Squirrels are cute and funny animals to watch as they play in your yard, but they can be little furry balls of destruction on your roof. Squirrels have no problem chewing through shingles and your roof deck to gain access to your attic. Squirrels can do a lot of damage if they take an interest in your roof.
Your attic is a cozy place to build a nest and have babies where the animals are safe from predators and rain, so it's a good idea to keep the animals off of your roof if possible so they don't discover your attic. Here's how a roof repair contractor can repair squirrel damage.
Evict The Squirrels First
You'll need to get the squirrels out of your attic before the roofer seals up entry holes. You might do this with live traps or an exclusion device that lets squirrels go outside to forage for food but won't let the squirrels get back inside their entry hole.
Once you're sure the squirrels are gone, call a roofer to make repairs. The roof repair contractor will look over your roof to find all the holes created by the squirrels and to identify shingle damage so the bad shingles can be replaced.
Assess The Damage
Squirrels can damage gutters by causing them to sag or by pulling the hangers loose, and they might also chew holes in the fascia boards and roof deck. Squirrels are especially destructive to asphalt shingles. They can peel them, gnaw on them, and cause a lot of damage even if they don't make entry holes in the area.
When the shingles are gnawed away, squirrels often start on the underlayment and rip it to shreds. Squirrels are strong and determined. They can do a lot of damage, and some of it may be hard to find since they often work in nooks where they feel safe and hidden.
Make Roof Repairs
Damaged shingles are pulled off and replaced. When a bad shingle is removed, the underlayment is exposed. If it's damaged, the roof repair contractor may cut it out and patch in a new piece of underlayment so your roof is protected from rain. When the ripped underlayment is cut out, the roof repair contractor can see the deck. If the deck isn't damaged, new underlayment and shingles are put on the area.
If the deck is gnawed and has holes, the deck has to be patched so it's solid and dry. If the squirrel holes let in rain, there could also be water damage in the area where the shingles and underlayment are damaged. If the deck appears to be rotting due to rain exposure, it needs to be repaired even if it doesn't have holes in it.
For more information, contact a company like Premier House Care LLC.
We all need and benefit from construction work. Even if you do not own a home, you benefit from the construction done on the space you rent. You also benefit from the construction work done on road, schools, playgrounds, and government buildings. There's no escaping the importance of construction in our society, and yet, most people know very little about the construction industry if they do not work in the industry themselves. We're going to help change that. Here, we will post articles on all sorts of topics related to construction and contractors. You should leave with a much better understanding of the role this work plays in our society and our world.