When a house “settles” what is actually happening that causes popping, creaking, groaning noises, etc.?
In: Engineering
If we are talking about North American stick construction…often the wood used is wet. As it dries it shrinks…more across the grain than along it. This means that all the wood used in the walls is changing dimensions after the house is built. Since each piece wants to change size in its own ways…things move.
When you build a house you put things in place before the weight from the roof goes on. This means there are all sorts of little gaps. These gaps are in addition to wood changing shape. So, over time, things squish down.
When you build a house a whole bunch of weight gets put on a skirt…the foundation wall, and on some pads in the middle where posts come down. If these are resting on a compacted gravel bed…that may compact a bit. If compaction is uneven…things will want to move. If you build on a structural pad…that may not move much at all.
Putting these together…when things that are mostly stuck move…they make all sorts of odd noises.
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