Q: The attic in our 4-year-old house creaks, and when it's windy we hear cracking noises as well. The sounds are loud, waking us up. The builder sent a fellow to add 2-by-4s to some of the trusses.

Now bracing the roof is a system of collar ties and vertical studs, each about two feet apart. To provide adequate clearance, the collar ties will have to be moved up about a foot and a half.

The attic in our four-year-old house creaks, and when it's windy, we hear cracking noises as well. It sounds as if something is going to come crashing through the ceiling above our bed.