Hello everyone,

My wife and I just bought our first house last month - a 1915 spanish style colonial, and the fun is beginning already :-/ I've been reading the forums here for a bit, but didn't see anything regarding our specific situation, so if anyone has any insight it would be greatly appreciated. During our home inspection, our inspector noticed some structural problems in the basement, where old termite damage had eroded some joists near the foundation wall, causing floor sagging. We subsequently had a structural inspector, who recommended having work done, including sistering some joists, etc - all of which was completed prior to closing. We've been living there roughly 3 weeks now, and I've started noticing small hairline cracks appearing in the plaster almost daily, both in the load-bearing wall where most of the work was done, as well as in the ceiling of the same room. I'm unsure if these were pre-existing (but freshly painted over) and now that the house is being lived in (it sat empty for ~1yr) they are appearing? The other possibilities are that 1) the structural work was inadequate and there are still issues or 2) that these are appearing simply because structural work has been done (and it isn't a big deal). If anyone has any advice or suggestions, they would be very welcome - I'd really like avoid hiring another structural engineer unless absolutely necessary. Sorry for the lengthy post, and thanks!

Mike