Do my stairs actually creak more at night or is my house... haunted??
I'm an insomniac and I've noticed that my stairs will creak and pop in the night. Honestly, I doubt it's a ghost, so really I'm just wondering what causes the creaking sound. My house is very very old, so I expect some noise, but the sounds are definitely more frequent at night. It's not vermin, pets, or kids -- I can tell it's the sound of the house. So why?
Answers ( 1 )
What I love about this question is that it encompasses two separate issues, interpreting strange phenomena and home repair.
Weird Stuff
When people report paranormal phenomena such as Bigfoot, UFOs or ghosts, it is easy to assume that they have hyperactive imaginations, are chemically altered, or are lying. The truth is that we are surrounded by odd occurrences all of the time and we quickly discover an explanation for most of them so they are quickly forgotten. Some escape our notice, but others can strike us just right and vex us, sending us searching for an answer. Some people will eventually shrug and assume that there is an ordinary explanation that is simply escaping them, while others will start speculating, some more than others.
Weathering
Houses make more noise at night because of weathering. Wood absorbs moisture, so the sun beating down on it during the day causes it to dry out somewhat and contract. At night temperatures drop and moisture increases, so the wood absorbs the lost moisture and begins to swell. As it swells pressure builds between the places where it is in contact with something else and it begins to slip and slide in jerks. The pressure overcomes friction and the object moves in a tiny but sudden motion, releasing a sound. Weight can shift and stress different wooden members temporarily. This is what causes the pops, cracks, creeks and groans that you hear. It is also quieter in general at night, so any sounds your house makes are noticed much more easily.
If you’re hearing a lot of sounds, two things can be happening. If the house has a fair amount of humidity changes inside it, it can increase weathering in general as well as cause wooden structures inside the home like staircases to swell and contract too. The other possibility is the worst case, the house is truly settling.
Uh Oh, Settling!
Most people refer to weathering sounds as settling, but settling is a larger and potentially serious structural problem. Improperly backfilled dirt, large clay soil deposits, sometimes tree stumps, lumber, drywall, or other buried construction materials in the ground underneath a house can all cause soil to compact over time and stress the foundation. This creates sagging which causes stress on the house. If you notice cracks in the foundation, walls that are out of plumb on both the inside and outside surface, windows and doors become difficult to open, or more serious things such as large cracks and bent pipes, then you need to have the house looked at and the problem corrected before it causes serious structural damage.
So if the sounds are louder and frequent, you are indeed being communicated with. Your house is complaining that its back is killing it and it needs a doctor!