March 30th, 2014 9:15 PM by Dan Howard
Listen for unusual noises. If you hear a rubbing or scrapping, something is being worn that you really do not want to wear out. Limbs hitting your roof or siding will damage those surfaces. If you delay repairs, even if you can replace the damaged surfaces, they are not likely to perfectly match and will always look like a repair.
When the sound you hear is a flopping noise, it is likely loose siding, soffit, wires, fixtures or another part that is far cheaper to secure back in place than replace.
A scratching noise usually signals the presence of an animal of some sort. You do not want any animal living in your walls or other cavity in your home. The possible outcomes are that they will use those cavities as a bathroom or even worse they will die in your home. Both of these will create an unwelcome odor and difficult job to first find and then remove them.
If you hear a sound of water spraying, hissing or running, it could be a pinhole leak from a frost damaged pipe. These can easily occur in outside walls and crawl spaces. If a leak goes unnoticed for even a short time, you could be facing major repairs and mold problems.