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I was visiting my mom and just noticed this in her custom home built in the late 1980s (not og owner). There are 2 long beams spanning the width of the house (East to West). On the Eastern side of “Beam1” it looks like the drywall is crumbling from pressure - either from a (what appears to be) cosmetic beam getting loose, or the inner beam coming loose on the East side of the house. The respective other (West) side across the room is completely tight.

I'm looking for advice for potential causes and how to resolve. Can I just lift and mallet this baby back into place? But also fearing this whole beam needs to come down - this is noticeably worse than the last time I was here.

Any help is welcome. She’s disabled and I’m trying to get her to sell, but at this rate I doubt it will pass inspection and cost $$$.

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isherwood
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Rousseuree
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  • any water damage ?, what is above it ? – Ruskes Sep 12 '22 at 23:31
  • Thanks for the responses everyone! No water damage that I’m aware of; when I touch the drywall it feels dry and crumbling. Above this is the roof, which we had replaced a couple years ago and I don’t believe is leaking. I do believe the larger beam is hollow, but there’s no way to tell? https://imgur.com/a/zLRuoP1 – Rousseuree Sep 13 '22 at 00:39
  • I haven’t been doing a very good job of describing the situation. I’m going to post more photos of the respective beam on the other side. I’m not sure if this matters, but the inner beam does not appear to be a solid piece of wood - looks like 3 separate pieces. For reference, I’m going to split the photos East vs West. Major problem is with East facing Beam 1. I appreciate your questions and patience with this. – Rousseuree Sep 13 '22 at 22:09
  • @Rousseuree If the beam were not structural, there would be no inner wood. All a "just for show" cosmetic beam would need is the outer "wrap" to "look like a beam>" The inner wood being 3 separate pieces is perfectly normal - it's a "built-up beam" made on-site from 2X stock in available/easily shipped lengths. The crushing at the end indicates that the wall support for the end of the beam has evidently failed, and the wall may be moving outwards as well (which will get very bad indeed.) – Ecnerwal Sep 14 '22 at 12:44
  • Ecnerwal, I'll disagree as I did below. Even a cosmetic beam needs support. This one wouldn't fly with just a one-by box over that span. – isherwood Sep 14 '22 at 12:51
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    I’m voting to close this question because, despite our best efforts, I don't think we can answer this from the other side of the internet. I think you need to spend a few bucks to get a contractor or SE on site for an in-person inspection. Preferably once you've got blueprints/drawings/plans in hand from the building commission's office (you may have to pay for those, too). – FreeMan Sep 14 '22 at 14:32
  • Fair @FreeMan - you all have helped so much with the questions to ask a contractor, AND convinced me I can’t do this myself (I probably would have caused more harm than good. Answer: Not DIY – Rousseuree Sep 14 '22 at 19:54

3 Answers3

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This picture from the original question:

Image of top of beam showing doubled 2x with decorative wood on the outside

VERY strongly leads me to believe that this is NOT a "cosmetic" beam, but that it is structural. That is a doubled 2x beam, and from other pictures, I'd guess it's close to a 2x12". Nobody puts in a pair of 2x12"s for cosmetic purposes - even in the 80s lumber was too expensive to do that. My in-laws have decorative beams in their family room - they're made of foam.

The fact that this beam spans a doorway is questionable in design, but if this is, in fact structural, then it's got a big header across that doorway, possibly a short steel beam, that's then supported on posts built into the wall to carry the weight.

If your mom was the one who had the house built, see if she's got original blueprints for the house. If not, contact the city building department to see if they've got them on file. You need to see how the building was designed in order to know if this is structural or not. If this is a structural issue, it needs to be fixed like a structural issue, not a cosmetic one, and this could be an indicator of a significant issue.

FreeMan
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    That first picture concerns me. Either they did a crappy job of covering the two beams with 1x, the beam is pulling out of the wall or the wall is moving. – Platinum Goose Sep 13 '22 at 18:27
  • Thank you - we did not build the house, but the previous owners had it custom built and we’ve found they cut corners and made strange decisions. I’ll do research with town records and see what I can find. Semi-good news is I found some old photos and the crumbling drywall seems to have been like that at least since Christmas… just no one noticed. Not great. But at least this isn’t something that’s been aggravated recently/happened quickly like I initially expected. This definitely would not pass inspection in a home sale, so some sort of fix is imminent. – Rousseuree Sep 13 '22 at 19:16
  • I disagree with your opening assertion. Long-span cosmetic beams still need to be sag-proof, and the members were likely to be as high as the overall appearance warranted, or nearly so. These look like 2x10 or even 2x8. – isherwood Sep 13 '22 at 19:46
  • It did just occur to me that these could actually be 2x4 for all we can see of them. There's no requirement that the decorative cover actually be fully filled with wood - it could be that the trim material was cut to a size that it was intended to _look_ like and be mostly full of air... – FreeMan Sep 14 '22 at 14:29
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It doesn't matter whether the beam is structural or not.

Something is going on there that's more than cosmetic. (If a thing can fall and kill a person, it's not merely a cosmetic issue, in my opinion.) I can't see well enough from those photos exactly what has moved and how, but it's probably significant. You need someone who knows framing well to have a look at the structure as a whole.

Are the walls spreading and the roof sagging because these are rafter ties and have let go? The fact that the trim wrap ends short of the wall is very concerning. An end-on sighting of the ridgeline might tell that story.

Is that beam sagging into the wall due to overload or poor fastening? A look inside the drywall would clear that right up. You have repairs to make anyway, so why not?

Are there support structures below all this that have given way? What's downstairs at that location? Any sign of movement in the foundation?

I would want solid answers from an on-site expert. (Actually, I'd have the walls opened up by now, but that's me.)

isherwood
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What I caught is that you said the roof has been recently replaced. I suspect that in the course of the roof repair, that beam was disturbed while replacing roof decking.

I would think if the support at the end was allowing it to sag, your pictures would show the wood on the ceiling getting out of line, especially where it meets the wall. That is not the case. If the wall was bulging out there would be separation along that plane also and show up in cabinets out of line, window not working properly, sliding door binding and other cracks. You have not indicated that.

Are there any cracks or signs on the outside of that wall, particularly where that beam is?

If this were my house, I would cut the drywall out and get a look at the wall. The wall could be fine. You said the builder cut corners. This could be the manifestation of a poorly done job.

Thinking about this and looking at the pictures again, I'm betting there was a shim under that end of the beam that has failed. Possibly was soft pine that rotted with a little water from a roof leak and the beam sank.

What you find in the wall will tell what needs to be done for a repair. Good Luck

RMDman
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  • Your opening sentence was vague and potentially misleading. "Everything that's been said" is a broad and fluid category. – isherwood Sep 14 '22 at 12:53
  • Can’t upvote bc I’m too new, but all great points. I VERY MUCH appreciate your help and insight – Rousseuree Sep 14 '22 at 19:52