There may be some long spans In the floor where the floor joists slightly move and if the wood flooring is tightly installed you will get that. Remember real wood expands and contracts slightly. We built a brand new home with 3/4" maple In 1500 sq ft of our home and it did the same "cracking." The only way to change this is to add support beams and jacks. If you're basement isn't finished this should be easy to accomplish, but if you had plans to finish that space it may put a damper on those plans. An inspector is just going to tell you to deal with the new home breaking in.

But we have been in the house almost a year in January. So this wood has gone thru all seasonal changes bat no point did it get any better. I will talk to the builder about what you recommended since our basement is not finished. No plans to do that anytime soon anyway lol

Patricia should I get a home inspector or a hardwood inspector?

Wood floors will forever make those sounds. They forever expand and contract. I just reread your post. The builder claims it's not the subfloor, but what is the thickness used? Did they use the minimum 3/4?" To be honest you are going to have to spend some money up front if you want this fixed. Whether it be the inspector or a lawyer or both. A judge may give you some consideration in a case, but a squeaky floor is not going to be considered a huge flaw in workmanship. However it goes, I hope it works out for you.

Best of luck...

Squeaking can be because the subfloor was nailed and not screwed down. Nails do not have the "grab" that screws have. The wood subfloor shrinks just enough to become loose around the nail. The slight movement wood rubbing against the nail = squeeking. Screws dont' have this issue. This is probably why you hear it "everywhere" and not just with the hardwood. This is very common. The fix = remove floor and screw down subfloor. Some installers will try to use screws from underneath (access the subfloor from below) but this isn't always an option (finished ceilings in basements, etc). Cracking/popping sounds are a little different (depends on which you have) and can be an indicator that an adhesive that is holding the hardwood in place is "letting go". It is a very distinctive sound and any certified wood flooring inspector will know this sound.

As you can see, there is a reason why the builder doesn't want to try to fix this...fixing it can mean removing floor, screwing down the subfloor (most subfloor installations use "nail guns"...not power screw drivers) and then reinstalling the floor.

You can find a flooring inspector by using the National Wood Flooring Association. They deal with wood, but there must be a section for flooring inspectors who will work with wood, tile, carpet, etc. If Canada has it, then the USA has to have it.

Pay the investigation fee to know what problems are there and what can be done about the floor. The inspector will not point fingers...but they will point out what is going on AND what the fix is supposed to be. This in turn is enough to get builder/installer to get moving on the fix. These can often be used as legal documents as well...if it comes to it.

Be aware that the inspector might just find the home is too dry (humidistat is not functioning, set too low or "does not exist on HVAC unit) and the shrinkage/dryness could be the cause of some of this. That is always an option...when it comes to inspectors they don't really "care" who's at fault they will simply point out what is causing the problems....it is up to the two parties to decide the "who".

I guess I would have assumed the builder would have glued and screwed down the subfloor. If they nailed it down that's a an issue. It's sad when you hear stories of a contractor doing sub par work. Especially when it comes to the internals of the home.

Well the builder said they stapled the subfloor. They did not mention anything about glue or anything like that! We have had a humidifier at home ever since we moved. We told the builder about the noise at our final walkthrough and they said that after we move in and the house settles the noise will stop. Unfortunately, it has been getting worse as we go. When you step on the floor it sounds like the wood broke!!! I already scheduled a hardwood inspector however was wondering if I should have someone inspect the whole house instead!

If you have another inspection it should be a structural engineer as the problem is related to plywood spans, joist spans, and moisture levels in the wood. I did an inspection on a house that included cracking drywall and traced it back to the builder using cedar shakes to shim his joist's bearing beams.

Stapling is never good. At minimum, a ring shank nail is used. It is most likely that the floor squeeks more where the hardwood is for two reasons. (1) Hardwood is much heavier than carpet and pad. The minimum code for floor joist is not enough for hardwood. The deflection of the joists is great enough when you walk across the floor that the nails, or in this case staples, have no choice but to move and cause noise with the extra weight. (2) The carpet muffles the quieter squeeks and the hardwood amplifies it.
I would start handling this as though the general contractor made the mistake with weak floor joists and poor quality construction, and is trying to cover it up by blaming the hardwood. Although, the hardwood installer should not have installed anything over a floor with that kind of deflection either.