It was evident that the exterior woodwork of a Greek Revival house my company was hired to paint needed some repairs. But it was not until the scaffolding was up, and we got a close look at the gable end, that we realized the damage was extensive. Squirrels had chewed a hole in the joint where the rake molding meets the gable end return and the front crown molding (see Figure 1). Repairs made about 15 years ago included cement mortar packed into the squirrel hole and sheet metal tacked to the outer surface of the soffit. The best I can say about these repair methods is they are expedient and low cost. In only a few years,
