Squirrels may seem harmless, but they can wreak havoc on your roof and cost you lots of money fixing their damage. Your roof is a significant investment that you rely on to keep your home safe from wind, water, and other outdoor elements. When squirrels chew holes in your roof and make their home in your attic, they expose your home to the outside elements.
A professional roofing company like our team at Nelson Contracting can protect your home by performing repairs and routine roof inspections to prevent squirrel roof damage. We serve homes and businesses in Lincoln, Omaha, Milford, Seward, Nebraska, and all surrounding areas.
Have roof damage from squirrels? Call us at Nelson Contracting at 402-464-2418 to schedule your roof inspection!
How Do Squirrels Damage Your Roof?
When squirrels have access to your roof, they can:
- Pull up shingles
- Chew holes in soffit, fascia, and roof decking
- Tear up wiring and insulation
- Damage items in your attic
How to Prevent Squirrels From Damaging Your Roof
The following tips will help you get ahead of the squirrels before they cost you tons in repairs.
Install a Drip Edge
A drip edge is a metal barrier that slides under the edge of your roof’s shingles and over the fascia. Its original purpose is to help water drain into your gutters and away from your house, but it also keeps pesky squirrels from finding gaps to dig into.
Our roofer will use roofing cement to seal the drip edge and secure its ends with nails when installing your drip edge. Having a drip edge all the way around your house will protect your shingles and fascia from curious rodents and make it harder for them to find their way into your attic.
Keep Trees Away From Your House
Squirrels can scurry up even the tallest trees, using the branches as paths to traverse the environment. Squirrels can easily get onto your roof and start tearing up your house if you have nearby trees.
To prevent the little critters from jumping on top of your house, you can trim tree branches at least eight feet away from the roof. Even with their athletic prowess, squirrels will have difficulty jumping that distance.
Alternatively, you could install tree guards to prevent squirrels from climbing them. The guards wrap around the tree’s trunk, preventing small animals from getting enough traction with their claws.
Clean Your Gutters
Gutters can get clogged with leaves, twigs, and other debris that squirrels and birds love to use for their nests. Keeping your gutters clear can prevent small animals from making a home on your roof, where they may chew holes and find their way into your attic.
If periodically climbing up a ladder and digging debris out of your gutters doesn’t sound appealing, you could hire our roofers to clean and inspect your gutters. We can also install gutter guards that allow water to drain while keeping litter out.
Inspect Your Roof and Attic Regularly
Ideally, you should schedule a professional roof inspection at least twice a year to ensure that you don’t have any issues with your roof. Roofers will quickly recognize if you have a squirrel or other animal problem and can repair their damage.
You can also regularly check your home yourself for roof problems and signs of squirrel damage. From the ground, you should be able to spot issues with soffit, fascia, and gutters where the animals try to find gaps leading into your attic. Droppings, wet spots, or damage to your attic are all indications that the animals successfully found a way inside.
If you notice these signs, you should work with our roofing contractor to fix the damage to your roof and attic and seal openings in the roof system.
Squirrel Roof Damage Repairs
Before spending money on repairs, you’ll need to make sure that the squirrels are out of your home so that they won’t cause additional damage. The most efficient way to do this is to hire a pest control company that can set live traps and safely remove the rodents from your attic.
Once the squirrels are gone, our experienced roofers can repair broken shingles, holes in the soffit or fascia, and any other damage the animals inflicted on your roof. Getting these roof repairs done as soon as possible prevents more squirrels from moving in and worsening the existing damage.
Nebraska’s Best Professional Roofing Contractors
At Nelson Contracting, we’re a family-run roofing business serving communities in Southeast Nebraska for two decades. Our experienced team delivers outstanding service, leaving no trace behind except the quality work we performed on your roof.
We provide outstanding roofing services in Lincoln, Omaha, Milford, Seward, Nebraska, and the surrounding cities. From squirrel roof damage repairs to a new roof installation, we can help with all your roofing needs.
Contact us at Nelson Contracting at 402-464-2418 to get your free estimate!
