Roof Repair Case Studies: Raccoon Damage

A homeowner discovered roof damage on their home and found a raccoon living in their attic.  The wife was a nurse and was very upset about the physical roof damage but was more concerned about the diseases raccoons are known to carry.  She was looking for a comprehensive plan that would remove the raccoon, repair the damage and address all of her health concerns.

Upon investigating the attic, we found a raccoon family was actually living in her attic.  We located multiple raccoon latrines throughout the attic as well.  The raccoons had opened up a hole through the soffit as their entry point.  

We formulated a decontamination plan that would eliminate all serious health threats for the homeowner.  All products used were approved by the CDC and were non-toxic to humans and pets.  The plan consisted of the following:

1. D-Wing entered the attic by removing plywood from the roof to keep all contaminants from ever getting to the living area.  We never entered the living quarters. D-Wing removed the raccoon waste using an “industrial vacuum” and disposed of the material in sealed bags.
2.  We applied a Mold/Mildew product to all surfaces.
3.  An antimicrobial agent approved by the C.D.C was then sprayed over to the entire attic area and topside of the ceilings from the rooms below.  This particular  product has a 90-day continuous kill cycle that kills bacteria and removes the raccoon’s scent – the scent raccoons use to find their past “home”.
4. We sealed all attic openings and reinsulated the attic from an R-13 to R-49.
5. During the installation of new blown-in fiberglass we also sprayed an additional coating of the anti-microbial to provide additional bacteria protection.

Summary

Dealing with and effectively resolving raccoon damage requires a systematic approach utilizing “Best Practices” and products to keep families safe and healthy, and prevent recurring problems.  Too many times short cuts are taken causing this dangerous situation to re-occur.  During the entire remediation, nobody entered or exited the attic without protective clothing, respirators and using anti-microbial agents to maintain the highest level of safety possible.