Miller’s Home Improvement, a residential and commercial roofing contractor based in Saint Clair Shores, MI, has published a blog post that talks about the role that small animals play in damaging a home’s roof.
Animals such as birds, raccoons, rats, and mice can seem mostly harmless due to their relatively small size and footprint. However, once they infiltrate a home, they can cause serious damage that can be difficult and costly to fix. Some common examples of animals invading the home include bats that nest in the cool and dark corners of an attic, squirrels that have burrowed their way through the soffit, raccoons that have broken their way through the gutters, mice that have holed up within the walls, and many more invisible critters that have been known to breach the home’s defenses to erode them from the inside.
These animals also have a tendency to bring insects, bacteria, germs, and other viruses along with them that can not only pose a threat to the health and wellbeing of the home’s residents but also weaken the structural integrity of the home. If the animals burrow somewhere near the vents, then they can introduce bacteria and germs in the home’s air circulation system. They leave behind waste that, if not cleaned and left to fester in the closed conditions of the areas underneath the roof, can lead to the growth of mold. Mold is not only hazardous to the home’s air quality but can also weaken the wooden supports of the roof. Homeowners who are sensitive to germs might also find their allergies flaring up without them realizing that the source of their troubles is somewhere within the house itself.
Small burrowing animals such as raccoons and rats can erode a home’s interior by continuously clawing and chewing at the soffit, the wooden and rubber underside of the structure that supports the roof. This can cause damage to the underlayment that can only be fixed with expensive repairs and replacements. The path that the animals create by chewing through the soffit can also invite other critters into the house.
Water damage is also possible when raccoons, squirrels, and other small animals create holes in the roof allowing water to seep through when it rains. The holes that the animals create might be small but the eroding nature of water causes them to widen and turns them into a bigger problem down the road that requires extensive repairs to fix. Once the roof has been compromised, water damage will continue to affect the home’s ceilings, walls, floors, and other areas.
The first step to fixing animal damage to the home, according to the Miller’s Home Improvement blog post, is getting rid of the pests themselves before they do any more damage. The homeowner will need to avail of the services of an expert exterminator that can pinpoint the location of the pests within the house and clear them using techniques that work for each animal. An exterminator will also clear any scents that the animals might have used to lay a trail to help them detect the location of their nests. Once the exterminator has done a thorough sweep of the home and cleared the invaders, a professional roofing contractor can then assess the damage that the animals have left behind in their wake and draft a plan to solve them.
A spokesperson for Miller’s Home Improvement talks about the company’s strategy to deal with animal damage by saying, “We deal with animal damage on a regular basis and have the experience required to make sure to look for the kind of damage that animals are most likely to cause to a home’s roof. So once the exterminator has left, make sure to call Miller’s Home Improvement to fix the damage and have your home’s roof restored as if it were brand new.”
Readers looking for roof repair in Clinton township can contact Miller’s Home Improvement at the phone number 248-710-0439 or at the email address millersamericandream@gmail.com.
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For more information about Miller’s Home Improvement, contact the company here:
Miller’s Home Improvement
Eric Miller
248-242-0820
Millersamericandream@gmail.com
42383 Garfield Rd Suite 381300
Clinton Township, MI 48038
