Rodents love attics. They offer a place of warmth and protection. However, critters can quickly compress and contaminate insulation, making it less energy-efficient and a serious health risk to you and your family. If you hear noises scurrying in your attic, it is likely that some animals have made it their home.
Your vents offer a path of least resistance to these furry friends. They can sense your home's warmth, smell your food and garbage, and can easily find their way inside - especially if you do not have a strong, secure screen or hardware cloth to keep critters out! Manufacturers' screens keep bees and bugs out but are too thin to deter critters, so be sure you regularly inspect these vents to ensure our fuzzy outdoor friends stay outside.
If you're not sealing up your garage gaps, you're basically asking for mice and other small critters to waltz right in and make themselves at home. Garage gaps give off heat, and many people store their garbage cans and other enticing items in the garage that attract animals. If a critter gets into your garage, that's just one step closer to them getting inside your home with your family and pets – luckily, these gaps can be sealed with proper gap stops you can install yourself!
Animals can dig and chew their way into your home practically undetected unless you're regularly monitoring your home for damage. Look for chips in paint and peeling shingles as an early sign of animal activity on your roof around the returns.
Like your gutters and roof, fascia gaps are hard to see from the ground, so you have to inspect this part of your home regularly. Unfortunately, if you skip this inspection, you typically don't recognize an issue until you experience a leak or animal intruder. As your home’s foundation inevitably moves and shifts, these fascia gaps grow, so be sure to re-seal this area of your home every year to avoid gaps that will allow animals to slip inside!
Yes, animal intruders are pests that can cause structural damage - but worst of all, they can create a hazardous environment for your family and pets! Raccoons are of particular concern because their feces can carry dangerous diseases for years, which can be transmitted via airborne, microscopic eggs.
