During a recent call out to Oakville for a home inspection for rats, we came across an obvious problem this home owner was having with drip edge. The problem we found was not only related to the mice and other pests that were getting into his home, but the drip edge was so damaged enough that it was causing environmental damage to the home as well.
So read on to find out why, other than for pest control reasons, installing drip edge is beneficial to the longevity of your home.
Why install drip edge?
As you’ll be able to see in the video, during the winter season a lot of snow can build up and put weight on the gutters/eavestroughs. This constant exposure to moisture has a high chance of can make it’s way under the shingles and saturate the facia boards. Once enough moisture get’s in and weakens the facia board, it makes it easier for wildlife like mice or squirrels to chew through and gain entry into a home.
In the video, you can actually see that when I lifted up the shingles, you can see all the moisture content that was getting to the facia boards. That moisture is going to cause the boards to rot out over the next ten years, and what you’d have to deal with is replacing your facia boards and/or dealing with a pest issue.
Replacing facia boards will cost a home owner anywhere from $2000 to $8000 depending on how much damage was done, how much labour is needed and how rotten they’ve become. If wildlife has made a home in your attic too, you can expect the costs of repairs to be around the higher dollar mark.
Drip edge protect a home from this kind of damage at all times. No matter how much snow is on your roof, no matter how many rain storms it goes through, when you have a metal bracket over top of those facia boards, that will protect them and also protect the gutters.
We install drip edge to keep out wildlife, but our advice to you would be to install drip edge whether you have wildlife problems or not. In this case, this Oakville home owner was quite lucky she called us in for an inspection for mice because we were actually able to find a deeper problem – one that if he fixes now will safe him a lot of money down the road. You can watch this video to see how a Hamilton home was severely effected by damaged drip edge and had her own mice infestation (link).
What’s the take home?
Install protective drip edge. If you follow this simple piece of advice (especially if you live in an older home) you could save yourself a lot of money and energy and avoid having to deal with a wildlife problem in the future. Your home is a big investment and spending a little extra cash in order to prevent attic damage and wildlife entries will only add to it’s value. Take it from the professionals!