Which Animals Cause the Most Damage to Your Home & Foundation?

Animals can make a welcomed addition to your yard as long as they’re not causing problems. Unfortunately, there are a number of critters that can inadvertently damage your property and cost you money in repairs. Luckily, you can work with any of the foundation and crawl space repair professionals in your area to build your home back up after Mother Nature tries to devalue it.

Share this Image on Your Site!

Simply copy and paste the code below and you can share this infographic on your site:

<a href="https://www.alphafoundations.com/resources/which-animals-cause-damage/"><img alt="Which Animals Cause the Most Damage to Your Home" src="https://www.alphafoundations.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2020/08/which-animals-cause-damage-infographic-florida-foundation-authority1.png" width="600px" height="2761px" /></a><br><a href="https://www.alphafoundations.com/resources/which-animals-cause-damage/">Which Animals Cause the Most Damage to Your Home</a> Created By: <a href="https://www.alphafoundations.com/"> Alpha Foundations</a>

» Download printable PDF

Which Animals Have The Most Impact On Your Home?

The animals that are most likely to damage your foundation or crawl space in the Orlando, FL, area include:

• Skunks – Skunks may not be able to do a lot of structural damage to your home, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have an impact if they end up scared in your lawn. The odors released by skunks can permeate different parts of your home for months at a time, reducing your overall quality of life.
• Rodents – Mice and rats love to make their way indoors as the weather cools down. These critters can have more of an impact on your home’s structural health, as they can chew on your wiring, nest in your insulation, and turn your walls into their personal playgrounds.
• Snakes – Snakes are cold-blooded creatures, meaning they’ll seek out warm climes when the weather starts to cool down. In Florida, you may not find yourself contending with winter weather, but your crawl space may still become the perfect home for an illegally released pet snake or any of the reptiles native to the state. These critters primarily pose a threat to your health instead of to your home’s structural standing, but even so, they’re not guests you want to deal with.
• Raccoons – Raccoons are natural troublemakers. These critters can make themselves at home in your crawl space or attic and go to town on the structural supports you need to maintain your quality of life. If you find yourself fighting for your property with a raccoon, you’ll want to make sure you contain the damage these critters do quickly. You’ll also want to check for any raccoon babies after the larger critters have been removed from your property.
• Bears and cougars – Bears are less common in Florida than cougars are, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep an eye out for both of these large predators. Bears and cougars alike are most likely to cause significant property damage around your home, as they’re not aware of their sizes or their impact on the belongings you hold dear.
• Deer – Deer are more of a nuisance to deal with than a structural threat, but give these critters enough time to get comfortable on your lawn, and you may find yourself hosting an unwelcome herd.
• Squirrels and chipmunks – Like mice and rats, squirrels and chipmunks will happily make a nest for themselves in your insulation while wreaking havoc on your structural supports.
• Groundhogs – Groundhogs love to build elaborate labyrinths to live in beneath your home. Unfortunately, these mazes cause the soil beneath your foundation to shift, and they can subsequently destabilize your entire structure.
• Pigeons – Pigeons were once well loved by folks across the United States, but now their nests can compromise the structural integrity of your foundation. If a pigeon nests in your gutters, rainwater can run straight down onto the perimeter of your home and generate more hydrostatic pressure near your foundation.
• Bats – Bats don’t pose a danger to your home’s overall structure, though they can cause quite a stink with their guano. These critters are more likely to bring unwanted bacteria into your home than they are to damage your insulation or waterproofing measures, but even so, you shouldn’t allow them to stay if they’ve taken up residence.
• Woodpeckers – Woodpeckers will attempt to make their homes in any exposed wood you may have around your home. Those holes can weaken your wooden supports against summer rains.
• Vultures – Vultures are more common in Florida than they are in the northern United States. These birds of prey love to play with shiny things and will enthusiastically tear shingles off your roof if they’re bored enough.