Squirrel Removal in Alpharetta, GA

Squirrels in your Alpharetta home

When the subdivisions around Alpharetta were new, the trees in the yards were small. Decades later those same oaks and maples have closed in over the roofs, and a squirrel can now run from trunk to ridge without touching the ground. What it finds when it gets there is a lot of roof: gables on several sides, dormers, a step-down over the garage, and long runs of soffit and fascia that have been weathering for twenty to forty years. On a house like that, a squirrel rarely has to look hard for a soft corner to chew.

The noise is the least of it. Squirrel teeth grow throughout their lives, so they gnaw constantly — on trim, on roof sheathing, and on the plastic jacket around attic wiring, which is a well-known fire hazard. They also tear insulation apart for nesting and leave droppings and urine behind. The answer is the same on every Alpharetta roofline, simple or sprawling: get the squirrels out humanely, then close every gap so the trees overhead can't deliver a replacement.

A roof with a lot of edges

Squirrel exclusion is mostly a matter of how much roofline there is to cover, and Alpharetta's larger homes have plenty. Every dormer adds two cheek walls and a set of corners; every gable adds a vent and two rake edges; every place a lower roof tucks against a taller wall leaves a junction where trim, flashing and shingles meet. Squirrels test those transitions first, because aging trim there tends to separate. That's why an inspection on a home this size walks the entire roof perimeter rather than stopping at the first hole it finds.

Young in the attic change the plan

Gray squirrels raise young more than once a year — most often in spring and again in late summer or fall, though in Georgia the timing drifts. A quiet, dry attic is exactly the nest site a pregnant female wants. If she's sealed out while her babies are still inside, she doesn't move on; she chews a new way back in to reach them, adding damage to the house. Confirming whether young are present is the step that decides when, and how, the openings get closed.

Wiring, insulation and trim

The damage list on an Alpharetta squirrel job usually runs in that order. Chewed wiring is the serious one — exposed conductors in an attic full of dry framing and insulation are a recognized ignition source. Insulation gets shredded and soiled. And the trim itself suffers, since a squirrel will widen a small gap at a fascia corner or soffit seam into an entry hole. Older wood trim that has already softened from years of weather gives way to that chewing faster than sound material would.

The canopy is a ramp, not the whole story

Cutting back the limbs that hang over the roof helps, and on lots where the hardwoods have grown in over decades it's worth doing. But squirrels and rodents can also climb brick and siding, so trimming trees alone won't keep them off a house. Think of the canopy as the easy ramp and the open seams as the real problem. A lasting fix closes the openings first and treats the tree work as a way to reduce pressure, not a substitute for sealing.

Daytime runners or night gliders

Gray squirrels are active early in the morning and again later in the afternoon, so that's when you'll hear them. If the sounds start after dark and carry on through the night, the culprit may be southern flying squirrels — small, nocturnal, social animals that glide between trees and can share an attic in numbers. The removal approach is largely the same, but flying squirrels fit through smaller openings, so the inspection has to account for tighter gaps around the roofline.

How the job is done

After every entry point is mapped, the pro fits a one-way door over the active ones so squirrels can leave to feed but can't return. Once the attic is confirmed empty — and young are accounted for — each opening is sealed with metal wherever possible, because squirrels chew straight through wood, foam and plastic. Damaged insulation and nesting material come out at the end. On a large, complex roof the seal is only as good as its weakest seam, so thoroughness matters more than speed.