When the cold winds of November blow, our thoughts turn to hearth, and home, and hot chocolate. It’s time to settle in with a good book or a family meal. Nothing can upset the harmony of the home more than the spotting of a mouse. Married men must go on high alert devoting all available resources to the removal of the mice. Warm-blooded furry little (and not so little) critters will poke and prod our sanctuaries in their desire to escape the cold and enjoy civilized living powered by gas heat. Mice, squirrels, possums, skunks and raccoons are hoping you’ll extend your hospitality by letting them ride out the cold winds of Lake Michigan under your porches, in your soffits and attics and crawl spaces.
Critters are freeloaders and scavengers. They’ll gladly partake of your leftovers from an ill-fitting lid on a trash can and the more industrious critters will knock over or gnaw through trash can if the left-over goulash is particularly pungent. Critters will cruise your garage for bird and grass seed, a sack of grass seed can support a colony of mice for a couple of generations. Nothing is easier or more welcome to a critter than dining at Fido's favorite bowl on the back porch. If you have apple or other fruit trees the critters will camp out around your yard and when the cold comes they’ll look to your house for warmth and comfort. Remove food sources and most likely the critters will head down the block for their sustenance and winter lodging.
Critters will try to find a way into your home. Mice need a hole the diameter of a pencil to get in your basement, squirrels and raccoons will chew and claw open fascia boards to get in your attic, skunks and possums will dig under your deck lattice work to get good and comfy in a nest close to the warmth of your home. You’ve got to be vigilant, critters in and around the house pose health threats, can be very destructive, and generally creep you out while they are in residence. So take a good close look at your house, inspect it, make sure your house is closed off to the critters.
Look closely for:
· Any unfilled holes in the foundation or siding caused by utilities (cable, gas, HVAC, plumbing, electricity);
· Inspect the eaves of the roof, particularly soffit and fascia boards for wood that has been chewed on to gain access;
· Check for signs of digging around porches, decks, and the foundation;
· Check for torn screens in the attic at the gable vents;
· Don't leave dog food, bird or grass seed outside the house or in the garage;
· Keep the tree limbs off your house;
· Make sure there’s a critter guard on the top of the chimney.
Critters are going to eat and keep warm whether it’s at your property or your neighbor down the street. So keep them moving, let them enjoy the hospitality of others so that you can enjoy the warmth and comfort of your home with loved ones and invited guests.
Mark McCaffrey
McCaffrey’s Home Inspection
IL Lic. # 450.0003556
mcc@hominspect.com
847-363-9733
A good home inspection just like a good blog takes time. A good inspector will systematically poke and prod the systems of the home removing all panel covers, opening all hatches and water closets, crawling into attics and crawl spaces, bringing light to the dark places of the house that go unexposed without an inspection. A good blogger will do the same, bring light to a variety of subjects by poking and prodding those subjects until the truth is exposed.
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