Haha, I feel your pain on the bird spikes. When I first moved into my place, I had this grand idea of installing a metal roof to keep critters and weather issues at bay. Got a bunch of samples—one mysteriously disappeared overnight (still not sure if raccoons were involved)—and finally settled on one that seemed perfect. Sleek, durable, supposed to last forever... you know, homeowner dreams.
Fast forward two months after installation, and I'm hearing these weird scratching noises above my bedroom ceiling. Turns out squirrels had found a tiny gap between the roof edge and fascia board and decided it was the perfect entryway to their new luxury penthouse. I swear they were mocking me every morning with their little scampering feet, like "thanks for the upgrade, buddy!"
"Nature always wins..."
Couldn't agree more. After multiple attempts at sealing gaps and installing deterrents, I finally just accepted cohabitation. Now it's more of an uneasy truce—I pretend they're not up there plotting against me, and they pretend not to chew through any electrical wires.
Honestly though, if you've got a random metal roof sample lying around now... maybe keep it handy? You never know when you'll need emergency patching material after nature decides to remind you who's really in charge around here.
Haha, I totally get the uneasy truce thing. Had a similar situation at my parents' place a couple years ago. They went with metal roofing too, thinking it was basically critter-proof. But turns out, if there's even the smallest gap or weak spot, squirrels and raccoons will find it. It's like they're trained special ops units or something.
One night, my dad heard this loud banging noise coming from the attic. He thought someone was breaking in, grabbed a flashlight and went up there ready for anything... only to find two raccoons wrestling around on top of the insulation. They'd managed to pry open a vent cover that wasn't secured properly after the new roof went on. It was like they'd been casing the joint for weeks, waiting for their chance.
Anyway, after that fiasco, we learned the hard way that metal roofs aren't automatically critter-proof—you really gotta make sure every single gap is sealed tight. And even then, nature has a way of finding weaknesses you didn't even know existed. My dad ended up using leftover metal samples to reinforce some of those weak spots. Worked surprisingly well, actually.
So yeah, definitely keep that random sample handy. You never know when you'll need it to patch up an unexpected entry point or reinforce a weak spot you missed during installation. And honestly, don't underestimate squirrels either—they might look cute and harmless, but they're basically furry little demolition experts when they want to be.
Yeah, metal roofs are great overall, but critters are relentless. I've seen squirrels chew right through plastic vent covers like they're nothing. One homeowner I worked with had bats squeeze into a tiny gap near the chimney flashing—didn't even look big enough for a mouse. Definitely smart to keep extra samples handy... you never know when you'll need a quick fix. Nature always finds a way, unfortunately.
I've definitely seen squirrels pull off some surprising stunts too. Had a similar issue with raccoons—they managed to pry up a corner of my flashing and squeeze right in. Ended up reinforcing it step-by-step: first sealing the gap with metal mesh, then covering that with flashing tape, and finally securing a new metal sample piece on top. So far, it's held up pretty well... fingers crossed. You're right though, nature's persistence is impressive (and frustrating).
Metal mesh and flashing tape might slow them down, but raccoons are crafty little buggers... wouldn't be surprised if they eventually figure a way around it. I'd consider adding some deterrents like motion lights or even ammonia-soaked rags nearby—worked for me in the past.
