How to protect yourself from rodents when building a house

Home Materials

Date of publication: 05.12.

1597

Weaknesses in frame structures
Choosing a grid
Advantages of this method
Home protection during the construction phase
Combination of mesh and other protection methods

Frame houses are popular due to the speed of construction and low cost compared to capital construction. However, such buildings also have disadvantages, one of them is the reproduction of rodents. Taking care of protection from mice and rats is still at the construction stage. A metal mesh will help to reliably protect the house from rodents. Let's talk about how mice usually enter the house, and how to select and install a mesh to protect against them.

Advantages of frame houses

This technology has many advantages. First of all, it is low cost and high speed of construction. Another feature of the frame house is the minimum shrinkage value. Such a house, unlike a heavy brick structure, cannot be damaged from structural errors and uneven shrinkage made during the construction process or from the characteristics of the soil. Construction does not require a massive concrete foundation - special foundation slabs, screw or bored piles are used. Special processing of piles not only simplifies the structure and increases its service life, but also makes possible subsequent repair of the piles. Thanks to these features, it is possible to quickly commission a turnkey house in a complete set.

The durability of the frame structure of the house is quite high. In such a house, all internal systems can fully function for 30 years without the need for repairs. After this period, it is recommended to carry out a planned overhaul of communications. But the supporting frame of such a house, with proper maintenance, will last up to 90 years.

Rodents in a frame house

Mice appear in a frame house, as well as in other types of residential buildings, in search of food. If access to food is provided in a constant mode, the mice will not only linger, but also make a cozy nest away from human eyes, begin to actively reproduce and increase the population.

How to prevent mice from breeding.

Often mice appear in the house with the onset of cold weather - optimal conditions for living are created in the room. Over time, pests begin to look for food and actively develop the entire living area of your frame.

Mice in a private house appear due to the mistakes of the builders, which were made during the construction process. If there are gaps between the joints in the area of the walls and floor, rodents are likely to choose the frame as their home. Since the design implies a sheathed frame, then between the panels an optimal space is created for the movement of small rodents.

On a note

Often, mice are wound up in the insulation of a frame house, so it is extremely important to choose the right material that is not suitable for rodent housing.

Remember that there are absolutely no obstacles for hungry mice, especially if they smell cereals, flour, sugar, bread nearby. Try to store any food not in bags and sacks, but close everything in airtight containers.

Disadvantages of frame houses

Naturally, there are also drawbacks in frame-type structures. Even at the design stage, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to the selection of the materials used. So, an attempt to save money can lead to the use of low-quality Chinese materials, for example, OSB-3 boards.In the manufacture of such plates, phenol-formaldehyde resins act as a binder. If the emission class of formaldehyde is from E2 or more, then this substance will actively evaporate into the air of the room, which poses a danger to human health. Materials with a zero emission class are considered safe.

Short-fiber mineral wool and low quality basalt wool are a source of carcinogenic dust. Thus, the correct selection of materials used in construction will guarantee a high-quality and healthy life for people living in a frame house.

In addition, timber frame houses are classified as timber. This indicates an increased fire hazard. This drawback can be eliminated by using fire-resistant materials: special drywall, fireproof panels from LSU, DSP. The beams from which the frame is made must be impregnated with fire-resistant impregnations. Expanded polystyrene is selected class G1 or G2. The disadvantages include the low vandal resistance of such houses. The walls of a frame house can be destroyed by one person using a chainsaw, which cannot be done with stone walls. In addition, the materials of the frame and other structural elements are defenseless against the attack of small pests - mice, rats. This seemingly insignificant fact can make a person's life in the house absolutely unbearable. Rodents gnaw holes and tunnels in the insulation material, destroy expanded clay and glass wool, and can live in the walls of a frame house for a long time. This problem is especially relevant when low-quality foam was used as insulation during the construction of the house.

