Need a little help with shrinking/expanding walls?

[rparmenter]

Anyone ever heard of this:

This house that my friend owns has the backsplashes of the kitchen sink area and bathrooms virtually pulling away from the wall (maybe 1/4" or a bit more) in the winter and apparently during the summer they tighten back up. The walls are both interior and exterior. There doesn't appear to be evidence of water intrusion. Even some of the nails on the siding pull out during temperature changes a bit. Any ideas?

[Larry J. Michael]

Maybe the wall is not properly insulated? My first course of action would be to fix the water intrusion, also if there is a crawlspace checking the framing in this areas.

[J. Christopher Weise]

Just a guess, but, if the home is on a slab, check the slab for a crack running parallel to wall. Could be that section of the slab is heaving and settling, independent of the rest of the slab, during warm/cold or wet/dry cycles.

[Peter Summaria]

This is a common thing I see in new homes everyday. This is more common in homes that do not control their humidity levels. I normally caulk these areas at their year end (warranty). This movement usually happens during the first few years of a new home. In conclusion, nothing wrong.

[Peter C. Russell]

Sounds like air ex filtration/infiltration.
Find the air leaks and you'll solve the problem.

[rbero]

I have seen walls that do the same thing they crack in the winter time and the crack goes away in the summer i figure it is form the winter being dry and the humidity in the summer the wood does expand and contract. I was finishing the drywall in a home the ceiling in the room was 40x40 it was september no heat temps went from the 70's in the day to the 30's at night and the ceiling would crack at night and shrink up in the day time i had to put in expansion joints to fix the problem

[Jeffery L. Haynes]

If its new then what probably happened was the home was built during a rainy period which increased the moisture content of the wood. Many builders are simply paper contractors and do not take such things into considerations..... they are simply trying to finish the home as quickly as possible.

If its not new then it probably has air infiltration issues which again depending on the humidity.

Either way it would be worth pulling off several receptacle plates and getting readings....... especially where the issues are occurring.

Drywall pops are more associated with improper fastening...... same thing can be said for siding........... trying to get installers to understand the need to hit studs instead of just relying on OSB or Plywood is like talking to a brick wall at times.

Lastly, he may want to also check the fastening of the cabinets.
Many of the box cabinets that builders use today are crap......the facades look great but other than that they are particle board and masonite with very few wood ledgers to nail to.

regards

Jeff