When you wake up in the middle of the night due to some mysterious sound coming from the attic of your house, it might startle you. Such a situation can be pretty alarming, and it’s understandable.
Identifying what the sound is exactly can be pretty baffling, I know. So, find out why you keep hearing the sound of footsteps on your roof and what you can do to end such noises in this article.
There are several reasons you keep hearing heavy footsteps on your roof at night. Such reasons include the concept of thermal expansion and contraction. The heavy footsteps could also be coming from the movement of animals on your roof, and it could be a branch of a tree stroking your house.
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Heavy Footsteps At Night Meaning
Some people attach this scenario to a spiritual being, which might not be related to it.
There are so many things that can cause you to hear thumping banging footsteps in your house at night, and they include;
#1. Thermal Expansion And Contraction
Thermal expansion and contraction simply mean the situation in which the volume of a material increases when temperature increases and when the magnitude of the fabric also decreases with the temperature rise.
Therefore, this concept applies to the materials that make up your house. For example, the sun heats the whole house, including the roof, expanding it during the day.
And whenever it becomes cool at night, the roof shrinks, making the building materials rub against each other, producing scratching sounds in the attic.
You should note that it makes noise while expanding during the day also.
You don’t hear the noise because everywhere in the neighborhood is noisy, while you could hear it well at night because everywhere is extraordinarily calm and silent.
So, the footsteps you think you hear in your house at night could be coming from the shrinking lumbers of your attic or walls rubbing against each other.
#2. Branches Of Tree
If your house is under or around a tree, the cause of the footsteps you hear in your home at night could be branches of the tree scratching the building.
If the tree above your house has wide branches, the branches could break sometimes and fall on your roof.
Also, the broad branches could be rubbing your home’s roof, making scratching sounds in the attic.
As I mentioned above, this also makes the noise you hear at night during the day. But the unsettled and noisy neighborhood is why you couldn’t listen to it.
#3. Animals
Another cause of the footsteps you hear in your house at night is animals. It is common if your attic is still under construction or there’s a hole where animals can get in.
They can hop on your rooftop. The loud banging noises of the animals on your roof sound like footsteps.
More so, animals such as rats, mice, and so on can also find their way into the attic of your house, thereby running from one place to another. These animals are pretty playful at night.
Why Does It Sound Like Someone Is Walking On My Roof?
The sound you hear on your roof is not a human being’s steps. Instead, the animals’ walking steps sound heavy, so you could hear thumping banging steps on your roof.
Animals like rats, raccoons, squirrels, birds, mice, and so on are likely to play on your roof. The animals are running back and forth, making loud banging noises, and that’s what’s producing the footsteps sound.
Humans’ footsteps sound heavier than animals,’ and you should be able to differentiate between the two.
Perhaps, you are thinking it could be human because you are hearing such a sound for the first time, and you are scared because that’s the image you painted in your mind.
So, be rest assured that they’re just animals. Kindly reach out to wildlife removal services to help you manage the situation.
What Does It Mean If You Hear Strange And Weird Sounds On One’s Roof At Night?
You should note if you’ve heard some weird and strange sounds on your roof. Your house is made of materials that expand when high heat and contract when the weather cools down.
Such materials include plywood, metal ducts, glass, nails, plumbing pipes, etc. These materials heat up and become more significant at different daytime rates.
So, when the night comes, the materials compress back, producing scratching sounds in the attic.
Another thing that could be producing weird and strange sounds is animals’ activity. For example, the animals could find where to hide to receive warmth if it’s cold at night.
Moreover, the animals could be finding what to eat, or maybe, they’re trying to escape from becoming what other things feed on. It could also be that the animals are finding their way inside your house.
If you hear the sound for the first time or it’s becoming persistent, you may find it scary, but this shouldn’t cause panic.
Instead, contact local wildlife removal services so that they can help you inspect your attic and get rid of the animals.
I heard the same Thud Sound On the Roof Twice; what Could It be?
If your roof sounds like someone is hitting it, producing heavy thud sounds, then you should know that the sound is coming from animals’ footsteps.
Critters such as squirrels, rats, mice, and raccoons are the ones that are most likely to be producing the thud sound.
However, the one that produces the exact thud sound among them is a raccoon. Raccoons are well known for getting stuck on the roof of houses.
But instead, they find their way into the attics, searching for shelter. You can easily hear the thumping banging of raccoons’ footsteps as they move, and their loud banging noises can even wake you up in the middle of the night.
More so, you can effortlessly realize the presence of raccoons in your house due to their noise.
If raccoons enter your attics, they will start making a home for themselves by tearing and digging into the insulation. Apart from their heavy footsteps, you can also hear all these activities.
Is It Okay To Hear Sounds On My Roof?
Yes, it’s okay to hear sounds on your roof. But sometimes, it depends on the type of sounds you hear and what’s producing the sound.
Most times, the sounds in attic walls come from the expansion and contraction of your roof materials.
Meanwhile, if you’re sure that the sounds aren’t coming from thermal expansion and contraction, the sounds are most possibly coming from animals stuck in your attics.
So if you later realize that the sounds are coming from animals, most likely critters, then you need to deal with the situation on time.
Apart from the fact you feel uncomfortable with their noises that wake you up at night, the animals can also bring diseases into your house. In addition, they can cause severe damage to your home.
To avoid any of these circumstances, call on the intervention of professional wildlife removal services.
Conclusion
Hearing footsteps at night is very common in houses, and two main things cause it.
It could be the first, ital expansion and contraction, which is normal, and it may be coming from animals that get stuck in your attic. You must request a professional wildlife removal service if it’s coming from animals.
