Cracks happen for all sorts of reasons. Different construction materials have different expansion and contraction coefficients, some materials change shape and size as they absorb water and water vapor while materials immediately adjacent to them do not budge, and Mother Earth is a dynamic body - meaning soils can move!

Understanding House Settling Cracks

If you have an understanding as to why cracks happen, then you can often work to make permanent repairs. There are some cracks that can't be easily repaired. What's more, it is hard to totally disguise some cracks. Large houses have joints within them. These are places where the house relieves movement, just like the joints in our fingers, arms and legs. I often see cracks in modern homes where columns support beams. You can see cracks right where the contact point between these two structural members meet.

Hardwood floors often develop cracks. There are all sorts of reasons for that to happen, and almost always they can be traced to a humidity or moisture problem.

Soil Problems

I routinely act as an expert witness in court cases involving poor quality construction. Recently, I finished a case that involved a house built on poor soil. The foundation actually dropped several inches in numerous places and caused all sorts of havoc within the home and in its outside walls. There were huge vertical cracks in the brick work, the basement floor looked like an earthquake had struck and interior steel I-beams were twisted and compressed so much that they were crushing 2x4 plates. I was amazed at what can really happen when houses are built on poor soil.

The insurance company needs to be sent a copy of the letter to put them on notice of a possible claim. These letters need to be sent to both companies via certified mail with a return receipt being sent to you. Keep these very valuable receipts.