Serving Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol, Abingdon, Elizabethton, and the surrounding areas
SHOULD I HAVE A WILDLIFE INSPECTION?
Undetected Wildlife
When I visit a new customer I inspect the home, and more often than not the customer has just discovered that they have something else living with them. Unfortunately, though what I see during the inspection tells me that the problem has been a longstanding one. I routinely see homes where wildlife has been denning for decades undetected. Wildlife in homes understands that the homeowners are there and avoids them. People live with all sorts of species for years none the wiser to what is happening in the dark recesses of their home. By the time they figure it out, it is too late. Severe and costly damage is done.
Wildlife Damage Prevention
An inspection for wildlife invaders and infestations inside homes is not something that the common homeowner has on his or her mind……until something shows up inside the home and they need to know what exactly has happened and how bad the damage is. This is very unfortunate. Wildlife incursions into homes are, in most instances, completely preventable. I commonly drive through neighborhoods knowing that most of the homes are vulnerable to attack from wildlife and readily spotting weaknesses in the architecture where wildlife can gain entrance. Sometimes I even see telltale openings that I am almost certain are active entrances.
If wildlife is walking on soft fluffy insulation, they may not make any noise at all. Denning raccoons may not be heard until the kits are large enough to play and begin to tussle overhead. Squirrels may not be heard until they decide to tunnel through insulation and make contact with drywall or chew on some woodwork. At this point the animals may have been in the attic for weeks, months, or sometimes even years and severe damage is already done.
Multispecies Infestations
I rarely go into a crawlspace or attic that is open to wildlife and find droppings from only one species. In Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport crawlspaces I find a combination of rat, opossum, and skunk droppings. In attics I find a combination of raccoon, mouse, squirrel, and flying squirrel droppings. I have seen web sites that mention a lot of opossum activity in attics, however I don’t see that in our region.
Severe Wildlife Damage
Once inside, the wildlife makes its home and, unknown to the homeowner, mayhem ensues. Droppings accumulate at alarming rates. Raccoon droppings are about the size of a medium-sized dog. Imagine having four or five of those guys in your attic all making a poop every night for a few weeks or even months, year after year. Unfortunately, most people are unacquainted with the signs of these issues and are surprised when they discover what has been happening.
Damages can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Insulation has to be removed and replaced and affected areas have to be sanitized and sometimes sealed. Imagine the guys in white suites and full face respirators like you see in the movies. Imagine tubing being run through filters out of the house to control infectious dust particles. None of this is cheap or easy and is generally not covered by homeowners insurance. Sadly, a little bit of screening or preventative maintenance would have prevented it all if they had just known what was happening.
Unfortunately, most homeowners are unfamiliar with the weak points that allow wildlife in and these problems can run on for seasons undetected. A simple yearly inspection can save thousands of dollars in the long run. We recommend yearly inspections to all our customers. Give us a call and we can tell you what is going on in the unseen areas of your house.
Wiring Damage
This wiring was damaged by squirrels in an attic in Johnson City Tennessee. Wiring damage can be caused by any wildlife species, but grey squirrels, flying squirrels, mice, rats, and raccoons are the leading causes of damage in attics.
Wiring damage is one of the scariest aspects of wildlife damage. Once damage occurs, It may be impossible to visually inspect wiring hidden in walls and other small spaces. In the case that damage is found, replacing the wiring may cost thousands.
Species in the rodent family are known for their ability to gnaw objects in the home and can do substantial damage if given enough time. Rodents are also small enough to go into small spaces that are hard to inspect. Raccoons will also occasionally damage wiring if they are in the right mood. Hundreds of house fires are caused each year by wiring damaged by wildlife.
Feces and urine Accumulation
Raccoon feces in a latrine in an attic. Large amounts of feces can accumulate in attics over the years. Wildlife Feces should be considered a biohazard and treated appropriately.
As I mentioned earlier in the page, feces can accumulate in great quantities in homes with wildlife infestations. Not species that invades a home leaves the home to defecate. Bats are known for this. Their feces, tends to accumulate under their roost and can be very conspicuous. Over the years, bat colonies can, in extreme cases, accumulation grow to the point that it surpasses the structural capacity of the building to support the weight and ceilings collapse. Though this is rare, the risk of getting showered in feces during a home remodel is a definite possibility.
Along with the feces and urine accumulation comes health risk. Potentially deadly diseases like Histoplasmosis, Hantavirus, Raccoon Roundworm, Salmonella, Tularemia can be transmitted to humans by wildlife. There are dozens of zoonotic diseases that can be contracted from the bodily fluids of wildlife and as time passes more and more feces and urine accumulate in the home.
Increased heating bills due to damaged insulation
Insulation provides a cozy spot for wildlife to overwinter and to create a nest. It also creates a cushion that makes it hard to hear wildlife species in the attic.