There’s a car insurance commercial where a raccoon is inside the attic eating all the fluffy stuff, and he says, “I’ve already had like three babies.” Well, we’ve actually seen that.
I’ve had a squirrel run out and scare the snot out of me on a roof. And they do get into your house. Out here in Portland, we’ve got raccoons, lots and lots of squirrels, and birds. And not just any birds – we have an invasive species called the starling out here and they are brutal.
I recently had a client that said, “I need your help. These things are getting in all of my under eave vents.” If you walk out your front door and look underneath the roof, you see these little round holes or slits. Those are the intakes – they let the cool air go into your attic space. Birds love those things.
The starling can actually pick the metal screen out and then go in, have babies, and just wreak havoc. They poop down the side of your house and it’s a nightmare. This particular client had them in every other bay.
First, we have to get the birds out of there, so you need to hire someone to take care of that, or wait until the season’s done. And then Roof Life of Oregon can go up and close them off. There are multiple different types of vents that they can go through. We’ve only found two that will stop them. One is a metal plate that you can get at a big box store, but the downside of those is that they restrict the air.We have designed a vent that actually keeps the birds out and has been airflow tested. It’s a solid piece of metal with holes punched in it. When we re-roof, we always use them. If we’re doing maintenance or you’re having a bird problem, we can install those as well.
Do you have trees near your house? Those are basically squirrel and raccoon highways. If you can, find a good arborist and trim those branches back. Raccoons are seriously strong little animals. I’ve seen them grab wood shakes, rip them out, and then go into the home.
The only way to stop them is to take away their little ladders. We can also install really heavy wire mesh in the under eaves to combat it. They can’t get their hands into the metal and pull it off, because it’s smooth and hard.
It’s a two-part process. Have a critter control company come out and deal with them first. Then we come in and close off those holes.
If animals are having babies in your attic, it can really turn into a health hazard. Plus, they pull out all of your insulation and chew holes, and it’s a disgusting mess. Have Roof Life of Oregon out to do a well care check-up, and we’ll make sure your roof is set up to prevent as much of that as possible.