A mouse fits through a gap the size of a dime, and a squirrel needs little more than a golf ball. Every animal that has ever gotten into a structure came through a specific, findable opening.
Removal gets the animal out; exclusion is what keeps your house from being the next animal's den, and it is the part of this trade I take most seriously. The work means locating every entry point, not just the obvious one: the builder's gap at the roofline, the rotted soffit corner, the unscreened gable vent, the seam where an addition meets the original roof, the open flue. Then closing each one with materials wildlife cannot chew, pry, or tear back through.
Foam alone is a snack, not a barrier. I work with heavy-gauge hardware cloth, sheet metal, and exterior-rated sealants matched to each location, so the repair holds and does not stand out on your house.
An uncapped flue is an open invitation to raccoons, squirrels, and birds, and the same houses generate the same calls year after year until the cap goes on. I install stainless caps sized to the flue and screen the attic vents, crawlspace vents, and exhaust terminations that animals use as doorways. Chimney swifts, which are federally protected, make an uncapped flue a legal complication as well as a wildlife one; a cap installed in the off season avoids the whole question.
Exclusion is work I can stand behind long-term, because done right, the problem does not come back. Warranty options are available on exclusion work and spelled out in writing on the work order, so you know exactly what is covered and for how long.
I handle exclusion and sealing work in Hickory, Taylorsville, Wilkesboro, and throughout Alexander, Iredell, Catawba, Wilkes, Caldwell, and Burke counties.
Smaller than most people believe: a dime-sized gap admits mice, a quarter admits flying squirrels and bats, and a golf-ball opening handles gray squirrels. That is why a real exclusion job is a full-perimeter inspection, not a patch on the hole you happened to spot.
Yes, and that is the best time to do it. The openings that admitted the last animal are advertised by scent to the next one, and sealing while the structure is empty is simpler and cheaper than removal plus sealing later.
Warranty options are available on exclusion work, in writing on the work order, with the coverage and term spelled out so there is no ambiguity about what is included.
Request an inspection and I will follow up to schedule a visit, or call or text (828) 352-8266.