Fast Roof Repair Is Essential For Raccoon Damage So Rain And Other Pests Stay Out Of Your Attic
If you were surprised to see a raccoon crawl up on your roof and then disappear, it's time to check your roof and attic for damage. A raccoon can tear an opening in your roof and start living in your attic. That's bad enough, but the hole in your roof lets in rain and other pests. You'll need to check your attic for signs of raccoon activity, and if you see some, call an animal trapper to get the raccoon out. The raccoon may sleep in there during the day and then go roaming at night. Here are roof repairs you may need due to raccoon damage.
Examine The Roof From The Top
Raccoon damage is easy to spot because the holes have to be big enough for a raccoon to enter. They're not like rat holes that are small and easy to miss. Still, a raccoon entry hole might be hidden in a valley or behind a chimney and not be easy to see from the ground.
The roof repair contractor will climb on the roof to look for the holes and then walk around your home to look for holes in the fascia and soffit boards. There may be only one hole, but if there are several raccoons living together, the hole might be huge, or there may be multiple holes.
Remove Shingles To See Damage
The roofer may need to pull off several shingles around the hole so they can see how badly the deck is damaged. It's also possible the raccoon could have gnawed on a rafter, and that would need to be repaired too. To reach the deck, the raccoon had to claw through the underlayment, so new underlayment needs to be patched in. Once they see the type and amount of damage present, the roof repair contractor can gather supplies and start working on repairs.
Repair The Holes
Repairing the holes is a matter of patching the plywood deck and covering the patch with a piece of new underlayment. Then, the roofer can apply new shingles over the area. The roofer also has to consider if a deterrent is necessary.
If the raccoon was caught and released on your property, the animal may come back and claw through the repaired area. The roof repair contractor may need to put sheet metal or wire screen over the repairs depending on how the hole is positioned so the raccoon gives up trying to get in your attic.
Once the raccoon is out of your attic and kept from coming back, you still need to deal with damage done to the insulation and other parts of your attic. Raccoons can cause a lot of damage, so keeping them out of your attic is important, and that starts with keeping them off of your roof by cutting back trees and making it hard for the animals to climb up the side of your house.