As a homeowner, it is frustrating to watch woodpeckers destroy your beautiful home by drilling holes in your siding and roofing to nest, store food, and locate insects.
If your home has experienced woodpecker damage, don’t worry. It’s possible to fix woodpecker exterior damage and to restore your home to its previous gorgeous state!
However, the key to woodpecker damage repair is to prevent further woodpecker damage from happening in the future by replacing woodpecker-friendly wood siding with durable, pest-resistant fiber cement siding.
Our team at JD Hostetter created this list to help you know when it’s time to repair woodpecker damage, and what you can do today to prevent woodpeckers from causing future damage to your home.
When to Repair Woodpecker Exterior Damage
If you have already noticed woodpecker exterior damage to your home, it is time to repair or replace your siding or roofing before further damage can occur.
You’ll likely need woodpecker exterior damage repair if you notice the following destruction to your home:
Siding Damage
Woodpeckers love to drill holes in cedar shake siding, tongue and groove cedar siding, and other types of wood siding.
Depending on the size of the holes, there are a few ways to repair your siding:
Small Holes
Woodpeckers drill small holes to locate insects and food and to create drumming sounds to attract a mate.
Often, you can fill these small holes with durable epoxy putty. Once the epoxy putty dries, the area can be sanded and painted to match the rest of your home’s siding.
Large Holes
If woodpeckers have drilled holes into your siding that are too large to be repaired, it may be time for a siding replacement.
Consider James Hardie® fiber cement siding to prevent future woodpecker damage. Homeowners love fiber cement siding because it is durable, pest-resistant, and long-lasting.
Roofing Damage
It’s not common for woodpeckers to drill holes or create cracks in your shingles.
If you notice woodpecker damage to your shingles, you can fill in small cracks or holes with wood putty. However, it’s usually more useful to replace the damaged shingles rather than trying to repair them.
How to Prevent Future Woodpecker Exterior Damage
After experiencing the inconvenience of woodpecker destruction to your home, we know that you will want to do everything you can to prevent these pesky birds from creating further damage.
Here are a few ways that you can prevent future woodpecker damage:
Eliminate the Food Source
Woodpeckers cause the most damage when they are looking for food or a place to store food.
Woodpeckers will be tempted to drill holes into your wood siding if they have easy access to insects like ants, bees, or termites.
If you suspect your siding or shingles may have an insect infestation, contact a professional to remove the insects so that woodpeckers don’t treat your home as their primary food source!
Create an Unfriendly Environment
After you eliminate insects from your siding, you can make a few reasonable adjustments outside of your home’s exterior to deter woodpeckers, like:
- Noisy objects – Objects that make noise, like wind chimes, can help to frighten woodpeckers away from your home.
- Shiny objects – Objects that reflect light, like a spinning pinwheel or small mirror, can help create an unfriendly environment for woodpeckers.
- Fake bird – Place a fake owl or hawk near the area where woodpeckers frequently peck to scare them away.
Install Durable, Pest-Resistant James Hardie Fiber Cement Siding
The most foolproof way to prevent further damage to your home’s siding is to install strong, woodpecker-resistant James Hardie fiber cement siding.
James Hardie fiber cement siding is an excellent option to prevent woodpecker damage because it is:
Durable
James Hardie siding is made with a blend of cement, sand, and cellulose fibers for maximum strength.
Pest Resistant
Unlike wood siding, cedar shake siding, and tongue and groove cedar siding, fiber cement siding is unappealing to woodpeckers and other pests.
ColorPlus® Technology
James Hardie’s ColorPlus Technology offers baked-on color that resists fading and requires minimal maintenance. Unlike wood siding, woodpeckers won’t chip away or cause paint damage to your James Hardie siding.
Benefits of Woodpecker Exterior Damage Repair
Woodpecker Damage Repair will provide homeowners with these excellent benefits:
- Strength restoration for damage compromised by woodpecker damage
- Removal of rot, water damage, and mold caused by woodpeckers
- A homeowner approved siding replacement, roof repair, or paint restoration
Contact JD Hostetter to Repair your Woodpecker Exterior Damage
Our caring and professional team at JD Hostetter is ready to restore the exterior of your home with our woodpecker exterior damage repair and install durable, long-lasting James Hardie fiber cement siding.
As an Elite Alliance James Hardie siding contractor, JD Hostetter provides certified installation for James Hardie siding products to ensure you are satisfied with your siding installation for years to come.
Contact us today to say goodbye to woodpecker damage so that you can love your home again!
