Drywall Cracks & Nail Pops in New Homes: Heber, Kamas & Park City Guide

Home guide

Why new homes crack here

A lot of houses in Summit and Wasatch counties are new or nearly new. Subdivisions keep filling in around Heber City and on the edges of Kamas, and big custom homes keep going up at Promontory, Red Ledges, along the Jordanelle and around Hideout. Within a year or two, many owners notice the same things: little round bumps on the walls, hairline cracks above doors and windows, and a gap that opens between the ceiling and the wall every winter. In most cases the house isn't failing. It's drying out and settling into its first few mountain winters.

The lumber is still drying

Framing lumber arrives on site with more moisture in it than it will ever have again. Our climate is dry, especially once the furnace runs all winter, so studs, joists and trusses give up that moisture fast and shrink a little as they do. When a stud shrinks away from the back of the drywall, the screw or nail holding the board stays put and pushes through the surface. That's a nail pop. It's one of the most common things we fix in homes under five years old.

Big temperature swings

At 5,500 to 7,000 feet, a sunny winter afternoon can be 40 degrees warmer than the night before it. South-facing walls, rooms with big windows and bonus rooms over garages warm and cool more than the rest of the house. That daily movement works on weak spots like the corners of doors and windows, long taped seams on tall great-room walls, and stairwells where several walls meet.

Truss uplift

If a crack opens right where the ceiling meets an interior wall each winter and seems to close up again by summer, that's often truss uplift. The bottom of a roof truss is buried in warm attic insulation, while the top is out in the cold attic air. The two parts dry and swell at different rates, and the truss bows upward in winter, lifting the ceiling off the top of the wall. It's common in our cold, dry climate and usually not a structural problem, but re-taping the corner just leads to cracks again the next winter.

Soils that move

Parts of the Heber Valley and Summit County have clay soils that swell when wet and shrink when dry, plus a spring snowmelt that soaks the ground every year. Builders plan foundations around that, but some movement in the first few years is normal. Soil movement is also behind the cracks worth taking more seriously, which is why it helps to know the difference.

Normal settling, or something to check?

Usually cosmetic

Nail pops scattered around walls and ceilings
Hairline cracks running diagonally from the corners of doors and windows
Cracks along taped seams, especially on tall walls and ceilings
A ceiling-to-wall gap that opens in winter and closes in summer

Worth having a contractor or engineer look at

Cracks wider than about a quarter inch, or ones that keep growing month to month
Stair-step cracks in block or brick, or new cracks in the foundation
Doors and windows that suddenly stick or won't close, along with new cracks
Floors that slope or bounce more than they used to
Cracks along with water stains, which point to a leak rather than settling

If your home is still under a builder warranty, check it before you hire anyone. Many builders do a walkthrough around the one-year mark and handle settling cracks and nail pops as part of it.

How we fix them so they stay fixed

Nail pops: we drive a new drywall screw just beside the popped fastener to pull the board tight to the stud, set or remove the old one, then mud, sand, prime and paint.
Corner and seam cracks: we open up the crack, re-tape it, feather it out with joint compound and match the wall texture. Orange peel and knockdown are the common finishes in newer Utah homes.
Truss uplift gaps: instead of re-taping a corner that will crack again, we can run a flexible bead along the joint or add trim fastened so it moves with the ceiling, which hides the gap year-round.
Paint touch-ups: builder flat paint often flashes when touched up, so we'll talk through spot-priming or repainting a full wall so it blends. See painting touch-ups.

Timing tip: wait out one heating season

Most of the drying in a new home happens in its first full year, especially the first winter with the furnace running. If you can live with a few pops and cracks until spring, fixing them all at once afterward means fewer repeat repairs. Bigger cracks or anything on the "worth checking" list shouldn't wait.

For holes, dents and everything else on the walls, see our drywall patching service. Water-stained drywall after a winter leak is covered in our guides to ice dams and frozen pipes.

Patching drywall in a basement? Check for water first. See our guide to basement moisture before patching or finishing.

When to call a pro

Your builder: settling cracks and nail pops while the home is under warranty, usually at the one-year walkthrough
Structural engineer or general contractor: wide or growing cracks, foundation cracks, sloping floors or doors that suddenly bind
Roofer or plumber: cracks with water stains, which point to a leak that needs fixing before any patch
Us: nail pops, settling and seam cracks, texture matching, truss uplift trim and paint touch-ups once the cause is sorted

Where we help

Call or text (435) 321-2591 Message us on Instagram

Drywall cracks FAQ

Are nail pops a sign of a problem with my new house?

Usually not. Nail pops happen when framing lumber dries and shrinks away from the drywall, which is very common in new homes in our dry mountain climate. They're cosmetic and can be fixed with new screws, mud and paint.

Why does the crack between my ceiling and wall come back every winter?

That's often truss uplift: roof trusses bow upward in winter as the top and bottom dry at different rates, lifting the ceiling off the wall. Re-taping usually cracks again, so a flexible joint or trim that moves with the ceiling works better.

When should I worry about a drywall crack?

When it's wider than about a quarter inch, keeps growing, comes with doors that suddenly stick, sloping floors, stair-step cracks in the foundation or water stains. Those are worth a look from a contractor or structural engineer.

Should I fix settling cracks right away?

Small cosmetic cracks and pops can wait until after the home's first full heating season, so you can fix them all at once. Check your builder warranty first, since many builders cover them at the one-year walkthrough.

Can you match my wall texture?

Usually, yes. Orange peel and knockdown are the most common textures in newer homes around Heber, Kamas and Park City. Call or text (435) 321-2591, or message @kamasvalleyhandyman on Instagram, with a close-up photo of the crack and wall.

We focus on general handyman work and are not a licensed electrical, plumbing or general contracting company. For jobs that need a licensed trade, we'll tell you upfront and point you in the right direction.

Drywall cracks & nail pops in new homes