Saw a 12-foot header held up with nothing but drywall screws in Tacoma

Went to check out a remodel my buddy is framing on the south side of Tacoma this past Tuesday. The homeowner had hired some handyman before my buddy took over, and there it was, a giant double 2x12 header sitting on jack studs that were nailed in with drywall screws. Not a single structural nail anywhere. My buddy said the original guy bragged it was "rock solid" and charged $400 for the work. The whole thing sagged half an inch already, you could see the crack in the drywall underneath it. I get that people want to save money, but who looks at a roof load and thinks drywall screws are fine? Has anyone else walked into a situation like this where the previous work was just straight dangerous, and what did you do about it, tear it out or patch it up?

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diana1551mo ago

Holy cow, that's terrifying. But here's the thing nobody's brought up yet: what if the drywall screws are actually the least scary part of that header? I've seen handyman specials where they use screws as a decoy, and the real problem is they didn't put any bearing on the jack studs at all. Like, the header is just sitting on the drywall itself, and the screws are only there to hold it in place while the mud dries. If your buddy's gonna tear it out anyway, make sure he checks the studs below for cracks too. Half an inch of sag means the load's been pounding on something that isn't rated for it. Better to rip it all out now than have the ceiling give way in a year, in my experience.