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It appears I have a support beam shifting, and the drywall is buckling underneath its weight. The beam has a crack appearing on one side where it butts up against the ceiling. There is a crack running horizontally where the beam butts up against the wall. The crack gets larger as it runs to the floor and pushes the drywall about an inch from the wall in the most severe location (which looks like it stops before the next drywall panel). The crack then turns thin again and runs to the floor.

  • What would cause this?
  • Should I have this looked at by a professional?

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dg6736
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    Yes, I would suggest having it looked at by a professional. I've been building for a long time and it looks like the beam is dropping, it could be something serious. I would open up the drywall and get a better view and have someone come take a look. – matt. Aug 14 '23 at 01:00
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    I agree since the the drywall will need to be replace in the immediate area, it would be good to remove the sheetrock and let a pro take look at it. Always good to have 2 separate pros at 2 separate times, You should get the same info from them, if not, get a third pro in. – Jack Aug 14 '23 at 01:43
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    Since this appears to be a beam in a basement, I'd grab an adjustable Lally column and pop it in place (between the beam and the presumably concrete floor) as soon as you get the drywall off, as a stop-gap to whatever permanent solution is required, rather than just leaving that hanging while you consider options. – Ecnerwal Aug 14 '23 at 13:30
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    @Ecnerwal I'd personally do so first, before getting the drywall off. Just in case you upset something while removing the drywall. – Daniël van den Berg Aug 14 '23 at 20:51
  • @Ecnerwal That would be my first inclination (or just take a 4X4 and bang it in) but will the slab support the structure? – JimmyJames Aug 14 '23 at 21:07
  • Drywall is not mean to bear load. Pull that down (after collecting any artwork, of course) and see what is going on. – JimmyJames Aug 14 '23 at 21:11
  • @DaniëlvandenBerg You have to get the drywall off the bottom of the beam before adding a support under the beam. You can wait on doing the wall drywall until after that. The slab stands a much better chance of supporting the temporary post and beam than the obviously compromised original support does. – Ecnerwal Aug 15 '23 at 00:32
  • A couple of Acrow Props would be great, if you don't have access to a suitable lally column in a hurry. Framing timber would really not be adequate as a prop. – Criggie Aug 15 '23 at 01:49
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    I echo what @Criggie says about getting in a couple of acrows in a hurry, noting that you will need to both strip the cladding box off the outside of the beam and lift any flooring so you are on concrete etc. Also considering moving any heavy furniture etc. out of the room above. – Mark Morgan Lloyd Aug 15 '23 at 09:18
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    Thank you everyone. I have contacted several structural engineers for advice. – dg6736 Aug 16 '23 at 00:29
  • @Ecnerwal it's in a garage with a concrete floor. – dg6736 Aug 16 '23 at 00:35

1 Answers1

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Yes, this should be inspected by a competent professional as it could be something serious that needs to be addressed immediately.

Water damage could cause this or wood degradation caused by termites among other things.

Removing the surrounding drywall and getting a better view would be beneficial and give you and a contractor a better understanding of what the issue may be.

matt.
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