I have a bungalow house built in the early 1930's. It is in remarkable condition and has been well maintained. In the last few weeks a few cracks have shown up in the ceiling. There is an upstairs but I see no water damage and the area above the cracks is a crawlspace with nothing really in it. My wife has suggested tape, spackle, and paint for the repair. The cracks are ~1/16" wide now but run most of the length of the ceiling from the back wall towards the front (about 13' of a 16' wide room).
Is the tape, spackle, paint method effective? I do not want to spend $500 on a contracter for something i can do myself in 20 min of effort, but I also do not want to throw up a quick fix if it is something that really needs a greater fix. Any suggestions?