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noises - 12/30/2008 1:11:40 AM

LittleMissModern

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my house seems to settle a lot at night... my bed makes noises, the roof creaks a little...

it kinda freaks me out...

what causes things to settle? what can i do during the day to make it less of an issue when it gets dark? any ideas?

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 1:12:25 AM

GreedyTop

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earplugs

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 1:27:56 AM

Aileen1968

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quote:

ORIGINAL: LittleMissModern

my house seems to settle a lot at night... my bed makes noises, the roof creaks a little...

it kinda freaks me out...

what causes things to settle? what can i do during the day to make it less of an issue when it gets dark? any ideas?

This is the source of your noise...

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 1:47:06 AM

LittleMissModern

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that did not help at all and was really quite mean

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 2:04:19 AM

VanessaChaland

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Its probably a couple things. One might be the difference between daytime heat and nightime cold. You know, heat and cold, contraction and expansion and all that, making wood and other materials twist and creak and groan. So to that end there is nothing that can be done about it.
The other thing might just be that at night noise around you (depending on where you live) ambiant noise, (traffic, streets, neighbors etc) is lessened so "house noise" seems more apparent. And of course your nightime sense of awareness and fears are heightend.
I sleep with either a fan or a white noise machine on, you might consider it. Hope this helps. :)

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 2:40:25 AM

LittleMissModern

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MUCH more helpful than the prior responses...

Maybe I'll start using my fan for more than just cooling my room in the summer.

Thanks.

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 2:56:56 AM

ScooterTrash

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quote:

ORIGINAL: VanessaChaland

Its probably a couple things. One might be the difference between daytime heat and nightime cold. You know, heat and cold, contraction and expansion and all that, making wood and other materials twist and creak and groan. So to that end there is nothing that can be done about it.
The other thing might just be that at night noise around you (depending on where you live) ambiant noise, (traffic, streets, neighbors etc) is lessened so "house noise" seems more apparent. And of course your nightime sense of awareness and fears are heightend.
I sleep with either a fan or a white noise machine on, you might consider it. Hope this helps. :)

Bingo...we have a winner. Yes, the difference in the temperature during the day and night as well as changes in humidity will affect the expansion & contraction of the building materials big time, causing all sorts of peculiar noises. Winter in a cold climate with the heat on, combined with an older home, make this is especially noticable. Personally, we have just become accustomed to it but as VC said, anything creating some background noise will usually cover it up so it's not so distinct. We have ceiling fans which is usually enough by accident, but if all else fails, air conditioning on vent (or just "on" in our case, we like a cold room) will make it not so noticable.

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 3:05:12 AM

sirsholly

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quote:

ORIGINAL: GreedyTop

earplugs

then cover them with the hat you got for Christmas...

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 3:09:56 AM

myotherself

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Aileen1968

This is the source of your noise...

But what I want to know is...where did you get that pic of my ex?!

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 4:07:56 AM

CatdeMedici

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Depending on the age of your house--old ones "breathe" as they say causing the beams to expand and contract, water in pipes etc. Newer houses "settle" especially houses with wood floors, they need to settle with the changes in heat and cold---that will go away in time.

A few things we do, we have electric candles in the windows or strategic areas of the halls to create a warm glow and a night light--it makes the house cheery at night and causes a mental relaxation and can act as a deterrent to any break ins if that's a worry--they have the ones that go off in the dawn and come on at dusk. Also make any dramatic changes in heat or cool at least one hour before bed---then most of the creaks happen while you are watching the last of your tv or reading before bed.

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 4:19:55 AM

LittleMissModern

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break-ins are a concern for me here... i wish they weren't.

i haven't slept well at ALL since i moved here, because this is the first place i ever lived where the landlord mentioned break-ins. it concerns me and i tend to not sleep well. every little noise wakes me.

i guess as soon as finances get settled, i'll be moving-- maybe i'll sleep better somewhere else.

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 4:24:17 AM

Sanity

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No, the problem is far more likely to be a giant squirrel!

