While the cost of animal proofing your home may feel like a significant one, allowing it to take a back seat can actually lead to even more costly repairs down the road! Backyard pests may seem like a minor annoyance but if they reach the point where they are finding ways into your attic, basement, shed or under deck areas, the damage they create will be significantly more expensive.
The cost of animal proofing
At Halton Wildlife, we provide fast and budget friendly animal proofing service for homeowners and business. In particular, installing vent covers can keep raccoons, squirrels and birds out of your attic, walls and vents. Don’t spend more later. If you’re in Burlington, Oakville or Milton and area – get a quote!
Animal proofing your home can vary in price from just a few dollars to a couple hundred but it’s definitely a worthwhile expense. If you choose to avoid animal proofing your home, you’ll no doubt be faced with a significantly higher cost if pests find a way into your home and create themselves a nest or den.
The varying cost of pest repairs
Though the cost of repairs will vary based on many factors, it’s safe to say that the price tag will be significantly higher than that associated with preventing their entry in the first place. Contacting a pest removal company with details about your situation will give you the most accurate price quote, but a safe budget would likely start around $300-600 and go up from there. These factors will all play into the cost of removing whatever has infested your home.
Animals needing removal: If animals need to be removed from your home or yard, the cost is going to vary quite a bit. Depending on how they entered your home and whether there are babies involved, the removal could be quite simple or it could be very complicated. Best case scenario is that there are no babies and a pest removal professional can install an exclusion door or trap to prevent their re-entry.
Damage done inside the space: Some pests can create quite a bit of damage inside your home, which will need to be repaired fairly quickly. From the entrance holes they’ve created to chewed up wood beams, electrical wires and insulation, pests like squirrels, raccoons and possums can create a significant amount of damage in a very short time period.
Biological waste clean-up: Many pests carry parasites and bacteria in their bodily waste so it’s important that any areas they’ve infiltrated get cleaned quickly. Allowing excrement and urine to remain in your home after the pests have been removed can lead to some serious health issues for you and your family.
How they got in: If a pest has created one or multiple holes in your siding, eaves or roofline, the repair of these entrance points is going to be more expensive than if they just got in through a chimney or vent.
Time to animal proof your home
There are several easy things you can do to pest proof your home. Taking the time to put these measures in place now will save you from having to not only pay for the expense of pest removal, but also have to pay for these prevention tools after the pests have been removed.
Before you take these steps of animal proofing, be sure that there are no pests inside the space that you are blocking off. In the spring and fall it’s not uncommon to find babies in dark, warm areas like your attic, shed or under your deck. Trapping babies or families inside these spaces could result in even more damage, and potentially the pests dying in there.
- Install chimney and vent covers
- Repair loose shingles
- Trim overhanging branches
- Install wire mesh covers on window wells
- Seal any possible entry points in your fascia
- Seal any entrances to the space under your porch or deck, stairs or shed with wire mesh that’s been sunk 6” into the ground
Take preventative action now
Though animal proofing your home might feel like a pain this fall, it is far less expensive and time consuming than having to deal with an actual pest infestation down the road!
