Preventing Bird & Squirrel Damage to Your Roof

Anyone who has had a bird or squirrel nest on their roof knows how stressful these furry critters can be. Even if you manage to keep them from building their nests, they often end up leaving their own personal calling cards one way or another. Maintaining your roof to ensure it retains its effectiveness will not only protect the rest of your home, but also enhance its value to you and those you sell it to in the future. NH Grand Roofs is an expert roofing company that knows all about keeping your roof in great shape. Follow these tips to prevent bird or squirrel damage to your roof.

Remove Bird Feeders

A bird or squirrel infestation is no laughing matter. These pesky animals can cause a great deal of damage around your home and ruin the roof of your house. Despite the damage they cause, some people enjoy seeing wildlife in their yard and leaving out nuts to attract birds.

But that is not always a good thing. It is fun watching the birds at your feeders and seeing the variety of birds you are attracting to your yard. But bird droppings are very acidic, and if a large amount is left on your roof, overtime it can eat away at your roofing material and cause leaks. Removing bird feeders from around your home will also help to keep the squirrels away as they will lose that additional food source.

Block Potential Entry Points

Squirrels are incredibly acrobatic animals which means sometimes even the most solid and secure roof cannot prevent them from entering your home. Once they are in (which is easier than you might think), squirrels can make for some of the messiest property damage we have seen.

To prevent squirrels from getting into your attic it is important to make sure the roof is completely sealed. Squirrels are extremely talented climbers and if there is any sort of breach in the roof or wall, they’ll find it. This will usually occur through your roof’s soffits, eaves, ridges, valleys and where dormers overhang from the roof. Inspect the area and ensure that all of these areas are sealed up.

We also recommend keeping an eye out for bird nests around the exterior of your home. Birds like to set up their nests on gutters, drains, chimneys, ventilation systems, and roof corners. Because they can build their nests so quickly, we recommend checking around your home regularly for any signs of a new nest. Monitor and remove the nests accordingly.

Keep Trees Trimmed

This is another step in the prevention of birds or squirrels moving in and making your home theirs. By keeping tree limbs trimmed at least six to eight feet from your roof you will deny these critters the ability to use your roof as their own personal playground. Access to the roof also allows squirrels and birds to easily gain entry into your attic and storage areas, and as we mentioned before it is not always easy to get rid of them!

Following these preventative measures will help in preventing bird or squirrel damage to your home. However, if you feel that your roof has been damaged due to bird or squirrel activity, contact NH Grand Roofs at 603-552-7152 or info@nhgrandroofs.com.

If you find that squirrels or birds have nested within your roof area, we recommend contacting a wildlife professional.