Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jan 02, 2018 2:19 pm I'm puzzled that every morning when I wake up and walk on the upstair floors, the walls upstairs make all sorts of weird noises, but when the floors have been walked on a few times, the noises would be gone. Same thing happens if the upstair floors haven't been walked on for a few hours and then are walked on again. The upstair walls would first make the same noises as in the morning, but then the noises would disappear after the floors have been walked on a few times. Is this normal? My builder says it is, but they can say anything in their favour. I've been to display homes and some friend's homes (all double storey homes), and none of them makes such weird noises from the upstair walls. Please advise. Re: Do your upstair walls of double storey homes make noises 2Jan 03, 2018 7:08 am Zhenhua, no it's not normal, yet another reason why you should have taken photos of critical construction stages..did you have inspections &/or take photos of the framing stages? Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Do your upstair walls of double storey homes make noises 3Jan 03, 2018 8:43 am StructuralBIMGuy @Zhenhua, no it's not normal, yet another reason why you should have taken photos of critical construction stages..did you have inspections &/or take photos of the framing stages? Thanks.. I did get independent inspector to inspect the frame stage and in my impression I don't recall hearing those sorts of noises when the frame stage was completed... Those noises occur mostly and are the loudest in the morning after the upstair floors have not been walked on for the entire night. The noises are mostly clicking and popping sounds coming from the upstair walls. They may have to do with the fact that the upstair floors are flexible (as they are not concrete), and walking on the floors causes the wall structure to slightly move? But the noises are not consistent, and they disappear after the floors have been walked on a few times. That's why my builder didn't want to bother, and in their theory, any issue that is not consistent every time (even though happens on a daily basis) is not an issue. When my builder came they said it is normal for a double storey. If I insisted, they would say: Well, go ask the building commission to inspect if you want. They are just very uninterested in the issues I have raised. Re: Do your upstair walls of double storey homes make noises 4Jan 03, 2018 10:18 am Zhenhua The noises are mostly clicking and popping sounds coming from the upstair walls. They may have to do with the fact that the upstair floors are flexible (as they are not concrete), and walking on the floors causes the wall structure to slightly move? It sounds (no pun intended ) like a serviceability issue eg, Bouncing floors & Deflection Did your inspector take a video of the floor beams deflecting under dynamic/walking loads? The poping is probably the plasterboard? If so then it may be an on going maintenance issue for ever Is there any signs of plasterboard joint cracks More info required Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Do your upstair walls of double storey homes make noises 5Jan 03, 2018 11:00 am StructuralBIMGuy Zhenhua The noises are mostly clicking and popping sounds coming from the upstair walls. They may have to do with the fact that the upstair floors are flexible (as they are not concrete), and walking on the floors causes the wall structure to slightly move? It sounds (no pun intended ) like a serviceability issue eg, Bouncing floors & Deflection Did your inspector take a video of the floor beams deflecting under dynamic/walking loads? The poping is probably the plasterboard? If so then it may be an on going maintenance issue for ever Is there any signs of plasterboard joint cracks More info required Thanks so much StructuralBIMGuy I don't think my inspector took a video for that... Apart from that, my upstair floors also make the "dong dong" sounds at various spots, making me think the wood boards are not screwed into the joists properly at those spots. But that might be a separate issue to the one we are discussing here.. My builder did come and fix some "dong dong" spots but refused to fix some others which came up afterwards. I'm so frustrated by their poor attitude. Back to the sounds from upstair walls, I think the popping might be from the plasterboard but I'm no expert to tell... but there is no signs of plasterboard joint cracks.. If there is clicking and popping noises from plasterboard (even though mostly in the mornings and when the floors have not been walked for a while, not always), is it a valid issue for builder to fix, or can most builders get away with that? My builder can say normal to anything. But is it really normal? Re: Do your upstair walls of double storey homes make noises 6Jan 03, 2018 11:25 am Zhenhua You will need to get copies of your engineering plans, inspectors reports, and all photos. BTW.This may be a problem if the inspector was hired by the builder..sometimes the photos accidentally disappear? Hence there is a need for your own photos, etc You will then need to document a serviceability failure case against the builder and ask for a contract maintenance extension period. Serviceability problems can also damage & crack brittle finishes ie Glass,ceramic tile and brick It will safeguard you in the long term please leave a PM if you require assistance Goodluck Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Do your upstair walls of double storey homes make noises 7Aug 08, 2021 12:50 pm Zhenhua StructuralBIMGuy Zhenhua The noises are mostly clicking and popping sounds coming from the upstair walls. They may have to do with the fact that the upstair floors are flexible (as they are not concrete), and walking on the floors causes the wall structure to slightly move? It sounds (no pun intended ) like a serviceability issue eg, Bouncing floors & Deflection Did your inspector take a video of the floor beams deflecting under dynamic/walking loads? The poping is probably the plasterboard? If so then it may be an on going maintenance issue for ever Is there any signs of plasterboard joint cracks More info required Thanks so much StructuralBIMGuy I don't think my inspector took a video for that... Apart from that, my upstair floors also make the "dong dong" sounds at various spots, making me think the wood boards are not screwed into the joists properly at those spots. But that might be a separate issue to the one we are discussing here.. My builder did come and fix some "dong dong" spots but refused to fix some others which came up afterwards. I'm so frustrated by their poor attitude. Back to the sounds from upstair walls, I think the popping might be from the plasterboard but I'm no expert to tell... but there is no signs of plasterboard joint cracks.. If there is clicking and popping noises from plasterboard (even though mostly in the mornings and when the floors have not been walked for a while, not always), is it a valid issue for builder to fix, or can most builders get away with that? My builder can say normal to anything. But is it really normal? Hi Zhenhua. I'm wondering if you have any updates on this? I'm having a similar issue with my new property. I've sent you a PM. Thank you! Re: Do your upstair walls of double storey homes make noises 8Aug 21, 2021 6:45 pm It sounds like steel stud, or timber stud walls are creaking. This is a common problem with non masonry buildings Also steel roofs often creak. Its all about rapid expansion and contraction of steel *All in my opinion only Hi, I have a steel frame house which was built 2 years ago. When you are down stairs you can hear clunking noises when someone is walking around. 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