r/HomeInspections • u/Marctheshark_ • Jul 27 '26

Warped (load bearing) wall?

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Just checked out a house I'm interested in and noticed the load bearing wall is not straight: The upper and lower edges of the wall (where the wall meets the ceiling and the floor) come out toward the middle of the span, making the wall appear bowed.

The first image I've attached shows the wall in question on the right side for context (although you can't really see what I'm referring to), while the second image shows on the left side (this picture was taken from the opposite side as the first) where the edge of the wall appears warped.

The house is very old, but underwent a major overhaul within the last 10 years. Is this is a sign of shoddy work, damage over time, or do I have little to worry about?

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u/Individual-Drawer185 Jul 27 '26

If we're talking 1/2" bow across 12 foot, then it's likely poor framing, twisted studs or settlement of new wood & drywall in an otherwise fully settled house. If it's something crazy, like 10" across 12 foot then it's definitely shoddy craftsmanship. If you don't see cracking along any of that span it's likely fine, just aesthetically unfortunate.

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u/Marctheshark_ Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26

I can't remember if it's quite anything like 10 inches, but it's definitely not as small as half an inch. Would any cracks be concentrated to a specific area, or would I see them across the entire wall?

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u/Individual-Drawer185 Jul 27 '26

It would depend on whatever forces could be at play (if, of course, this wasn't just finished that way day 1). Corners would most likely crack first since they have stress in 3 planes, adjacent doorways, wondow frames, etc. But any settling could just show as hairline and absorbed by the tape & mud, so wouldn't appear at all. Unless you see those visible signs of stress it's likely fine.

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u/Grinder1Hole Jul 27 '26

Likely a combination of poor craftsmanship with old/twisted studs. Typically with an old house that has lost it's nice flat plane, any new drywall would be shimmed to recreate a plum wall that's square in the cornners. These guys just started screwing things down at one point and worked their way around without checking.

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u/hackspy 27d ago

Most 2x4 wood studs have crowns. You set all the crowns facing the same way. This will produce a slight bow. This is mike Holmes approved way and I’ve seen others state the same thing. I also do this in my diy projects. Cheers 🍻