Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jul 31, 2013 9:54 pm I have owned my current home in Canberra since it was built new in 2000. For some reason over the past month or three the roof has started creaking in the evening quite a bit, maybe 1 or two pops and creaks every hour until around 10pm. I am hoping the creaking is thermal expansion/contraction (as it is mainly happening in the evening as it gets cold), but I am curious as to why, after almost 13 years this has started and why it didn't do it before. Maybe related but maybe not, I have also started to notice some cracking and movement in the floor and some cornice. For example around the front door (which coincidently is the end of the house where the roof creaks) the gap between the floor tiles and the door plate has gone from nothing to a few mm. There is also a crack in the garage slab (again under where the house is creaking). In the ensuite, which is in the same area the cornice has cracked in two corners and I have notice a gap of a fem mm opening up between the window frame and the shower tiles. In some ways I reckon that maybe the front 1/4 of the house is sinking but not sure why now after 13 years. Prior to this and during the big Canberra drought of the mid 2000's there was very little movement and issues, and certainly nothing in the last year or so to cause movement like this. PS House is brick veneer on concrete slab. Re: House roof creaking and floor cracks/gaps. 2Jul 31, 2013 10:08 pm Well you mighthave nailed it when you said the house was built in extreme drought. Hasnt there been a lot of rain and some bad flooding in Canberra or even NSW in general? Houses built in wet conditons cracked up really bad during the 2000 drought period, especially those built on clay type soil. Do you have a clay soil, or has there been some fill the house was built on? maybe the part of the house in question? These things would smplify the drought and flood effect. I also assume it is a metal roof? Re: House roof creaking and floor cracks/gaps. 3Aug 01, 2013 7:22 am Thanks for the reply. Firstly the house wasn't actually built in the drought, the drought started if I recall the summer of 2003/04 which was 3 years after the house was built. As mentioned I didn't see any movement or cracking at that time, nor when the drought broke a few years ago now. Though you are right that the ACT has received above average rain in the last year or two which is when I started to notice some of the gaps, but the regular and loud cracking noises in the roof have started a few months ago. In relation to the soil there is very little clay, where I live is 2/3 the way up a small hill so is reasonably rocky. There is also no fill on my block according to the estate plans. Natural ground level flows right (high) to left (low) across the front of the house and front to back through the house, with the garage side (right) being cut in about 300mm and the en-suite side being on natural ground level. The slab at the back of the house is about 500mm above NGL so fill was put in to level the slab. The roof is made of concrete tiles, maybe I wasn't so clear but the cracking noise appears to be coming from within the rood, so my assumption is it is movement in the roof trusses. Re: House roof creaking and floor cracks/gaps. 4Aug 01, 2013 1:51 pm I havent ever heard of noticable noise coming from roof trusses so it might pay you to have a look up the manhole Arfur Re: House roof creaking and floor cracks/gaps. 5Aug 01, 2013 6:26 pm Uncle Arfur I havent ever heard of noticable noise coming from roof trusses so it might pay you to have a look up the manhole Just assuming that's where it is coming from. Would go up the manhole, but would bet that in the time I am up there I won't hear a crack or creak but come down and it will start! Re: House roof creaking and floor cracks/gaps. 6Aug 01, 2013 9:01 pm Hi AJW The symptoms you describe( creaking trusses, cracked cornice and slab, possible subsidence) are consistent with slab movement. Something has happened to your home for it to be starting now after 12 years. I would recommend independent inspection before you start talking to the trades because their recommendation could be coloured by self interest and you could be paying thousands more for a fix that may not work. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Ain't that the truth! We used to have a tile roof and had it replaced with colorbond and suddenly everything throughout the entire house sounds louder! 4 6689 Building Standards; Getting It Right! Is this acceptable in a new house build. Floors where installed by builder. Already chips in board and skirting is not flush 0 184 |