Outside Fascia Boards Replaced

Replaced all outside horizontal fascia boards at the rafters ends.

Over the years the fascia boards had lost much of their protective paint  leaving them exposed to sun and rain causing rot and roof damage. The damaged boards and metal drip edge flashing along the eave were removed.  The new boards were cut, primed on all sides and replaced. Will paint later matching the house. We still have yet to decide colors.

Being DIY-er's replacing the fascia boards was a task we took on ourselves. It required no special tools or training, just time and energy.

Rock Squirrel Captured

The unwanted resident living under the project house was captured one day after setting live trap. The Squirrel was released much distance away in a vegetation lush area....the squirrel should be happy with his new area. Will keep the trap active in case there are more of these guys. 

The live trap was visited by a Cactus Wren prior to the squirrel.

Rock Squirrel Captured on Hidden Camera

Over a course of a few months we've noticed the signs of a ground burrowing creature digging under the foundation and slab of our project house. We fill back in the hole with the dirt surrounding the hose. By the next day the hole is open again.

Not knowing what creature is hard at work under the slab, we placed a hidden camera close by. The camera captured the image of our unwanted house guest. It's a 'Rock Squirrel', the largest of the ground squirrels. "Rock squirrel burrows are generally found around rocky areas and in residential areas they are often dug under cement slabs and pool decks. They are true omnivores, feeding on seeds, mesquite beans, insects, eggs, birds, carrion, as well as cactus fruit." They will even kill rattlesnakes!

"Upon encountering a snake, a rock squirrel will stamp its feet and wave its tail from side to side while facing the snake. It also tries to flick sand or dirt in the snake’s face with its front paws. This behavior is called mobbing. Researchers in California note that rock squirrels can distinguish between venomous and non-venomous snakes, and change their mobbing behavior accordingly."

We plan to  capture and release this squirrel somewhere else. As cute as it is, we don't want it digging under the house foundation and slab. "The Rock Squirrel is not only persistent and annoying, it is destructive. Fortunately, they are easy to trap alive and remove. Rock Squirrels should not be allowed to proliferate. Records show trapping catch at one home yielded 42 squirrels during one summer." Yikes!

Prevention is 'COYOTE URINE'. If it's not one thing it's something else. How to encourage coyotes to urinate on and around the house?

Night visitors at the rock squirrel's entrance.....

The Kaffer Remodel

The Kaffer remodel has many mid-century elements we are interested in implementing in our remodel project.