Evicting the squatters

Over the last couple of weeks, we found long twigs on the floor of the back balcony and inside the adjoining sun room. Eventually it clicked that a couple of pigeons were trying to build a nest on the anti-pigeon netting. It is spring.

The pigeon couple causing problems.

The pigeons were trying to build a nest on the coiled netting.

There was a power cord running from the left side of the picture into the netting about a third of the way across and then along the top beam to an outside light that simply dangled from its cord. The other end went through a hole in the door frame on the far left so the light could be plugged into a power point on the inside of the door frame. So I removed the plug and pulled the cord out through the frame and then removed the light too. This was a very dodgy brothers way of providing an outside light.

This is looking at the top of the doorway from inside the sun room. The roll of netting is more obvious.

The solution was to extend the doorway up to the corrugated iron balcony roof. I took some measurements and bought some marine plywood with some wood trim to fancy it up. I also tried to get a tin of paint that matches the main doorway.

I measured and cut the wood and on trying it had to make a 45 degree cut to the top left corner. I also had to cut out a shape for the top of a vertical beam. Once it had been nailed into place and the trim on, I painted it. I also painted the side of the top cross beam because it was a different colour from the rest of the doorway. The new colour doesn’t quite match but it isn’t to far off.

The new wall in place.

The new wall from the far side

The wall painted on both sides.

I’m tempted to paint the trim a different colour but haven’t decided if that would be a good idea or not. The wall has reduced the outside noise inside the sun room as it is now much more closed off.

I captured a picture of the pigeon leaving after checking the new wall. 

I’ve tied a small roll of the anti-pigeon netting back into place on the top of the concrete column. It has been several days since the new wall went up and there has been no sign of the pigeons. I count that as a successful eviction.