Rodent and Pest Damage
Rodents and pests can cause major damage very fast. It may not seem like a big deal, but it can be dangerous as well. It is estimated that rodents such as Rats cause up to 20% of all structure fires in the US annually. Rodents constantly chew through materials in their environment. The incisor teeth on rats never stop growing and they need to gnaw them down. This can cause massive damage like structure, pipes, wiring, and HVAC tubes. If you hear noises or suspect rodent activity call an expert pest control such as Hawk Pest Control. And if you are like us you will be happy that they offer HUMANE trapping and removal. Lets look at how these home repairs can add up.
1.Structure Damage
These can be obvious from the outside of your house. Have you ever seen small holes like the picture above? Rodents can burrow in and climb all the way to your attic and get inside you walls. This allows water damage in though siding, fascia, and soffit. This can get costly, did you know replacing siding on a whole average home can cost up to $16,000? Water will cause wood rot and need replacing. Also with the humidity in the metro Atlanta area this can cause mold.
2.Pipes
New types of plumbing are great. We have replaced all these older cast iron and galvanized pipes with all kinds of plastics. One single water line can cause thousands of dollars in damage OVERNIGHT. Imagine a supply line on your upstairs bath room leaking down though Sheetrock, flooring, sub floor, floor joists, and furniture. One sign of an issue is brown spots on ceiling drywall.
3.HVAC
So lets say they chew though some supply lines letting out all your Freon. Besides the fact of having to hire someone to actually track down the leak you have other issues. If you have an older HVAC system that carries R-22 I’ve got bad news for you. That refrigerant is no longer manufactured as of Jan 1st 2020. You are either going to pay a ridiculous amount just to get it recharged or most likely need to replace your whole system easily reaching 4-5k in costs.
4.Wiring and Fire Damage
Your wiring inside your walls is vulnerable to rodent damage. Besides the obvious dangers of starting a fire. Side note please make sure all rooms have a smoke detector. If not you can even just buy battery powered smoke detectors from Home Depot and install them yourself in under 10 mins. If you have an older wiring system like a 2 wire system this can add up. What will happen is you will need permits to repair and hire a licensed contractor to do upgrades. Any work done now needs to be brought up to code. This can mean rewiring your WHOLE house and replacing the electrical panel. This is an easy 8 to 10 thousand dollars.
Overall if you hear any noises or see any visible damage call an expert for a free estimate. Check this guide here Species Guide. Did you know if this type of damage happens on a vacant property your insurance may not even cover it? Most policies do not cover homes that have been vacant for 60 days. If you have a property like this your best option might be to sell to a company such as We Buy Houses Atlanta that you can sell your house fast for cash. Or you always have the option if repairs aren’t too severe to sell via retail market with an agent with knowledge of repairs and upgrades like Real Estate Agent Atlanta