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Just reading your post has me cringing and shuddering in horror. I have no solutions for you but utmost sympathy. I can't even imagine. I really can't. I bought my house just over a year ago. It's 111 years old. I rarely hear a noise from it. It's so solid I can't even feel the wind or know when it's raining unless I look out the window. I am so grateful I don't have to deal with something like this.
Thanks for the kind words. It's horrible not to have any peace and quiet in your own home. I'm happy for you. Some older homes are a lot more solid than the new ones. It's been LONG TIME since I've lived in a quiet home, I don't even know what it feels like anymore
It sounds unbeareable.
move, I think that's the only option.
why go thru inspectors, structural men, etc.
just move.
I also agree, something isnt right here, i cant place it, but....
Because at this point, it may be easier than moving. One in a million, someone might have an idea, had a similar problem and was able to fix it. Also because of covid, the house prices have been soaring and for every house there is 5 to 10 people waiting to elbow their way through and pay 20K to 50K over the asking price for these stucco wood chip homes, with no land. Moving is tough also. People have jobs, kids, family and work commitments, moving isn't that easy, it's time consuming and expensive... plus you end up losing a ton of money when you end up selling a house within a few months of purchase. Also what if I move again and end up in another pace just as bad as this? It has happened to me three times now.
As some folks here are suggesting "when my first house went bonkers, I was out of there so fast that I almost forgot my toothbrush". That was back in 2018. I lived in the first house for 4 years, it NEVER made any noises, one day the noises just started out of the blue and no one could figure out what they were or how to fix them, so I moved.
In 2019, I moved to another home, didn't expect the house to make any noises. Didn't even know houses made noises prior to that, I thought what happened to the first one was just a "fluke". Oh, boy, I was DEAD WRONG. The 2nd home was a zillion times worse than the first one. Simply UNBEARABLE. The noises were so loud and scary that will make you jump out of your skin. They always came in four or five in succession and sounded almost as loud as gun shots. Horrible house, poorly built, but last time I checked it is now worth 750K!
Moved out of there too and lived in an apartment for a year, didn't have any structural noises in the apartment, although I had loud noisy neighbors with NO PRIVACY, but at least my walls and ceiling weren't cracking and popping all the time. Because of bad neighbors, I had to move again in June and ended up living in the 3rd house. Since I've been here, the house been popping, banging, and snapping all the time. The noises in the 3rd house aren't as loud as the second house, but they are A LOT MORE FREQUENT, and that makes it impossible to sleep, you hear them all day and night, every day, they just NEVER STOP. Most of them are single syllable pop, they sound like someone is hitting the ceiling/walls with a hammer, knocking on the wood or is throwing rocks at house. When you sit quietly in room for less than a few minutes, you end up hearing popping, banging, knocking (from bathroom to closet, to the bedrooms to the living room, it's everywhere) even the windows and walls are popping/banging, flexing and moving ALL THE TIME.
I wished I could find a semi quiet house that didn't make these unsettling noises, but I'm out of luck. Unfortunately, there are no tell tale signs to know if a house has these noises or not. The only way to know is to spend a few nights sleeping in the house and that's impossible to do prior to signing a contract or buying a home.
I feel for you. We once had a home that we put new siding on. Everytime it was windy, the walls would crack. It kept us up at night. We had the siding taken down, and nothing was found. Now it is someone else`s problem. We moved, but not because of that. It is no laughing or joking matter.
Ya I hear stuff now and then here..... I think its just adjustings of the wood,etc........ I dont know if there is anything to worry about or not,I think this occurs in everyones house....
No, it doesn't, and certainly not in three houses in a row (to the degree the OP describes).
Thanks for posting this. Like I said, I've read many forums and I came across this one a while ago. I wholeheartedly DISAGREE with this inspector. This is NOT simply expansion/contraction of wood. Other homes in the same area, same climate do not make these noises, at least not with the same intensity or frequency. Like I said, I think some homes have them and others don't. Maybe it's to do with the material used during construction (some wood are bad for construction) or the method of construction (loose framing, siding, or roof). Houses can end up shabby "popping and snapping all the time" when you use staple guns to hold flimsy plywood to weak beams. Wouldn't some connections go loose somewhere? Getting loud banging/snapping and popping noises DAY and NIGHT is NOT usual or related to indoor humidity or temperature swings inside. There is NOTHING you can do inside your home to stop these noises. They are simply coming from the roof, siding, framing and the entire structure of the house. Even mild sun shining on your roof/siding can trigger these loud popping and banging noises inside your house. The noises are always there, even at nights, but maybe not as loud or frequent.
If you purchased a car and your car engine or car roof made loud banging noises day and night, would you accept it as "normal"? A house is a lot more important than a car, because you are supposed to be able to sleep in it and relax. Would people consider it normal, if their kitchen countertop was popping, banging and snapping all the time? Why should US consumers accept these unsettling noises from the structure of their homes as "normal'? As this inspector calls it, with the way we build homes in America, you may just end up with a "mini-version of an earthquake" right on top of your head, day and night. Doesn't this just sound crazy? Considering all the viable construction methods available in the 21st century? it's not like it's 14th century ... If this is what "wood frame homes" simply do when there is a little bit of a sun, wind, changes in moisture, temperature or humidity, then US consumers should demand better quality built home with a different material that doesn't have all these nightmarish issues associated with "light weight wood construction". Considering home prices skyrocketing and increase in lumber prices, maybe the builders can stop "tripling the already tripled profit" and instead pour some "good old concrete", so the rest of us don't have to put up with an earthquake right on top of our head, day and night.
I am the one that posted that the only thing to do is hire a structural engineer. But, I consider all possibilities and found the article interesting.
I could make a joke and tell you to call Ghostbusters, but your situation seems very serious, so the only advice that I could offer besides what I already suggested, is that you find yourself a good Voodoo man who will get rid of this problem. You might be cursed.
This is a super long shot but I will throw this out there....... How old is your water heater and where is it located. Mine is in the garage but I hear popping noises pretty regularly that radiate in parts of the house. My understanding is the sediment in the bottom of the water heater causes the popping noise. I have an expansion tank on top of the water heater that has failed and it pops as well. (I am having the water heater flushed and the expansion tank replaced). Again.... a long shot but mine pops more than just a couple of times a day and its loud when I am in the garage.
This is a super long shot but I will throw this out there....... How old is your water heater and where is it located. Mine is in the garage but I hear popping noises pretty regularly that radiate in parts of the house. My understanding is the sediment in the bottom of the water heater causes the popping noise. I have an expansion tank on top of the water heater that has failed and it pops as well. (I am having the water heater flushed and the expansion tank replaced). Again.... a long shot but mine pops more than just a couple of times a day and its loud when I am in the garage.
...in all THREE houses?!?
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