mystery sound coming from roof - help!

[seymourh]

Hi there

I'd be really grateful if someone could help me with a problem. It is becoming unbearable.

We moved into a new house 2 months ago and a few days after moving in a very loud noise started up from the roof. It wasn't constant, it would last for a few seconds, go away and come back again in fits and bursts - mainly through the night, making it impossible to sleep. It is like torture!

The sound can best be described as like the flapping wings of a bird. But it mainly occurs at night which makes me think it can't be a bird. It doesn't correspond with the wind (i.e. it happens the same regardless of how windy it is).

We had pest control round who said they suspected it was a bird, but in all honesty we're not convinced a bird could be that loud. We have gone outside and banged on the soffit - you can hear it very loudly from outside - but no bird appears and there isn't anywhere obvious it could get in.

We have booked a roofer to come round tomorrow. But we are concerned they will want to put up bird guard and trap the bird inside (if it is a bird) thus killing the bird. Either that or they will be stumped.

We are also concerned they'll just tell us to leave it (as others have told us) - but it is intolerable! We can't live like this too much longer.

I just wondered if anyone has had a similar experience or has any tips to point the roofer in the right direction?

Many thanks.

 

[Nige F]

How old is the house - does the noise occur in the day too

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Can you record a video of it, post it on Youtube then post it here.

 

[ajstoneservices]

It could be the breathable membrane flapping in the gutter.

 

[delmel]

Bats or mice ?

 

[seymourh]

Hi both

Thanks v much for getting back to me.

The house is 11 years old - the noise does happen during the day but nowhere near as regularly.

Pest Control said it definitely isn't mice/rats (they said after 2 months they would have destroyed the place) and a bat charity we contacted said it definitely won't be bats as they hybernate at this time of year.

We're totally stumped!

 

[seymourh]

sorry I've just seen the other replies too!

Re the breathable membrane - it definitely could be that, the only thing that makes me think it's not is that the sound doesn't correspond with how windy it is at all. When it's completely still it can be very loud, whereas at other times it can be extremely windy and the sound isn't there at all.

Will try and record the sound and put a link here - thanks v much for the suggestion!

 

[Burnerman]

Ollie the Owl, maybe?
I would have thought it was possible to trap the creature without killing it?
John

 

[seymourh]

ha I have considered it being an owl!

apparently the roofer is very unwilling to physically interact with the bird due to wildlife laws etc. But they are willing to patch up the roof with gutter guard even if it traps it inside!! (crazy I know.) what would be ideal is that they could dismantly the soffit and release whatever's in there without trapping or harming it, just scaring it away. I don't know much about roofing though or whether it's even possible to dismantle the soffit to look inside.

 

[Burnerman]

It really depends on the roof construction really.....on mine, the soffit ends can be taken off and you can see right along the soffit to the other end.
On some, you only see the gap between the rafters......similar to shifting the facials, really.
Crazy, these wild life laws......find a bat colony inside and everything stops - doesn't matter if your house gets soaked!
John

 

[JBR]

I apologise if this sounds obvious, but have you had a look in the loft whilst the noise is occurring?

 

[ladylola]

I can sympathise with you , we had a "flapping " noise some time ago which I eventually traced to a section of sealant seperating from a window and vibrating in the wind. I'm inclined to think your problem is something like the membrane flapping rather than some sort of animal or bird. Perhaps the next time you hear it you should stick your head in the loft and look around with a torch . Incidentally if in the unlikely event it is bats you aren't allowed to remove them but you can put up a light in there which makes them leave , they like it dark to sleep just the same as we do .

 

[ladylola]

Crazy, these wild life laws......find a bat colony inside and everything stops - doesn't matter if your house gets soaked!
John

Did some work on the stables at Hanbury Hall some years ago and that had bats so the work had to be timed for when they weren't hibernating. The eaves and areas under the lead gutters were full of their droppings and we were asked to remove most of it but not all so that it still smelled of " home" to the bats when they returned. Still good side was that the droppings we removed did my garden the world of good.

 

[Nige F]

Brand new house with fake chimney - Old house with TV aerial or wire from same left dangling ?

 

[akist]

We had mice. They can live quite happily in the loft and in the night you can hear them walking on some partially uncovered plaster board spaces. After months of torture eventually my wife placed two mice traps and forgot about them! She forgot to tell me that she had done it too. Weeks later I went into the loft unsuspecting, and there I found two dead mice in the traps, smelled something horrible too. Sprayed probably a whole bottle of Mr Muscle.