"Joe" wrote in message
...
like something is settling. I hear it maybe 4 or 5 times a week while
sitting in my living room. There are no visible signs of cracks in my
first floor ceiling but it's still a little disconcerting. Is this
just a normal sound or a precursor to a larger problem developing.

Get a longer level and start checking the floors and the verticles. If
anything is "out of line" first record the data (e.g.: LR floor drops 1/4"
per 10' toward that back). Do some "detective work" and see if settling at
some particular point would explain your data. Monitor and keep taking
data to see if your problems are progressing. Sometimes cracks occur when
there is little settling but sometimes you will not see cracks because of
the combination of the regidity of the overall structure which doesn't
permit much distortion of the walls and the flexibility of the internaal
wall covering.

If things seem to be "progressing," you should start looking for an expert
to analyze things and "fix it."


** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **