You're definitely onto something there... animals can be surprisingly crafty. Had squirrels once—thought I'd solved it by trimming back branches, but nope, they just learned to leap further. Pretty sure they're laughing at us from up there. Paranoid or not, they're smarter than we think.
Had a similar issue with raccoons last summer. Thought I'd sealed up every possible entry point, even installed some mesh barriers around the vents. Yet, somehow, they found their way back in—crafty little engineers. Ended up reviewing some wildlife exclusion manuals online; turns out they can manipulate latches and hinges too. Makes me wonder... are we underestimating wildlife adaptability, or just overestimating our own solutions?
"Makes me wonder... are we underestimating wildlife adaptability, or just overestimating our own solutions?"
Honestly, it's probably a bit of both. But from my experience inspecting homes, I'd say the bigger issue is usually overlooking less obvious entry points—like gaps around flashing or soffit edges. Raccoons are clever, sure, but sometimes we're just missing the finer details.
Definitely agree it's easy to miss the small stuff. I can't tell you how many times I've found tiny gaps around roof vents or chimney flashing. Usually, a quick check with a flashlight and sealing it up with some sturdy mesh or caulking does the trick.
True, sealing up minor gaps usually helps...but have you checked underneath the shingles near those areas? Sometimes small leaks travel along the plywood or underlayment and pop up somewhere else entirely. Had a client once who swore his flashing was perfect, but water snuck in from a cracked shingle several feet away. Roofs can be sneaky like that, almost like they're playing hide-and-seek with us. Might be worth a deeper look next time you're up there.
