Water Damage is Invitation to Animals
Nuisance animals are very opportunistic. Once they find a weak spot, they are very likely to exploit it and move right in.
Water damage is a very common cause of weakness on many a home’s exterior in our Akron / Canton / Kent area. And, a lot of that water damage comes from damaged or unmaintained gutters.
In this post, we look at the connection between gutter problems, water damage and squirrel problems.
Squirrels Through Fascia Behind Gutters
Squirrels can happen without water damage. But, where water weakens structures, squirrels are more likely.
Wood is, by far, the most common building material there is.
But, when exposed to water for extended periods of time, some types of wood start to rot. That’s why it’s covered, caulked, and treated. It’s also why we have pitched roofs, gutters, and downspouts. Water is public enemy number one for a home’s exterior and general construction practices reflect this fact.
When the wood of roofs, fascia, and soffit are not protected and exposed to water year after year, the wood eventually gets weak and damaged.
Gutters contribute to water damage when they are not functioning well. This happens when they get filled with leaves, pine needles, and other debris. Long term clogs lead to problems.
Clogs cause problems in two ways.
- The first problem is overflow. When clogged gutters don’t drain properly water spills out and saturates wooden areas around it. Wooden fascia boards, soffits, and roof edges that are exposed to consistent water damage start to rot. Holes develop or squirrels find areas of weakness and enlarge them.
- The second problem is sagging. Non-draining gutters hold water long after the rain has passed and water is heavy. Sagging drains lead to gutters holding even more water, pulling away from fascia, and in the end leading to larger overflows that soak building materials or make openings when building materials pull away from each other.
Video Shows a Recent Example
The video shows a scenario where a clogged gutter caused sagging which then led to squirrels. Take a look.
It’s a viscous cycle. Clogged gutters might cause water problems and lead to squirrels but squirrels also increase gutter clogs and cause more water damage. Sometimes it’s a chicken/egg scenario not knowing what issue came first. All the homeowner knows is that there are squirrel problems and they want the squirrels gone.
Remove the Squirrels and Fix the Problem
The first step in this sort of problem is to remove the offending squirrels. Once they are in your attic, they will consider it theirs even if blocked. Trapping is effective at getting the gutters and fascia ready to fix.
The second step to a long term solution is a good repair.
Fixing squirrel issues the right way means being skilled in both animal removal and building repair.
That type of service is shown in the following video.
As you saw, Ryan removed the gutter, trim, and damaged fascia before putting it all back together tightly. He also removed the squirrel nesting materials while he had it all open.
It looked worse for a time, but looks a lot better now.
Now there are no more squirrel issues AND no more structural issues at this corner of the house.
Often this takes two separate contractors if you’re not going to do the work on your own. But, it doesn’t have to.
We here at Frontline Animal Removal and other quality animal removal companies are often able and willing to handle both parts of the job.
In fact, offering quality repair services is one of the ways we try to stand out from the crowd. We think it makes a lot of sense to perform both aspects of the job and believe it is a real value to our clients.
That said, nuisance animal removers who offer repair work should be competent, competitively priced, and provide guarantees for the work performed.
Squirrel Removal | Squirrel Repairs | Akron, Canton, Kent Ohio
If you live in the Akron / Canton / Kent , Ohio and are in need of professional animal removal AND animal damage repairs please give us a call today!