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 5:25:17 AM

DesFIP

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The woman with the shared attic was stupid for not locking that door to begin with. It never occurred to her that her neighbors might come in through it? A simple hook and eye mechanism would have shown her immediately if someone had come in that way and told the police where to start looking.

Get a white noise machine or leave a radio playing softly. About break ins, you might feel better if you buy those door alarms that go off if someone opens the door. Just remember to shut it off before you go out.

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 5:30:45 AM

RainydayNE

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i dunno, i kinda like a nice old noisy house =p haha
seems like it's alive
anyway, hope you've had some luck.

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 7:33:21 AM

thishereboi

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All houses that I have ever been in have done this. It can be annoying. My ex had a alarm clock that played different sounds. ie ocean waves, rain showers. That might help in your case. Or music playing softly although that would keep me awake.

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 8:23:01 AM

PanthersMom

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what about getting a dog? i don't worry so much about break ins with a good sized dog sleeping on the floor beside me. house noises are a natural part of the daily cycle, they're very common in homes with wood construction, less common in brick homes. i have a 109 yr old house made of wood, you can just imagine the noises here.
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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 8:30:48 AM

NuevaVida

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When I left the ex husband I went from a quiet home in the country to an apartment in a fairly busy area. It was quite an adjustment and I wasn't used to all the noises - so much different than falling asleep to the sounds of frogs and crickets! I slept with the light on for the first three months until I was adjusted to my surroundings. Now, it was an adjustment to fall asleep in the light, but that was less of an adjustment to fall asleep to strange sounds. Once I got accustomed to the sounds, I could feel more relaxed with the lights out. After awhile, these new sounds became a similar, familiar comfort to me, than those frogs & crickets. After awhile, you come to count on them.

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 9:03:14 AM

igor2003

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Some groans and creeks can be stopped or reduced by having a contractor go through the crawl space and attic and drive shims into loose joints, caulking nd gluing loose floorboards, etc., but it is an "iffy" science at best, could be expensive, and probably won't get all of the noises stopped anyway, so it is really not something that a renter would want to invest in.

Personally I don't like the idea of white noise myself. I'd rather be able to hear the slight noises so that I can hear the things that are going on. It doesn't take too long to really get used to what are the natural noises and the noises that aren't natural and so be able to sleep through the natural ones. My bedroom is only about 100 feet from a fairly busy railroad track. At first it sounded like every train was coming right through the middle of my bedroom, but withing a month or so I was able to sleep right through the railroad sounds with no trouble, and still can be awakened by slighter sounds.

A better bet is in motion detector lights (though these can be set off by animals in the neighborhood) and/or getting a dog or dogs. Larger dogs might be more protection if someone DOES break in, but smaller dogs are a lot more noisy and are more likely to scare an intruder away before they get inside. I used to have a fenced yard and a dog door for my mutts, so they could come and go as they pleased and were able to patrol both the inside and the outside of the house, and plan on doing the same here as soon as the ground thaws enough to dig the holes for the fence posts.

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 9:14:17 AM

winterlight

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My parents had the police/sheriff come in one time and show them where things needed improvement as far as making the house safer. As said above houses do settle. Great suggestions up above in the other posts.

There are lights that the deaf use so that if a door is opened they know somebody is in the house etc. It is connected someway to their lights etc.

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RE: noises - 12/30/2008 9:26:17 AM

slaveboyforyou

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quote:

A better bet is in motion detector lights (though these can be set off by animals in the neighborhood) and/or getting a dog or dogs. Larger dogs might be more protection if someone DOES break in, but smaller dogs are a lot more noisy and are more likely to scare an intruder away before they get inside. I used to have a fenced yard and a dog door for my mutts, so they could come and go as they pleased and were able to patrol both the inside and the outside of the house, and plan on doing the same here as soon as the ground thaws enough to dig the holes for the fence posts.

I saw a show where two ex-cons whose crime of choice was burglary gave advice to property owners. Both said they never had problems with dogs when they broke in someplace, and that included breaking into homes when someone was there. Also, they both said those motion sensor lights didn't deter them. Everyone knows what those are. Granted, these guys were professional theives; most criminals are opportunists, not professionals. But I found it interesting to hear their opinions.

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