Getting into a roof is a two-part problem for a squirrel: reaching roof height, and finding a way through once it is there. Both parts are easier than most people assume.
Part one: reaching the roof
Squirrels rarely climb a bare two-storey wall. They step up through the property in stages, and the stages are almost always the same few things:
- Trees. A branch does not need to touch the roof — they jump a long way horizontally and drop considerably further
- Fences and walls. A fence line running to the house is a road, and its top rail is a comfortable one
- Low roofs. A garage, porch, extension or conservatory is a halfway platform
- Vertical routes. Downpipes, soil pipes and thick climbing plants
- Overhead cables. Used routinely, and easy to watch if you are curious
Part two: getting through
A grey squirrel can pass through a gap of around 45mm — roughly the width of two fingers — and where a gap is nearly big enough it will simply make it bigger. That second point is what separates squirrels from birds. A bird needs an opening; a squirrel needs a weakness.
The details that give way
- The eaves. Where the roof overhangs the wall, particularly on older properties where the felt has perished or was never carried far enough
- The verge. The gable edge, where mortar bedding cracks and dry-verge units lift or lose their end cap
- Soffit and fascia joints. Corners, joins and where a board meets a wall, especially where the material has softened
- Roof-to-wall junctions. Anywhere a lower roof meets a higher wall, which is nearly always a made-up detail rather than a designed one
- The ridge. Loose or missing mortar at the ends of a ridge line
- Lifted or slipped tiles, and the felt beneath them
- Service penetrations. Where a vent, flue or cable passes through
New houses are entered every autumn. Access has very little to do with a building's age and everything to do with detail. A modern roof with one weak dry-verge unit is easier to enter than a Victorian one with none.
How to find it on your own house
From the ground, in daylight, with a phone camera at full zoom. Stand at each corner and sight along the eaves line rather than looking straight at the wall — anything out of line shows immediately in profile and is almost invisible face on. Low morning or evening sun rakes across a roof and throws shadow into openings that are featureless at midday.
What you are looking for is not usually a hole. It is a patch of paintwork that looks worn or smudged, a tile sitting slightly proud, an end cap missing, or debris in the gutter below one point.
Do not get a ladder out. Working at roof height is by a wide margin the most dangerous part of this job, and identifying an opening from the ground is enough to act on.
Questions
How big a gap do they need?
Around 45mm, and rather less than that if the surrounding material is soft enough to enlarge. Anything a squirrel can get its head through, it can widen.
Can they get in through the roof tiles themselves?
Through lifted, slipped or broken ones, yes, and then through perished felt beneath. An intact, well-laid roof covering is not the usual route.
Do they make a new hole or use an existing one?
Nearly always they enlarge an existing weakness. Starting from scratch on sound material is rare.
Squirrel Control Costs
Squirrel control is £280 fixed cost. Proofing work, where it is needed afterwards, is £180. Call 01502 630 122 and tell us what you have heard or seen.
To arrange squirrel control, call 01502 630 122, or read the squirrel control page.