What To Do If You Find Something Living In Home’s Walls (3 Step Guide)
Have you ever heard any suspicious noises coming from behind your walls or underneath your floorboards?
If so, you’ve probably tried to investigate and figure out what exactly it could be by listening to its movements. Is it a mouse? Could it be a ghost?
After inspecting all inside your home, you take the investigation outside. You walk around your exterior looking for possible signs of nests, holes, and damaged siding when….BOOM!
There it is, right in front of you. Your exterior siding is damaged, and it’s clear that some sort of critter is the culprit.
Whether it’s a raccoon looking to nest its babies or a skunk trying to hide from its predators, you know this isn’t good for the integrity of your home.
But what should you do? Do you have to remove the animal yourself, or can someone do it for you? Do you call a siding repair company or an exterminator?
Have no fear. Southwest Exteriors is here to help.
As a San Antonio siding replacement company for over 33 years, we’ve seen it all. From bees and wasps nests to woodpeckers and little mice, we know that sometimes nature makes its presence known.
No matter where you live, finding critters that have damaged your siding and may be living in your walls is a problem you need to fix quickly.
This article will take you through the right three steps to follow if you find an unwanted guest living in your walls.
Then, you’ll know exactly what to do with any critter that has invaded your home.
Something is living in my walls. What do I do now?
So, you’ve gathered enough evidence to conclude that some type of critter has damaged your siding and made your home their home too.
When your siding becomes damaged, your home's interior frame and foundation are compromised.
Add an animal living within your siding, tearing things in its way to get comfortable. It’s as if your home is under attack. You need to get them out and fix the damage.
So, what are the steps you should follow to safely evict this critter from your home and have the damage repaired?
- Assess the damage and determine if you have an active animal
- Call a removal specialist and have the critter removed
- Determine if you need repairs or replacements and if you need a professional
To better understand the process of these steps and what you should do, let’s explain them more so you can get the full picture.
1. Assess the damage and determine if you have an active animal living in your siding
When you suspect a critter is living in your siding, the first step is to assess the damage. If you do suspect something is living in your walls, chances are there’s a reason for that.
After suspicion comes an investigation. Walk around the exterior of your siding, and look low and high for damage that indicates an entry point for a critter.
You then want to determine if there is a living critter in your siding. This is important to know before you call a specialist to remove the animal because you want to have as much information as possible.
If the creature isn’t living, you may not have to call a specialist and can remove it yourself (if you are brave enough).
How do you know the critter is living? You may see a little head pop up from the hole they've created in your siding from the exterior. You'll hear constant and intense pecking at your siding if it's a woodpecker. If they are bees or wasps, you'll likely see a swarm around where you suspect they live.
Most likely, if the critter is alive and in your walls, you will be able to see or hear them. Then, you can take the next step to have it safely removed.
2. Call a removal specialist and have the critter removed
Once you’ve determined there is a critter residing in your home, you’ll then have to find the right specialist to remove it.
You will want to find a removal specialist that is catered to the right critter you have. If you have mice, the removal process will be vastly different than if you have bees.
It is crucial you find the right specialist that knows how to safely and properly remove and relocate the animal without having to harm or kill it. They may have invaded your home, but we built in the middle of their land, am I right?
Having the animal removed before having your siding and walls repaired is vital.
If the animal is stuck in the wall after repairs are done, they will either have to dig their way out or could, unfortunately, live their final moments. This will then only cause you more problems in the future.
After the animal is safely removed, you can then take the next step to have your home repaired.
3. Determine if you need repairs or replacements and if you need to find a professional
You’ve inspected your home, found an unwanted critter living in it, and had it safely removed and relocated by a specialist.
Now, you’re left with some damage on your siding and walls and need to figure out what to do next.
Depending on the degree of damage, you may be able to just repair your siding, or you may have to replace a large portion of it.
For minuscule areas of damage, you may be able to patch it up yourself if you are a skilled handy person. But, for large areas of damage that go beneath the surface, it’s best you call a professional to properly repair your walls and siding.
If you have multiple areas of damage caused by a critter and have old siding, you may consider replacing your siding for something more durable and critter-resistant, like James Hardie siding.
This option is most viable, though, if you plan to live in your home for quite some time. Then, you’ll have durable siding that ensures no animal will invade your space again.
Want to learn more about how to know if you should repair or replace your siding? Check out this article!
Do you have unwanted critters in your home?
Now you know the right three steps to take when you find unwanted house guests living in your walls.
If you suspect a critter may have infiltrated your siding and is residing within your walls, it’s important you take the right steps to properly remove the animal and repair your home.
Remember these three important steps to follow.
- Assess the damage and determine if you have an active animal
- Call a removal specialist and have the critter removed
- Determine if you need repairs or replacements and if you need a professional
At Southwest Exteriors, we recommend you always call a professional when it comes to wildlife and repairing or replacing your siding. Not only is this for the animal’s safety but for your safety as well.
If you only have a small area of damage, you can most likely have the siding repaired to match the rest of your siding.
But, if you find large areas of damage and indications that your walls and framing may be damaged as well, you may want to consider not just replacing the damaged area of siding but possibly replacing your entire home siding with something more durable and critter-resistant.
Overall, finding an animal in your siding is no small problem, but don’t freak out. Simply inspect the damage, call a removal specialist, and determine if you need to repair or replace your damaged siding.
If you suspect a critter is living in your walls, you may be curious about what it may be.
Did you know that you can infer what kind of creature may be living in your walls based on the damage you see? Check out this article that outlines five types of siding damage that indicate a critter is living in your walls and what it could be.