Just bought house with hairline diagonal crack from window

cracknew-home

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We just bought our house at the end of November here in Wisconsin. So weather is changing. Noticed this crack by the window. House is from 60s I believe. Should I be concerned? Or could this be from tempture change. This does stem from a large corner window with two windows near it too.

Best Answer

Probably just the house settling - could be due to:

  • Underlying soil conditions causing the house to rise or fall
  • Changes in seasonal humidity causing the window casing to shrink
  • Perhaps you didn't notice it until it got dark and cold so you're inside more
  • Moving in: if the house was empty, then filled with all your belongings, it can actually cause the house to settle. Happened to my parents' house.

Probably not a serious structural issue (IANAL). If you patch it, make sure to use some reinforcing mesh to keep it from just cracking again.

Perhaps this question might also help.