Sellers' wall repairs were soft and shrinking

Q. Before we bought our home, we asked the seller to patch several holes, about 3 inches wide, in the bedroom walls. Two days before escrow closed, we did a final walk-through and the repairs looked perfect. But after we moved in, the wall patches began to crack and shrink, and we noticed the surfaces were soft to the touch. What is the problem with these repairs, and what can we do to make them right?

A. From your description, it seems that the seller repaired the drywall holes with a single application of drywall joint compound - commonly known as "mud." This method of repair is typically done when handy homeowners, unaware of the specific characteristics of drywall mud, try to affect a hurried fix.

There are several ways to make effective drywall repairs, but thick applications of drywall mud are not among them. This is because drywall mud shrinks and cracks when it dries, and heavy applications can take days or weeks to fully cure.

The best approach is to patch the holes with fitted pieces of drywall and then finish the seams with tape and thin layers of mud. To do this properly, solid wood backing should be installed behind the holes to provide a means of attachment for the drywall. However, it is possible to repair small holes with drywall mud alone if you mix some patching plaster into the mud. The plaster eliminates shrinkage and accelerates the curing time of the mud to a mere few hours.

If the walls are textured, you may need a professional to make the patches blend in with the wall surface.

Q. The home I'm buying is in a new subdivision where all of the houses have clay tile roofs. My home inspector noticed the roof on my house is the only one in the neighborhood that does not have pieces of sheet metal to keep birds from nesting under the tiles. I asked the builder why these are missing on my house, and he said "bird stops," as he calls them, are not required on tile roofs. Should I insist on having bird stops?

A. Bird stops are not required, as your builder says, but they are definitely advisable to prevent nests from being built under the tiles. Unfortunately, roofing contractors often omit them in order to be competitive in their bids. Quality compromises of this kind are common in the building trades. However, since all the other houses in the neighborhood have bird stops, the builder should explain why yours is the only exception. It would not be unreasonable to insist that they be installed.

Another example of roof hardware that is optional and that is often omitted involves rain gutters. Although beneficial for drainage, gutters and downspouts are often omitted, and in many areas, they are not required by code. If you check around your neighborhood, you may notice some homes with gutters, some without, and some with partial gutter systems. Installation of all such hardware is not mandatory, but its omission is definitely for the birds.

• To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com, or write AMG, 1776 Jami Lee Court, Suite 218, San Luis Obispo, CA 94301.

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