Drywall and ceiling repair in South San Francisco

Settling ground and cracked walls in South San Francisco

The city's 2019 General Plan existing-conditions report says soils on unengineered fill tend to be weak and compressible and settle over time, and that rapid settlement can crack foundations, sidewalks and walls. Most lowland areas also carry liquefaction potential. Drywall is the first place that movement shows inside: a diagonal crack off a door corner, a seam that opens along the ceiling, tape that bubbles loose.

We cut out loose compound, bed new tape or mesh, and feather each coat wide enough to hide the repair, then match smooth, orange peel or knockdown texture. A photo with a ruler next to the crack helps us judge it; one that keeps growing needs its cause checked first. Plan on two or three short visits while the compound dries.

Worth knowing about South San Francisco

• SFO's Noise Insulation Program has installed windows, doors and ventilation systems in eligible homes inside the 65-dB contour; a Repair or Replacement Initiative addresses earlier improvements that stopped working properly.
• South San Francisco has 23,515 housing units; about 69.8% were built before 1980, and the busiest single decade was the 1950s, at 24.3%.
• The oldest buildings, from before 1950, cluster in Avalon, Downtown, Winston Serra, Paradise Valley/Terra Bay and Orange Park; developers added western and northern subdivisions from the 1970s on.