Roof Repairs Needed When Rats, Squirrels, Or Raccoons Damage Your Roof
Posted on: 3 May 2023
If trees hang over your house, and the branches are close to your roof, you might start having trouble with pests like rats, squirrels, and raccoons. The pests might use your roof as a shortcut to get from your backyard to the front. Even worse, they might get interested in your roof and stop to claw at it and gnaw on it.
At certain times of the year, animals might look for warm shelter and think your attic is an ideal spot if they can just gnaw a hole big enough to get inside. This makes the damage worse since rain and other pests can get in your attic too. Here are some roof repairs your shingle roof might need when it has damage from animals.
Replace Granules
If squirrels and other animals scamper across your roof long enough with their sharp claws, they might scrape away granules from shingles, especially if they follow the same path all the time. When shingles lose granules, they start aging fast since the granules protect the shingles from sun damage.
The roof repair contractor might replace the shingles so they're in good shape, but they might also consider just adding more granules. They can do this by choosing granules of the same color and adhering them to the shingles.
Replace Gnawed Shingles
Raccoons are strong enough to be destructive to your roof. Squirrels and rats may gnaw on wood, but raccoons can gnaw on shingles and even lift and pull them. If your shingles are old and weak, they can be damaged to the point where they need to be replaced with new shingles.
Seal Entry Holes
Before the roof repair contractor seals up holes in your roof the animals use every day, you'll probably want to work with an animal control professional to get rid of the pests. Sealing the pests up in your attic is not a good idea since they'll either gnaw their way out and damage the roof again or gnaw their way into your living space.
Once the animals are gone, roof repairs can be done by patching the hole in the deck, putting an underlayment patch on, and then putting on new shingles. Fortunately, rats tend to use the same entry holes and even follow the same path to and from the hole, so the damage may not be widespread unless a curious raccoon just happens to move in and enjoys being destructive.
If you hear noises in your attic, you know you have roof damage because the pests are getting inside somehow. The damage might be in the soffit or fascia boards, which might be better since it's more difficult for rain to get in there than it is on the roof. No matter where the damage is located, call a roof repair contractor for help getting your roof back to normal.
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