Case study
Pigeons Under a Tiled Roof Canopy in Serena, Dubai
Pigeons and other birds had moved in under the tiled canopy that runs around the edge of this townhouse roof. The canopy gives them shade and shelter from the Dubai heat, so they were nesting and laying eggs there, and the roof below was covered in droppings. Over two days we cleaned the roof, cleared the nests, disinfected the surface under the canopy, closed the space underneath with netting and fitted stainless steel bird spikes on top.
By Sahad Saleem, Executive Director. Reviewed .
- Service
- Bird control: roof cleaning, disinfection, netting and bird spikes
- Property
- Townhouse with a flat roof terrace and a tiled canopy on a galvanised steel frame around the roof edge
- Location
- a townhouse in Casa Dora, Serena, Dubailand
- Price for this job
- AED 4,680 including VAT
The price for this roof, as invoiced. Spikes are priced by the metre and netting is quoted after measuring, so your roof is quoted on its own measurements.
The problem
- Birds, mostly pigeons, were living in the sheltered space under the roof canopy: nesting, laying eggs and coming back every day.
- Droppings had built up across the roof slab, on the concrete plinths that carry the canopy posts, on the AC condenser units and along the cable trays.
What the inspection found
- The canopy is a row of clay roof tiles carried on a galvanised steel frame around the edge of the flat roof, standing on posts set in concrete plinths. Underneath it is an open, shaded space at roof level, out of the sun and out of reach.
- That space was the attraction: nests and eggs were under the canopy, and the heaviest droppings were on the slab and the plinths directly below it.
- The droppings also lay on the AC condensers and their electrical isolators, which sit on the roof next to the canopy.
- Neighbouring townhouses visible from this roof have the same tiled roof edge.
What was in our scope
- Cleaning the droppings from the roof slab, the canopy plinths, the AC units and the cable trays.
- Clearing the nests from under the canopy.
- Disinfecting the surfaces under the canopy after cleaning.
- Netting the space under the canopy so birds cannot get back in.
- Fitting UV-protected stainless steel bird spikes on top, where birds land.
What the community should know
- The canopy design itself. The shaded space under a tiled roof edge suits pigeons, so homes with the same roof can have the same problem; the netting and spikes deal with it on this roof only.
- Anything fixed to the roof of a townhouse in a managed community may need the community manager's approval first. Ask before the work is booked.
Treatment, step by step
- Nests cleared from under the canopy.
- Droppings cleaned off the roof slab, the plinths, the AC units and the cable trays, and the roof washed down.
- The surfaces under the canopy disinfected once they were clean.
- Netting fitted under the canopy to close the sheltered space.
- Stainless steel bird spikes, UV-protected, fixed along the top where birds perch.
Not treated, and why
- The birds themselves. Netting and spikes keep birds off and out; they do not harm them.
- Neighbouring roofs, which were outside this job.
Why birds may still be seen nearby
- Pigeons stay loyal to a site where they have nested, so they keep circling and landing nearby for a while after they are shut out.
- Birds will still use neighbouring roofs that have the same canopy and no netting, and can be seen from this roof.
- Netting only works while it is intact. A torn or loosened section reopens the space, which is why it is checked at the follow-up.
Follow-up
- A follow-up visit to check the netting and spikes and photograph the finished roof. That photograph will be added here, in the same framing as the before picture.
Technical conclusion
- The birds were there because of the canopy, not because of anything the owner was doing. A shaded, sheltered space at roof level is ideal for pigeons in Dubai's heat.
- Cleaning alone would only have reset the clock. Closing the space with netting and taking away the landing points with spikes is what stops the birds coming back to this roof.
What the customer wrote
Fantastic company! From the moment of fist contact until they completely pigeon proofed my home. Extensive cleaning and disinfecting followed by the installation of bird spikes and netting. The entire experience has been phenomenal from Sahad who brought the care factor and pride in the work they did throughout the full scope of works covering 2 days. Highly recommended and will use them again for other services.
Photographs
