Pigeons and gaps in my new build loft!!

BuckfastLover

Hi all, I've recently moved into a new build house. Prior to entry I had a professional snagging survey done on the house. Plenty snags as you would expect from a new build.

However what's shocking is that the surveyor found 2 pigeons living in the loft!!! This was immediately flagged to the developer and they've claimed to have solved the problem. In their words, they've filled the hole they found in the loft space. At the time I took their words and thought everything is fine.

In the past couple of weeks I've been hearing scratching noises coming from the loft (mostly in the morning). At first I just brushed it off, however I've since grown suspicion that it could be from the pigeons. Today I've managed to get a ladder and got into the loft for the first time.

First thing I noticed is that the loft is very draughty, as if there is an open window. Is this normal for a new build? Regarding pigeons, I didn't find any, but I think this is because it's afternoon when I got to the loft and pigeon only came in the morning. However to my surprise, there were a massive amount of pigeon feathers and waste (not going to include a picture here as it's nasty). I think this basically confirmed my suspicion that the developer never fixed the pigeon problem as the amount of waste definitely indicate that pigeons have been coming in for a while. Lastly I also found a few gaps between gable and roof. I've included a few pictures here. It's dark in the loft however you can see from the pictures that the outside light is penetrating through the gap. If I put my hand near it I can also feel wind blowing from outside. Am I right thinking this isn't normal, especially for a new build??

Also the house is quite cold (I'm in Scotland) and does not hold heat well at all, could this be caused by the loft issue as well?

The gap is circled in red below.

Norman_Castle

Roof spaces need ventilation, yours looks intentional. Hard to tell but is the loft floor boarded and if so how much insulation is underneath.

Wire netting and a staple gun will keep the pigeons out.

Does your camera have a flash?

BuckfastLover

Norman_Castle said:

Roof spaces need ventilation, yours looks intentional. Hard to tell but is the loft floor boarded and if so how much insulation is underneath.

Wire netting and a staple gun will keep the pigeons out.

Does your camera have a flash?

The loft is not boarded, just filled with glass wool(I think).
What's concerning is that pigeons still seem to get into the loft and how do I find out how they got in?

Wail

Flash might not be very effective particularly if it is on a phone. A torch might be more effective. 

BuckfastLover

Norman_Castle said:

Roof spaces need ventilation, yours looks intentional. Hard to tell but is the loft floor boarded and if so how much insulation is underneath.

Wire netting and a staple gun will keep the pigeons out.

Does your camera have a flash?

I've added a new picture showing where the gap is from outside. The location of the gap doesn't seem intentional?

TheJP

My loft has similar ventilation gaps. We had an issue with birds getting in but sorted by blocking the gap they were getting from.

RAS

BuckfastLover said:

Norman_Castle said:

Roof spaces need ventilation, yours looks intentional. Hard to tell but is the loft floor boarded and if so how much insulation is underneath.

Wire netting and a staple gun will keep the pigeons out.

Does your camera have a flash?

The loft is not boarded, just filled with glass wool(I think).
What's concerning is that pigeons still seem to get into the loft and how do I find out how they got in?

How much "wool glass"? The English standard is 270mm for mineral wool. You'd need to ensure it's not compacted if you want to store anything there; use loft legs.