings
- Drywall seams becoming visible
- Cracked grout in the showers
- Bottom row of tiles cracked in the shower
- Bull nose corners ripping away from the drywall
- Widening gaps in the crown moulding between pieces
- Window frame's 45 degree corners separating

I had called IPC a few months back about the cracked grout, since I was worried about water leaking into the walls, and they just put some caulk on the cracks.  I showed them the dry wall seams too, and they said that it would look worse after they fix it, since they would need to texture the fix, and it would be impossible to blend it into the rest of the wall.  The whole time, they gave me the spiel about how this should be taken care of during the 12 month walk through, and that they're doing me a favor by caulking the shower right now. 

If I call Irvine Pacific again, I know they'll just tell me the house is settling, and they'll take care of it in the 12 month walk through.  Some of these things I'm seeing just doesn't seem right.  Is this shoddy construction, or is it normal?
 
This sounds pretty excessive to me. Cracked grout in the shower is one thing, but all those drywall issues sound exvessive
 
I agree that is excessive...i mean hairline cracks at the seams are normal when the house is settling, but drywalls screws coming out?  that's just nonsense and should be taken care of ASAP. 

 
Threaten them with a lawsuit...hopefully that will get them motivated to move on things.  Do they have lemon laws for homes in California (like they do for cars)?
 
USCTrojanCPA said:
Threaten them with a lawsuit...hopefully that will get them motivated to move on things.  Do they have lemon laws for homes in California (like they do for cars)?
Not when you signed the most lop sided contract with IPAC
They're untouchable
 
For a house built on a slab there should not be all that much relative movement.  Maybe they used some REALLY green wood that is only now drying out.  It's ridiculous to suggest it's OK to finish a home with a plan to refinish it a year later.  Taken together, it sounds like there's a lot of action going on in your house.  Drywall should fail long before the screw that holds it, and I can't even imagine what forces are causing the round corner bead to "rip away from the drywall". 

How long are the ceiling screws that are popping out?

What do you mean by "drywall seams becoming visible"? 

Can you tell if the hairline cracks are just through the texture, or through the joint paper beneath?
 
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