noise in walls/attic - mice?

eclectichoney

hi guys just moved into an old end of etrrace house and there is lots of banging/rattling/sounds of moving coming from the end of terrace external wall and it also sounds like someone is actually walking around above the ceilings/in the attic! could it be mice? i thought this but it really is very loud - almost like a cat jumping round on pipes and the noise is often as if someone is rattling a key in a door. i was pretty terrified last night staying in the house on my own and haven't got a clue what it could be. there is no evidence of mice holes (or are they only in cartoons? ) or droppings or anything. any suggestions?

The Hill Billy

I can't imagine that mice would be making the level of noise that you mentioned. Mice noises usually extend to scratching or quiet scuttling.

As for mouseholes - sometimes you may find evidence of these, but not as large as Tom & Jerry would suggest.

Do you have your own attic or is it shared with the next house in the terrace? This is common in older buildings.

What you may be hearing is the sound of your neighbours moving around upstairs next door.

You could consider installing an extra layer of insulation on the flooor of your attic. Apart from the obvious fuel-saving benefits it would deaden the sound of their little footsteps.

Vazelothir

Do you have crows on your roof? they always sound like they are wearing steel toecapped boots when they run across roof tiles...

monkeyfudge

Depending on the accoustics mice can sound very loud indeed. I sometimes think the mice in my house are wearing clogs.

Keedowah

one word...

rats

eclectichoney

oh god - rats?? somebody else suggested bats, which worries me even more!

cormac_byrne

I too live in "an old end of etrrace house and there is lots of banging/rattling/sounds of moving coming from the end of terrace external wall"

My noises are definitely not rats or mice or the neighbours (can hear them on the other side faintly)

Do you have a Chimney in that wall, could be a birds nest.
Birds make noise dropping sticks into the chimney until one catches and they pile more on top.

I have a cage on the chimney pot so my noise isn't that.

The noises I get happen when it's windy, so I have at various times suspected the rattelling to be coming from loose satellite dish or cast iron drainpile or even the driveway gate, but the thing is the noise really seems to be coming from inside the wall. There is a sealed up fireplace in the upstairs bedroom, maybe there is a dampler plate or some other component that rattles in the wind.

Crows & Magpies on the roof can be very noisy. I've had magpies attack the flashing around a velux window. They made a hell of a racket until i went up and banged on the window.

Borzoi

monkeyfudge wrote:

Depending on the accoustics mice can sound very loud indeed. I sometimes think the mice in my house are wearing clogs.

A Windmill in Old Amsterdam:
I saw a mouse!
Where?
There on the stair!
Where on the stair?
Right there!
A little mouse with clogs on
Well I declare!
Going clip-clippety-clop on the stair
Oh yeah


Mice can easily sound very loud, even when not in clogs;)

crosstownk

I had mice in the house recently and they do make a bit of a racket. Drove me mad for a couple of months but I think I got rid of them. Have a close look in the general area where you here them for droppings. Put a trap down and check it regularly. Hopefully it's mice and not rats.

Lots more info in this post - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054904769

Benster

Have you checked it's not just something being blown about by a gust of wind? Our attic suffers from this a bit, when the wind's up, any loose felt or hanging cables can flap about and it gets pretty noisy then. I need to go up and just nail/tape everything down.

Also, as it's an old house, what about heat expansion in the pipes, or just water flowing from the tank in the attic to toilets etc?

Cheers,
B.

monkeyfudge

Be sure to check the hot press for droppings... that place is usually Mousetown, USA.

eclectichoney

I suppose it could be pipes maybe??? Although it seems a lot more than that! i don't actually have a hotpress (there's no electric immersion heating) and there doesn't seem to be any smells/other evidence. cormac, that's interesting to know you have something similar, altho unfortunately there is no chimney near that wall, it's on the other side of the house. thanks for all the advice guys! going to have a guy from a pest controller come out and take a look anyway.