Where Are Squirrels Getting Into the Roof of My Duxford Home?

The eaves account for most entries. When somebody has checked the eaves thoroughly and found nothing, these are the places to look next.

The Verge

The verge is the edge of the roof at a gable end, where the tiles overhang the wall. On an older roof it is bedded in mortar; on a newer one it may be a dry verge system in plastic.

• Failed mortar bedding, which cracks and falls out over the years and leaves a continuous gap under the tiles
• A dry verge unit that has come loose, cracked or been lifted by wind
• The bottom unit at the eaves end, which is the most exposed and the most commonly missing
• A gap between the verge and the barge board

The Ridge

• Failed mortar bedding on ridge and hip tiles, which is very common on older roofs
• A displaced or slipped ridge tile
• Dry ridge systems with a lifted or damaged closure
• The ends of a ridge, at a gable, where the last tile meets the verge

The Tiles Themselves

• A lifted, slipped or broken tile anywhere on the roof
• A valley, where two roof planes meet and the detail is complicated
• Around a dormer, at the cheeks, the junctions and the flashing
• Where a lower roof abuts a wall — over a bay, porch, garage or extension. The flashing and the tile courses at that junction are a common weak point
• Around a soil vent pipe, a flue or a rooflight
• At a hip, where the bedding has failed

How to Look

1. Photograph the whole roof in sections, zoomed in, from as far back in the garden as you can get.
2. Look along the verges on both gable ends, top to bottom.
3. Look along the ridge for gaps in the bedding and displaced tiles.
4. Look at every junction: valleys, dormers, where a lower roof meets a wall, around pipes and rooflights.
5. Look from an upstairs window of your own or a neighbour's property for angles the garden does not give.
6. Look for daylight from inside the loft, with the torch off. A gap in the covering shows immediately.

And Then Be Honest About Whose Job It Is

Failed verge mortar, slipped ridge tiles and a roof needing repointing are roofing work. We will mesh a gap where meshing it is the right answer, and where the real problem is a roof in need of attention we will say so rather than charge you by the hour to patch around it.

Getting the roof sorted usually deals with the squirrel route permanently, which is a better outcome than an annual visit from us.