[angel222]

I have a large crack across the ceiling in the lanai about 6 feet long. It appears to be at the junction of the sheetrock panels. I called the warrantee department and was told it was probably a "settling crack". Has anyone had this happened in their home? If so, can you recommend a repair company? My home is an Iris model and the ceiling is textured in the lanai. Of course the warrantee department told me its not covered......
Thanks,

[DGx2]

Let me start out by saying The Villages Home Warranty Dept. did a fantastic job resolving our issues during our warranty period. The tradespeople that came out were courteous and hard working. Unfortunately a patch is a patch is a patch. Whether it's drywall, paint, concrete, stucco, etc.. It almost never looks as good or matches the original. We had a 10' long hairline crack in our dining room ceiling. A very nice young man came out and worked on it for several hours. The crack is gone but you can see the 1ft x 10ft. area that he patched. It's one of those things that once you see it your eyes go right to it, although I don't think most of our visitors notice. In all fairness he repaired a crack in the guest bedroom and you can barely see the repair. He said it was because it was at the apex of the vaulted ceiling so all he had to do was run a bead of caulk down it and repaint it. Long story short we also developed a hairline crack that I believe is on a drywall seam and not structural in our lanai ceiling. I will be leaving that alone as it is barely noticeable and changes depending on humidity levels and temperature. Bottom line is if you are within your one year warranty period, I believe the Warranty Dept. will bend over backwards to make you a happy homeowner.

[angel222]

Unfortunately I've owned the house for four years so the warrantee is gone....

[thelegges]

give them a call they may have a name of a guy to fix it

[buggyone]

Have you checked for cracks anywhere else such as on the outside walls of your house and on the driveway? All of those are signs of a possible sinkhole. Most people think of a sinkhole as the catastrophic ground collapse where your house disappears. Most sinkholes are very gradual and just crack the foundations.

[mulligan]

I would bet that it's another case where the incorrect drywall product was used. Should have been soffit board which is moisture resistant, and will not move as much as regular drywall with weather changes.

[livsea2]

Originally Posted by DGx2

Let me start out by saying The Villages Home Warranty Dept. did a fantastic job resolving our issues during our warranty period. The tradespeople that came out were courteous and hard working. Unfortunately a patch is a patch is a patch. Whether it's drywall, paint, concrete, stucco, etc.. It almost never looks as good or matches the original. We had a 10' long hairline crack in our dining room ceiling. A very nice young man came out and worked on it for several hours. The crack is gone but you can see the 1ft x 10ft. area that he patched. It's one of those things that once you see it your eyes go right to it, although I don't think most of our visitors notice. In all fairness he repaired a crack in the guest bedroom and you can barely see the repair. He said it was because it was at the apex of the vaulted ceiling so all he had to do was run a bead of caulk down it and repaint it. Long story short we also developed a hairline crack that I believe is on a drywall seam and not structural in our lanai ceiling. I will be leaving that alone as it is barely noticeable and changes depending on humidity levels and temperature. Bottom line is if you are within your one year warranty period, I believe the Warranty Dept. will bend over backwards to make you a happy homeowner.

I had a similar problem in my sunroom. I was selling tthe house so I called a contractor. His men fixed it and like yours you could see the "ghost" of the repair. I had a similar problem when the house was first built and you could never see the repair, it was invisible. So I knew if properly done, the repair would be invisible. After two tries without sucess, the owner came out and said it was because the sunroom had so much light and because excuse, excuse, excuse. I said no good make it look invisisble like the other room.
He tried himself a third time and success.
The moral of the story is if you hold their feet to the fire and make them do the job right you will achieve success. They will always try to get out of doing extra work to improve their bottom line but if I am paying to have work done you don't quit until it is done right or you don't get paid. Simple.