YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Many Valley residents are saying that their homes are making strange popping and cracking noises.

Contractors said it's due to the weather because all building materials react to extreme temperature changes.

"It's all a matter of expansion and contraction," said Bill Clipse of Meander Homes.

Clipse said the sound a lot of residents are likely hearing is coming from the siding on their home.

"The siding is all shrunk down and all of a sudden the clouds separate, the bright sun hits that and the siding can heat up 20-25 degrees and it just starts expanding and popping," said Clipse.

In newer homes, Clipse said materials like wood trusses contain moisture, "Those trusses will expand when they freeze in that attic and you'll get some screw pops and nail pops or noises like that."

Clipse said that in some cases freezing and expanding can cause cracking. These noises have prompted calls to 9-1-1 centers with homeowners reporting everything from suspected gunfire to break-ins. Clipse said that's understandable, because concrete that's never been this cold before may suddenly crack.

"You can get a concrete patio cracking and it'll sound just like a gunshot going off," said Clipse.

The cold causes the outside of your house to basically shrink, and when temperatures rise, it releases the pressure in the form of expansion. "It'll pop the stone off the front of your foundation, if it raises more than a quarter inch or so," said Clipse.

According to the builder, you're really just dealing with the nature of things and the basic law of physics and there's not much you can do about it.