Common entry points on your home

One of the things that makes us unique in the wildlife control business is the ability to understand where wildlife typically enters homes and why they like these areas. The average person can walk around a house or commercial building and look up to try to see holes, but that is never the whole picture. A hole that you can see from the ground is typically going to be underneath something, facing down. For instance, a soffit that has come apart. Many times birds are the only ones able to access these locations.

The most common roof locations that we look for animals to be entering are:

• Soffit returns (also called roof returns)

  • Any soffit issues in general

• Gable vents

• Chimney/chimney flashing

• Ridge vent

• Drip edge

• Roof joints between two separate pieces of any kind

All of these locations are vulnerable in their own way. Not often do we see a hole randomly in the side of the house, going into the wall. We look for the building construction types that typically already have gaps, and those gaps are many times completely okay in terms of not allowing water in. Water cant work against gravity (although capillary action can sometimes say otherwise, though not enough to matter here), but animals live to work against gravity. Gaps in materials leads to drafts that animals can pick up easily, and once they realize there is hollow space behind it, often into your attic, they will start investigating. Without getting up on the roof and understanding what spots lead to where inside, it can be difficult to identify if these areas on your home have gaps. I’ve attached a few pictures to see what some of these locations look like up close

Fascia covered by metal flashing

Fascia and Soffit return properly sealed at seam

Chimney flashing lifting shingles allowing bat entry

Soffit return gap properly sealed

Chimney cover over multiple flues

Soffit return (aka roof return) properly sealed with metal flashing

Soffit return (roof return) left wide open for entry

Fascia return gap sealed with metal flashing

drip edge gap at fascia trim to roof board

angled trim and fascia board gap allowing entry

ridge vent gap allowing bat and flying squirrel entry