Foundation repairs are pending at your home. Your wall situation is kinda like a Dr. Seuss rhyme:
One Crack,
Two Cracks,
Old Cracks,
New Cracks,
Will they go away with foundation repair? Or will they leave you in despair?
If we’re being honest, the answer is no, they will not really go away as part of the foundation repair process. You have to make them go away separately after we are done.
And if we’re being really honest, no I do not have a future in authoring poetry either. So sorry you had to witness that . . .
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we have been inspecting and repairing foundations in Bryan, College Station, and surrounding Brazos Valley communities like Brenham and Navasota for 35+ years. We can fill you in on what outcomes to expect in the condition of wall cracks after foundation repairs have been completed because we see the results at the end of each job.
This article will discuss what foundation repair can and can’t do for your wall cracks and how to handle them after foundation repairs are done.
What Will Happen to My Walls During/After Foundation Repairs?
So right now you likely have some diagonal cracks in your walls, maybe coming off the corners of windows or door frames. Or maybe some other wall flaws that you think are caused by your foundation problems. So what is going to happen to these during the foundation repair process? What about after? Will foundation repair cause damage to my home? Great questions.
What Should Happen To Your Wall Cracks During the Repair Process
In theory, most of your diagonal wall cracks should close up during the foundation repair process. When we say “close up” we mean that if the crack has separated and there is space between the sides of the crack, it should come back together.
It’s hard to say for certain about other flaws you might be seeing in your walls. The thing is though, is that we can’t guarantee that everything will close up either.
Will All My Wall Cracks Close Up After Foundation Repairs?
You might wonder if ALL the cracks are going to close up after foundation repair as described above. We can hope, but maybe don’t get your hopes up all the way.
Sometimes when a home has been *out of whack* for so long due to foundation settlement, the framing of your home can warp. When the home is raised, the framing might not “go back to the way it was” because it’s now stuck in that warped position.
So, even though your foundation is back to its original elevation, your walls might not want to fully cooperate and some cracks might not come back together all the way.
Why Would New Cracks Appear After the Foundation Repair Process?
Because of the warped framing or other warped or twisted “home parts,” you might even find a few new cracks after the foundation raising has occurred. Your home is trying to find a *new normal* position.
Because your home continues to adjust to its new position, the weakest materials (i.e. your drywall) can show some further signs of movement and adjustment by way of more cracks as your home settles into its newly raised elevation.
Unfortunately, this happens sometimes and homeowners can get upset by this. The hope here is to prepare you for this to possibly happen and understand why it’s happening. Then, it might not be so distressing for you.
Fact: The Closed Up Cracks Will Still Be There
Even though wall cracks might come back together, they do not get mended. If you were to spackle over the cracks and repaint your walls, the cracks are technically still under there. Drywall will not regenerate and heal itself – although it would be super cool if it did.
There are several options to handle wall cracks after foundation repairs that we will explore soon. But for now, just know that unless you completely remove the areas of cracked drywall, those cracks could come back into view with even the slightest temperature changes, humidity fluctuations, or minor movement of the home.
This is just a drywall fact here, so don’t kill the messenger. Blame whoever invented drywall and decided to use it extensively in residential homes, but it wasn’t us . . .
Will My Drywall Be Repaired After Foundation Repairs?
The vast majority of foundation repair contractors do not repair drywall. It’s in our contracts that we won’t. If your drywall gets repaired after foundation repairs, it would need to be done by another party (more on that later).
Our contract says this:
“It is understood and agreed that in order to perform the above-described work, it is possible that sheetrock, wallpaper, tile, brick and mortar, or other rigid material may crack. Therefore, the above figure does not include any redecorating, repairing, electrical work, or the replacement of any material not called for in this Agreement.”
We’ve seen other companies’ contracts say things like this:
“When lifting a foundation, it is possible that sheetrock, wallpaper, plaster, roofing, bricks, and/or other materials may crack or wrinkle. Therefore, it is agreed between Owner and Contractor that this contract does not include repairing or replacing any materials or systems not specifically included in this agreement. Contractor shall not be responsible for the cost of any such repairs.”
OR this:
“ . . . sheetrock, wallpaper, brick and/or other rigid materials including the slab, framing, roof, flooring, concrete walks or driveways, and walls may crack, pull part, break, bulge, warp, wrinkle and/or and tear or become damaged. Contractor is not responsible for any such damages which may occur and/or for any costs to repair or replace same.”
So if you would like to get your drywall repaired after the foundation repairs, you have to take additional steps to get the drywall repaired on your own.
Your drywall can be repaired after foundation repairs if you want to take the steps to get it done because it won’t be done by the foundation repair guys. This could result in DIY work for you or the extra expense of hiring a drywall contractor.
Why Don’t You Do Drywall Repairs?
Of course, a natural follow-up question here is, “Well, why don’t you do drywall repairs?” And my short answer is: “Trust me, you don’t want us to do them.”
We are foundation repair experts, not drywall contractors. It’s a whole other skill set that we don’t have. You want someone who knows what they are doing with your walls. That’s not us so we leave that to the drywall experts to handle.
How Can I Get Wall Cracks Fixed After Foundation Repairs?
There are actually quite a few ways to handle cracked drywall – who knew? I think of them as levels of work ranging from *quicker and easier* to *harder and more costly*. You can either DIY any of these options or hire out a handyman or drywall contractor:
- Do Nothing
- Caulk and Paint
- Tape and Texture
- Remove and Replace a Section
- Remove and Replace the Whole Wall
- Change to Paneling or Another Wall Covering
We greatly expand on all of these options in our article: 6 Ways to Fix Your Drywall After Foundation Repairs Are Complete. You will have to decide which option sounds the most practical for you to choose.
Please note: You should wait several months before moving forward with any drywall repairs. You want to make sure you tackle all the cracks and no more new ones appear. So allow as much time as possible for your home to re-align before starting drywall repair.
Who Can I Call To Work On My Drywall, Then?
We have compiled a list of contractors that install and repair drywall in the Brazos Valley. In fact, we have lists for drywall contractors, but also for plumbers, drainage contractors, tree experts, and more!
At Anchor Foundation Repair, we have been serving the Brazos Valley area since 1985. We want to make the foundation repair process as transparent and honest as possible so that there are no surprises for you along the way. Sometimes that means handing you some hard truths too, but we always try to help you through it in any way we can.
In this case, you will need to get your drywall repaired by someone if it needs it and you want it. But here are some contractors in our area that do this kind of work to help get you started: Who To Call For Drywall Repair In Bryan, College Station, and Beyond.