Squirrels are Symptom of Construction Problem

Nuisance animals like squirrels, raccoons, and bats are very opportunistic.

Once they find a weak spot on a home’s exterior, they are very likely to exploit it.

One of the biggest weak spots these animals exploit is an area of water damage. Water damage at roof edges/interfaces leads to a multitude of problems; nuisance animals is one of them.

The stinker with nuisance animals having opportunity at roof edges is that a lot of it is created by poor workmanship/construction practices.

Today’s post looks at the relationship between nuisance animal issues, poor workmanship, and water damage.

Along with some background, we share a video which shows a squirrel hole that was made in water damaged fascia where the drip edge was installed poorly and is a big part of the problem.

Water & Wood & Nuisance Animals

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.

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.

In turn, these water-damaged areas on our homes’ exteriors invite opportunistic nuisance animal species to move in.

That’s why it is paramount to long-term home health and nuisance animal prevention to keep our homes’ roofing & siding elements in good shape.

Squirrels Move In

Squirrels are one of the species that love to find these water weakened areas. They don’t need them to chew through, but they’ll take them if they can find them.

In this video Ryan shows a fascia board that has had long term water damage and now has squirrel problems.

The Shoddy Construction Connection

The video shows all the elements of this squirrel problem: the long-term water damage, the shoddy fascia trim/drip edge interface, and the squirrel.

Which one is the biggest contributing factor to this squirrel problem?

For us, the shoddy construction is where we pin a lot of the blame.

It jumps out at us because we see it too often.

The weather and squirrels are going to happen without a whole lot of control from us. 

But, installing drip edge and fascia the right way is something a person had control over.

This and situations like it make us wonder if workmanship like this is caused by:

• lack of knowledge?
• laziness?
• unscrupulous people?

We’ll never really know.

We know it happens too often.

Squirrel Removal & Repair | Akron, Canton, Kent

We’re not perfect but we are committed to doing things the right way.

We know that when people hire a contractor for any work at their home, a quality job from a knowledgeable professional is expected.

If you have arrived at this post because you have a squirrel problem, know we can help.

From removing the squirrels to informing you of root causes, Frontline Animal Removal seeks to provide long term solutions.

We offer repairs of roofing and siding elements because these root causes need addressed.

Please visit our other pages for more information.