Protection of a frame house from rodents

Protection from mice in a frame house will make all attempts by rodents to enter your home useless. It is extremely important to think over the methods of protection even at the stage of developing a project at home. There are several effective ways, the fight against rodents in a frame house will not be difficult for you:

Choose mineral wool as insulation, the material not only saves wood, but also prevents rodents from settling in the frame;
Processing of building materials with special solutions that repel pests;
The use of folk methods: processing the inner walls with ash or tobacco dust, adding sprigs of peppermint or wormwood, the smell of which scares away rodents;
A special metal mesh from mice is used in the frame house, which acts as a reliable barrier between the environment and your home.

Applying the mesh

A metal mesh from rodents in a frame house is mounted both during the construction phase and after the construction of the frame structure. The material is quite easy to use and allows you to protect the skeleton from small and large pests (mice, moles, rats).

Rodent mesh in the frame.

The mesh is absolutely safe for the environment, while it copes with high and low temperatures, and is inexpensive. Remember that the anti-rodent mesh should be fine mesh, with a wire thickness of at least 2 mm. Otherwise, the pests will easily bite through the net and still get into the dwelling.

Floor protection

On a note

Protection of a frame house from rodents begins from the floor, since this is the most possible place for pests to penetrate. When arranging the floor, you can use either a metal mesh or a monolithic reinforced concrete slab.

An equally effective way to protect the floor is to use expanded clay. The material, which is fired clay, is poured when arranging the subfloor, the layer is at least 300 mm. A regular polyethylene film is laid on top of the material, then two OSB boards, the final stage is another layer of expanded clay.By performing a rough floor in this way, you can protect your home from pests.

In some cases, boric acid and wax impregnated particle boards are added to the subfloor "sandwich". Substances actively scare away rodents.

Wall protection

Often, future owners of a frame house are interested in what material is better to use for sheathing a frame house so that rodents do not gnaw through the wall and enter the house.

In order not to get a mouse in the walls of a frame house, you can use special profiled metal sheets made of steel. The thickness of such a sheet is more than 1.5 mm. For mice, this coating is too slippery, due to this, they cannot get into the room. Another effective option is to use a metal mesh.

Rodent protection during construction

The best option is to take care of rodent protection even at the design stage of the house. So, sometimes building blocks are sprayed with a solution of borax or ordinary lime. It is advisable to install ecowool in the floor slabs on the lower floor. This material is 80% wood pulp and 20% borax. Such a composition acts as an antiseptic and prevents the appearance of pests.

Various components can be added to the insulation that scare away rodents. It can be dry grass with a pungent aroma - wormwood, mint, pine branches, burdock. Ash, slag, tobacco give the same effect.

How to protect yourself from rodents when building a house?

The provision of construction services by InnovaStroy implies the use of various methods aimed at protecting the erected cottages from harmful biological effects, both during the construction process and during further operation. Below we present several common ways to prevent the appearance of rodents in a private home, without resorting to complex work and without using expensive materials.

Metal mesh - simplicity and convenience

One of the most common ways to protect a cottage and its components from rodents is a galvanized metal mesh with fine meshes made from a thin rod. It is used as additional reinforcement after rough surface finishing, laid on the basement insulation or on top of waterproofing, if specialized synthetic materials are used for cladding.

The metal mesh can be used for installation on the corners of the building and on any surfaces with the probable penetration of a rodent into the house. Often, the material is laid under the finishing floor or at the bottom of the rough floor - if a pile / screw foundation is used in the cottage.

The mesh, cut in the shape of the air ducts, perfectly protects the ventilation openings from the penetration of rats and mice, retains large fragments of vegetation - this way you can protect any mines. The barrier is installed both along the outer edge of structural elements and along the inner edge, or in the form of a limiter in the cavity of any other material.

For outdoor installation on a foundation, it is recommended to bury the mesh to a depth of 50 centimeters below the deepest point of the base of the house.

Decking - 1.5 mm of effective protection

Metal profiled sheets are also a common way to protect a foundation from external attack by rodents. By creating a monolithic continuous plane, they effectively prevent rats and mice from penetrating and spreading. If surface mounting is planned, then you need to dig in the corrugated board to a depth of 60 centimeters - lower than the edge of the foundation in order to cut off underground access routes.

