I'm a Contractor and when I need a lift, I usually rent one from Home Depot. They are all about the same price to rent, but Home Depot is open 7 days a week, and their hours are a lot later then the Rental Yards. I can usually rent it in the morning, get the job done, and return it at the end of the day. I add the rental fee to the job, which my clients are told about before I start the job, and they agree to it. I can get more done in a day with a lift then I can in a week on a ladder.
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I own a few used tractors, and they are great for around my farm, but not reliable enough to have clients pay me to use them on their jobs. For something as specialized as a lift, I prefer to pay the rental fee and not have to maintain it or put in the hours to repair it. I know it's going to work the day I need it, and for me, it's cheaper to rent one then own one.
For squirrels and racoons, I use 1/2-inch Hardie Backer Board. It's mostly used for tiling showers and comes in 3 x 5 sheets for around $15 each. It's thick enough to stop anything from eating through it, but usually not very attractive. Once painted, it usually blends in enough to not be noticeable, but I also try to cut it, so it looks like it belongs there. The most common place for these repairs is where the roof overhangs another part of the roof, and it's easy for animals to eat through the wood soffit.
For smaller repairs, like woodpeckers on cedar, I use solid metal faceplates for metal electrical boxes. Once painted, they blend in enough to not be too ugly. Once a woodpecker gets through the wood, it always comes back to the same spot. Metal stops this.
