When activity resumes at an Ely property that has already been dealt with, the commonest single explanation is not that the work failed. It is that there was another way in and nobody found it.
Understanding why openings get missed is the fastest route to not missing them.
Why one gets found and another does not
A used opening advertises itself. It is rub-marked, there is debris below it, and the noise leads to it. An unused opening does none of those things — it is simply a gap that has not been needed yet, and it looks exactly like the sound roof around it.
So the first survey finds the one in use, which is correct and sufficient right up to the moment it is closed. Then the animal, or the next one, uses the one that was always there.
The places that get missed
- The elevation nobody looks at. The gable against a boundary fence, the return behind the garage, the side facing the neighbour. Openings turn up there far more often than chance allows, because that is the quiet side
- High up. Ridge ends and the top of a gable, where most surveys stop looking
- Behind a lower roof. A junction visible only from an upstairs window, or not at all from the ground
- Above a conservatory or extension, where standing back far enough to see it is not possible
- Where two properties meet. The end of a run, against a neighbouring wall
- Behind planting. Ivy, wisteria or a mature climber over the eaves hides the whole detail
The single best survey habit: compare matching details. Almost every roof has the same detail repeated at the other end or on the other side. Two identical eaves corners where one looks different from the other is the strongest signal available from ground level.
The whole-elevation approach
The answer is to stop looking for the hole and start looking at the roof. That means the eaves run end to end, both corners, the verge on each gable, the ridge ends, every junction with a lower roof, every vent and penetration — on every elevation the approach route reaches.
Proofing at £180 is priced on the property rather than on the opening, which is what makes closing three or four points at once sensible rather than a negotiation.
How to tell this is what happened
- Activity resuming within days or a couple of weeks of previous work
- The new noise coming from a different part of the roof
- More than one rub-marked point on the same elevation
- A repair at one point with fresh gnawing a few feet away
- Ely's older housing in particular, where roof lines are irregular and have been altered more than once
Questions
How many openings does a typical house have?
Often one in use and one or two more that would serve. On a complicated roof line it can be three or four.
Can an unused opening be found at all?
Yes, by surveying the whole elevation for detail rather than looking for the marked point. Comparing matching details is the most reliable method.
Does closing them all cost more?
Proofing is priced on the property rather than per opening, so closing the elevation properly is one job.
Squirrel Control Ely
Squirrel control in Ely 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.
For squirrel control in Ely, call 01502 630 122, or read the Ely squirrel control page.