Gotta admit, I put off checking mine way too long...until I found squirrels had turned my attic into their personal Airbnb. Lesson learned—regular checks save headaches (and eviction notices for furry freeloaders). Pizza afterward sounds about right, haha.
Had a similar issue a few years back—raccoons instead of squirrels, though. Now I swear by sealing attic vents with sturdy mesh and trimming back any branches near the roof. Keeps critters out and helps weatherproof too... pizza definitely earned after that job.
- Mesh and branch trimming def helps, but honestly, raccoons are basically furry ninjas...they'll find a way if they're determined enough.
- I tried the mesh thing last summer, and it worked great for weatherproofing, but I swear the raccoons took it as a personal challenge. Ended up reinforcing with metal flashing—ugly but effective.
- Also learned the hard way that pizza BEFORE the job is a rookie mistake...food coma + ladder = bad combo.
- For extreme weather though, I've found gutter guards and regular roof inspections do more heavy lifting than branch trimming alone. Just my two cents from a newbie homeowner who's already made every mistake in the book...
"For extreme weather though, I've found gutter guards and regular roof inspections do more heavy lifting than branch trimming alone."
Gutter guards are definitely helpful, but I'd argue that proper attic insulation and ventilation might actually be more critical for extreme weather protection. Last winter, despite having gutter guards installed, ice dams still formed because my attic wasn't ventilated properly. Once I added soffit vents and improved insulation, the difference was night and day...no more leaks or ice buildup. Just something else to consider alongside your current methods.
Good call on the attic insulation and ventilation. Learned that lesson the hard way myself a couple winters ago—thought gutter guards alone would do the trick, but nope, ice dams had other ideas. After beefing up insulation and adding ridge vents, things improved dramatically. Still gotta give gutter guards credit though...cleaning soggy leaves in freezing weather isn't exactly my idea of fun, haha. Definitely worth tackling both angles if you can.
