Squirrel control › Long Melford
Long Melford properties have been added to for centuries, and every addition creates a junction. Junctions are where roofs leak and where animals get in, for the same reason: they are made up on site rather than designed.
Why junctions are weak
A plain roof slope is a repeated, tested detail. A junction is a one-off. Where a single-storey extension meets a two-storey wall, somebody has had to make the roof covering, the underlay, the flashing, the wall and often a gutter all meet in a way that keeps water out — usually while working around what was already there.
It is also the point where two eras of construction meet. A 1990s extension against a Victorian wall, or a modern conservatory against a much older building, means two different sets of materials and tolerances joined at one line.
The junctions worth checking
- Abutments. Where a lower roof slope runs into a higher wall, closed with lead or mortar flashing. Flashing lifts, mortar fails, and behind it is a direct route into the roof space above
- Valleys. Where two slopes meet in an internal corner. They carry a lot of water, they block with debris, and the tiles either side are cut
- Where an extension's eaves meets the main wall. Often an awkward, improvised closure
- Porches, bays and dormers. Small roofs with a great deal of junction for their size
- Conservatories. The wall-plate junction against the house is a known weak point
- Chimney stacks where they pass through the roof slope, closed with soakers and flashing
A junction is also a staircase. The lower roof gives the animal a platform at the exact height of the junction it is going to use. That is why extensions matter twice over — they add a weak detail and they provide the way to reach it.
The internal complication
Where a house has been extended, the roof spaces above the different parts are frequently connected — sometimes deliberately, sometimes because nobody ever closed the gap. An animal entering at an extension junction can end up above the main house, which is why the noise and the entry point can seem to be at opposite ends of the building.
What to look for
- Flashing lifted, split, or pulled away from the wall
- Mortar fillets cracked or fallen out
- A gap where the lower roof's tiles meet the wall
- Debris or nesting material sitting in a valley
- Staining on the wall above a junction
- Anything visible from an upstairs window looking down onto the lower roof — which is the best view of a junction there is
That last one is the most useful check on this page. Almost every junction on a house can be seen properly from an upstairs window above it, at no risk at all.
Questions
Why does the noise seem to be at the other end of the house?
Because extended properties often have connected roof spaces. The entry and the nest need not be in the same part of the building.
Is a conservatory a risk?
The junction where it meets the house is, and the roof itself is a platform at the right height. Both are worth looking at.
Can flashing be repaired without re-roofing?
Usually, yes — it is a localised roofing repair, and it is worth doing for the water as much as for the animals.
Squirrel Control Long Melford
Squirrel control in Long Melford 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 Long Melford, call 01502 630 122, or read the Long Melford squirrel control page.