Are these stucco cracks caused by structrual problems? (paint color, steel, vent)

[firsthomeowner]

Thanks K'ledgebldr for your reply and I think your comments did make sense. I noticed that aournd my house (either inside or outside) there are some cracks on the wood beam or shoe molding. Sometimes I could hear the popping sound, most of which happened early morning. Some posts also suggested that the lumber used by the builder mostly were not fully dry so it would expand or contract after the residents moved in. So, as what you said, those expansion or contraction probably would cause the cracks either on wood or stucco. But I guess I could do nothing about it, could I? Anyway, thanks again and I do think I have learned a lot from you guys in this forum.

[K'ledgeBldr]

Originally Posted by first homeowner

Some posts also suggested that the lumber used by the builder mostly were not fully dry so it would expand or contract after the residents moved in.

Well, contrary to that popular believe- it's totally false.
Builders use kilned dried lumber. Moisture content is approximately 6-8% when cured. But, during the time it is transported, rail, truck, etc. it's exposed to ambient temperature and humidity. Then it sits in a supply yard, usually outside (maybe covered) for generally less than 30days- before it hits a building site. During the framing process the lumber is still exposed to the elements. And depending on the time of year, or local climate it could be exposed to prolonged rain. So, until the roof is on and some kind of siding/veneer is installed, it's exposed to additional moisture absorption. The moisture content can climb easily to 20%+.

As I explain to H/O's when doing an orientation, "Your house is as big as it ever will be right now". That's because everything that went into the building of the house contains moisture. So, when the heating or A/C is turned on that moisture is either "cooked" out (heat) or drawn out (A/C). That's when the "shrinkage" occurs. As opposed to settling- which is a foundation problem. It's that shrinkage that causes cracks and separation.

[firsthomeowner]

K'ledgeBldr, your post is really educational...I think I've learned a lot of terminology from you...Glad to have you in this forum. Great thanks again...

[goodgal]

about the popping noise. Last year we spent some of the holidays with friends in Asheville NC. They had a deck and I noticed loud pops at night. They said it was the wood moving but I was thinking as loud as it sounded it might be the screws breaking with all the movement. We happened to be there when they had below freezing temp after a few random warm days. Just curious if that was wood or screws popping. Needless to say I was leary about walking on their deck with all the popping noise I heard throughout the night!

[K'ledgeBldr]

Originally Posted by good gal

about the popping noise. Last year we spent some of the holidays with friends in Asheville NC. They had a deck and I noticed loud pops at night. They said it was the wood moving but I was thinking as loud as it sounded it might be the screws breaking with all the movement. We happened to be there when they had below freezing temp after a few random warm days. Just curious if that was wood or screws popping. Needless to say I was Leary about walking on their deck with all the popping noise I heard throughout the night!

Yes, more than likely- it's the wood. Without actually looking at it, it would be hard to determine anything else. A wood deck goes through a lot of extremes- not only in the course of a day, but the entire year. Temperature and moisture/humidity play a significant role in the physical size of the lumber- as that changes it makes noise. Sometimes it's moving on another framing member, sometimes it's a mechanical fastener (nail, screw, hangers), and sometimes it's within a piece of lumber itself.

1stH/O- glad your finding useful information- and I'm glad I could help.

[firsthomeowner]

Hi K'ledgeBldr,
Can I ask you one more question about the stucco crack? I noticed that there is a gap between the stucco wall and the garage door wood frame, which seems caused by the shrinking of the wood frame. The gap is very uniform from top to the bottom. I can also see the gap between my backyard door wood frame and the stucco wall. These gaps are pretty small, which might not be more than 1/8''. So, do you think this is normal and should I use some caulk to fill the gap? Thanks a lot in advance and have a nice weekend.

[K'ledgeBldr]

Originally Posted by firsthomeowner

Hi K'ledgeBldr,
Can I ask you one more question about the stucco crack? I noticed that there is a gap between the stucco wall and the garage door wood frame, which seems caused by the shrinking of the wood frame. The gap is very uniform from top to the bottom. I can also see the gap between my backyard door wood frame and the stucco wall. These gaps are pretty small, which might not be more than 1/8''. So, do you think this is normal and should I use some caulk to fill the gap? Thanks a lot in advance and have a nice weekend.

That sounds like typical shrinkage. Just a good uniform bead of caulk and some touchup paint should do it.

[jcarlilesiu]

Silicone caulk isn't paintable. Use a latex or Urethane if you want to paint it.

You should fill the cracks to prevent water infiltration behind the stucco. This could lead to additional damange and further deterioration. It is unlikely that water will migrate to the interior of the home through cracks like these.

Over the top of the window is a framing member called a lintel. Its purpose is to support the load of the wall above the window since windows are non-load bearing. Meaning, you can take the window out and the wall above it won't collapse or deflect.

Most of your cracks are located at the corner of the window. This is typical as the wall expands and contracts through a process known as thermal expansion. Since the window opening is a break in that wall plane, its typical for stress cracks to form at the weak point... the corner.

This is very common in masonry facades especially in more dramatic climates than SD. In climates that go from -30 degrees in the winter to 100 degrees in the summer see quite a bit of thermal expansion and contraction stress fractures.

Typically, in masonry, and more commonly in stucco finishes, utilization of expansion joints are used. Typically placed at window jamb corners, expansion joints run vertically through the wall. Its basically 2 seperate walls in the same plane. The idea is that when these walls expand and contract due to thermal movement, the expansion joints keep the wall from binding on itself and cracking at week points.

If you don't have expansion joints, its not a big deal, just prepared for some additional maintenance addressing these types of situations.

Hope this helps.

[K'ledgeBldr]

Originally Posted by jcarlilesiu

Over the top of the window is a framing member called a lintel. Its purpose is to support the load of the wall above the window since windows are non-load bearing. Meaning, you can take the window out and the wall above it won't collapse or deflect.

You're a bit confused. A framing member (we'll assume that the majority of residential housing uses wood) over a window/door would be called a header.
Which would consist of horizontally placed 2X10 or 2X12 dimensional lumber.

A lintel on the other hand, is a piece of angle iron that is designed to support brick/stone etc. over a window/door opening.

That's would be today's construction site lingo (as opposed to the literal definition).

[Jacques Bouchard]

Hey there!

The fact that these cracks are running along a window is especially worrisome to me- it could be a foundation settlement issue. Sometimes houses are built on poor or inadequate supporting soils, causing one side of the home to shift unevenly. This could be the beginning and end of the problem, meaning that sealing up the crack is good enough. However, it could be the beginning of a larger problem that could lead to further damage. Of course, the builder will say these are "normal", but I'd look for an impartial third party just in case. It sounds awfully consistent with the symptoms of foundation settlement

See, check out this image. Here's a wall crack in a home that had foundation repair in Nebraska.



Here's one from South Dakota:



They start in corners and work their way out.

Here's a few references to check out for more details on how this might happen:

What Causes Concrete Slab Settlement?

What Causes Foundation Settlement?

A good contractor should be able to offer you a free estimate an assessment on your foundation. Take advantage of it and catch this problem before it gets any worse.