Raccoon Removal | Damage | Soffit | Video
Raccoons living in attic spaces can cause significant damage. It often starts with removal of some building material like soffit or trim and progresses to insulation removal.
Once they have free access to an attic, raccoons urinate and deficate in the attic. Large amounts of this stuff can really mess up a ceiling.
We profile a situation like this with today’s blog; a situation where a raccoon had entered an attic space above a bedroom and created significant troubles.
The damage done was expensive enough that the homeowners contacted their insurance company and a restoration company was hired to do significant repairs.
Consequently, the restoration company subcontracted us to do raccoon removal. The restoration company realized that unless the offending animal was also removed, the chances of a raccoon returning were high.
Videos and Thoughts on Raccoon Removal
In the videos below, Ryan shows and explains a lot.
But, as you watch the videos, pay attention to these take away points which are fairly common to raccoon removal.
- Notice the entry point. This raccoon got in through the soffit at the point where two roof lines meet. By far, this is the most common place on a house where raccoons make entry. Visualizing spots like this on your house occasionally to make sure nothing is loose is a good practice to get into.
- There was insulation on the roof. How does one tell is there is just a piece of loose soffit or if an animal is using the opening? Often the animals will remove bits of insulation as they go deeper into a house. If you find random bits of insulation on the ground around your house or on the roof, explore for animal entrances.
- Ease of access to the roof. Ryan points out a large shrub/tree that makes getting on the roof easy for raccoons. Raccoons are great and determined climbers. Still, don’t make it easy for them. Keep those bushes and trees trimmed back from the house.
- Easy access to food increases chances of raccoons. If you’re sharp, you’ll notice a large cornfield abutting this property as Ryan carries the ladder to the back of the house in the second video. Because of this abundance of food, raccoons will be more frequent visitors to this house. More vigilance is necessary for homeowners who live close to great food sources.
- Sometimes, raccoon removal needs persistence. As Ryan points out, this removal took a little time as the raccoon wasn’t currently using the structure every day. If you are doing it yourself, don’t get discouraged; sometimes trapping takes patience as wild animals follow their own timetables.
So without further delay, the videos:
And here is the resolution to the problem.
Stopping Raccoons at Soffits
We’ve covered this topic before, but the last thing we’d like to mention in this post is how we typically stop future raccoon intrusions at soffits.
As a way of prevention we 1) removal current offending animals and 2) shore up what lies behind the soffit.
In order to make the soffit inaccessible to animals, we install a blocking piece of material at the soffit were the two roof lines meet. This material extends far enough away from the area of intersection to make it much harder for the animal. It is also much stouter than a typical installation.
RACCOON REMOVAL AND PREVENTION CANTON, AKRON, KENT OH
Raccoons happen. When they do they need to be removed from our homes and steps need taken to prevent recurrences.
If you have a need and are in our Service Area. Please give us a call.
For more on raccoons, raccoon removal, and raccoon repair:
