[DIYdr]

We moved into this house that has a 3 car garage. The ceiling has always been bumpy in some areas: to me it looks like a perfect outline of water pipes from the apartment above the garage. I know at one point the builder told me the water line to the fridge leaked and so did the diverter in the shower (Shocked at how many things have leaked in a brand new house) but he is not aware of any leaks into the garage. He blames this ceiling look on it not being finished to the same standard as the interior. I did have the garage painted and the painters didn’t seem to be able to make the ceiling look any better. Does this look like water leaking (current or prior)? Bad sheet rock job? Settlement issue? (We have interior cracking and nails popped in the apartment) Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[Thom Paine]

Looks like it was only 'fire taped' and left as is. Not uncommon in some locales.

Lacking quality but not necessarily indicative of presently leaking water.

 

[mark sr]

Locally neither the painter or drywall finisher gets paid for the garage. They pay sq ft price per living area. I never figured it was a big deal but some sub contractors would go as cheap as they could get by with because technically we do the garage for free.

I agree it's a poor finish job. Paint won't fix it. If you want it to look nicer you need a drywall finisher [or diy]

 

[DIYdr]

Locally neither the painter or drywall finisher gets paid for the garage. They pay sq ft price per living area. I never figured it was a big deal but some sub contractors would go as cheap as they could get by with because technically we do the garage for free.

I agree it's a poor finish job. Paint won't fix it. If you want it to look nicer you need a drywall finisher [or diy]

We did ask the painter to fix it and that’s how it looks after his work…. Didn’t seem like they fixed it much. he told me that that the wood is sometimes not at the same level, it can vary.

I’m concerned about settlement and foundation problems because the garage door in the corner is no longer level and closing shut properly. There about a half inch gap in a corner letting water in. Also a lot of nail pops and some horizontal cracks on several seams over the garage. I just want to be sure the ceiling isn’t going to collapse. If we open up the ceiling would we be able to tell if it’s a construction problem versus foundation/slab issues?

 

[chandler48]

Garages is where they send their summer help to "learn" the trade. No smooth "requirement" since it isn't a living area. As Marksr said, it is almost an unpaid area and it is fast, although required.

IF you are having problems with the garage door, then the GC needs to have his sub take care of it. I doubt there are settlement problems that wouldn't affect all the doors.

 

[mark sr]

We did ask the painter to fix it and that’s how it looks after his work…. Didn’t seem like they fixed it much. he told me that that the wood is sometimes not at the same level, it can vary.

Sounds like maybe the drywall finishing was more than he was capable of. Not all painters are well versed in drywall finishing.
As noted above the door being out of alignment could be an issue. Assuming this is a new house the builder is required to warrant the house for 1 yr, maybe more. As long as the drywall on the ceiling feels solid [no give if you push on it] I would not be concerned about it falling down.

 

[DIYdr]

Sounds like maybe the drywall finishing was more than he was capable of. Not all painters are well versed in drywall finishing.
As noted above the door being out of alignment could be an issue. Assuming this is a new house the builder is required to warrant the house for 1 yr, maybe more. As long as the drywall on the ceiling feels solid [no give if you push on it] I would not be concerned about it falling down.

the builder has no warranty in effect on the home in NY if a builder lives in a home for a certain period of time the warranty obligation ceases. The house took over a year to sell and he lived here etc anyway he doesn’t owe us anything.

 

[mark sr]

Before I went that far I'd adjust the door and keep an eye on things. The odds are it isn't structural.

 

[woodco]

Just poke it in a few places and make sure it isnt spongy or soft. It looks like just bad drywall work, but only aesthetically. If there was a lot of settling, thered be cracks. Is that what was there before the 'painter' did his thing?

 

[Nealtw]

A 3 car garage with no beams in sight, flush mounted beams are not always the same size as the joists..
It is min. standard for a garage. Contractors do popcorn ceilings because smooth is expensive.
It is a garage, go look for real defects.

 

[Carpet]

If the look of it bothers you, maybe slap a 1x8 on it to cover it up and draw some circles here and there with a pencil. Generation zero will go bonkers with your modern art ceiling and pay top dollar when you sell