This winter and last winter we've gone through a very cold period. Artic cold weather to be exact. Maybe you're feeling it also. We've reached -20 below without wind chill already.

The problem I'm having is that the rafters are making cracking noises. This happened last year also. The sound is terrifying. It sounds like a small explosion. Last spring I had it checked out and the contractor and I inspected the rafters. What we found were lateral cracks in the 2 X 8 rafters but there had been obvious repairs by the past owner with wood t-bar supports and other pieces of 2 X 8s attached to some of the previously cracked 2 X 8s. This fall I purchased more 2 X 8s and 2 X 4s (to make more T-bar supports) but the contractor I use was too busy to do the work then. We decided to put off the work until the spring. My question is will my roof collapse? I took a ladder and looked up into the attic and everything looked the same as it always does. It is really a crawlspace type attic - no storage up there. Even though we had a lot of snow already I never let it accumulate and always promptly remove it. Is the sound more terrifying then the damage that's being done? Will I eventually have to get all the rafters replaced? That's a big expense I can't afford right now. Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Mandy