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Repairs
Pest and Rodent Entry Repairs
Mice and rats get into a house through gaps most people walk past: a rusted vent screen, a hole where a pipe goes through the wall. We find the openings, seal them and repair what was chewed, so they can’t get back in.
01The Work
Close the way in, then repair the damage.
It happens most winters. The rain starts, the nights turn cold, and mice and rats look for somewhere dry and warm. Why that house? It has a way in: a vent screen that rusted through, or a gap at the eaves nobody has looked at in years.
Insects come in the same way. Ants and wasps follow the gaps at windows, trim and siding, and the same sealing keeps them out.
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Vent screens
Crawlspace, soffit and gable vents rescreened with metal mesh, or replaced where the frame has rotted.
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Gaps at pipes and wires
Where a pipe, wire or line passes through the wall, the gap gets packed and sealed with material made for the job.
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Siding, trim and eaves
Loose boards refastened, chewed and rotted ends replaced, and open joints at corners and fascia closed.
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Doors and access hatches
Sweeps and seals on garage and side doors. Crawlspace and attic hatches repaired so they shut tight.
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Roof edges
Gaps where the roof meets the eaves closed, and the roof repaired where they got in. A re-roof goes to a licensed roofer we bring in.
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Damage repairs
Chewed insulation, drywall and trim replaced, and the repairs painted to match.
What we do, and what we don’t
We keep pests out. If they are already inside, a licensed pest control company handles the removal, and we time our work around theirs.
In California, pest control is licensed by the Structural Pest Control Board, and McDermaid doesn’t hold that licence. We don’t write termite reports either. Our work is the building: the openings sealed and the damage repaired.
02Done Cheaply
Why the quick fix comes back
The usual quick fix is a can of expanding foam. It fills the hole and looks finished. Rats chew through foam, and by spring the hole is back with a tunnel through the middle of it.
The second is a new screen stapled over a rotten vent frame. The screen holds. The frame around it doesn’t.
And third, the gaps nobody looked for. One vent gets a new screen, the hole behind the dryer vent stays open, and that becomes the way in.
03How We Work
How the crew goes about it
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Walk the house
We go around the outside at ground level and at the eaves, and look into the crawlspace and attic for gaps, torn screens and chewed wood.
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Seal the openings
Screens, sweeps and seals fitted, and the gaps at pipes and wires closed with metal and mortar, not foam and tape.
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Repair the damage
Chewed siding, trim and insulation replaced with materials that hold up.
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Finish
We prime and paint the repairs to match the house, and show you what we closed.
Tell us where they might be getting in.
We’ll walk the outside of the house, show you the openings we find and quote the repairs. We work across the Bay Area Peninsula.