The most common option is to use a profiled sheet as a permanent formwork, both for vertical and horizontal surfaces, floors, walls, supports. Thus, it is possible not only to protect the cottage from rodents, but also to increase the strength of each structural element.

Expanded clay and insulation are not tasty materials

Burnt clay (expanded clay), as well as various non-organic insulation materials, can become a reliable obstacle to the penetration of rodents, since they do not spread any comfortable microclimate in their cavity for rodents. Expanded clay is used for filled floors or in the process of creating a multi-layer overlap between floors. In addition, proven and well-proven materials are:

high density mineral wool;
extruded polystyrene foam;
processed styrofoam options.

With professional installation and in compliance with all construction rules, even with simple and inexpensive materials, you can protect the cottage from rodents of different sizes and habitats. In carrying out construction, InnovaStroy takes into account the peculiarities of your site, the proximity of other buildings, natural objects - reservoirs, forests, fields - from where the settlement of rats, mice, squirrels, moles can theoretically spread. The company's professionals take into account the materials used and their susceptibility to external biological influences.

Metal grid

The installation of a metal mesh is very effective, which will physically prevent rodents from entering the house. It is installed in places where mice are most likely to penetrate, for example, in the floor or walls. The mesh should have a fine mesh pitch - the most optimal - 5 by 5 millimeters. Small rodents have a very flexible body and can crawl through rather small holes - less than one centimeter in diameter. In addition, there are cases when rodents cut through a wire 1.5 mm thick.

Sometimes the mesh can be replaced with sheets of structural steel, the thickness of which is up to one and a half millimeters. When processing walls in this way, the mesh is set to a height of approximately one meter. Also, the mesh is laid along the foundation. The point is to lay such a grid at a depth deeper than mouse holes. This depth is up to 80 centimeters. The mesh or sheet metal can be laid not close to the foundation, but retreat a certain distance, and then fill it with rubble in the gap between the mesh and the foundation. Instead of a mesh, you can dig a trench around the perimeter of the house, which can be filled with coarse gravel.

How to choose and install a rodent-proof insulation?

The simplest and most obvious solution to protect the home against obvious and massive attacks by rodents, mice and even rats is to install a metal mesh. Special mesh materials from rodents are rarely found on sale, and they have a considerable cost, but available metal mesh is always abundant in hardware stores.

What selection criteria can be called:

Light weight protection will reduce the load on the facade and base;
Mesh flexibility allows you to gently bypass complex geometric designs;
Rust resistance and alkaline environments of the plaster eliminates damage to the enclosing contour during installation and operation;
Cell size should be small enough to protect the thermal insulation material and not let the rodent inside, recommended - 10 × 6 or 15 × 5 mm;
Wire thickness from 2 mm, otherwise the mice will just have a bite to eat and get into the house.

It is possible to protect the insulation both in a house under construction and in a building with a long history of operation. The installation process is very simple and can be done by people without qualifications, or you can invite a work team.

Here's a quick rundown of how to protect:

Digging a trench. External protection is mounted around the perimeter of the house, for which a ditch is made around, the depth of which can be only 80 cm. However, if minks are found, the trench should be deepened.
Installation of the grid. A protective metal mesh should be laid along the entire ditch and to its entire height; if necessary, the segments are tied or overlapped. The foam should be closed 40 cm above ground level.
Burying the ditch. After laying the mesh, the trench is carefully buried.
Reinforcing layer decoration with the help of plasters and further facade decoration.

Helpful advice: Additionally, you can protect the house from rodents by installing mesh material around the perimeter of the yard, which is also easy to do and then only enjoy the tranquility and comfort in the house.

The right choice of insulation

Many people choose expanded polystyrene as insulation, since its cost is low and allows you to save money. But this is not the best option. Rodents will quickly gnaw through this material if they decide to climb into your home. If possible, it is better to combine expanded polystyrene with mineral wool, although this does not always solve the problem. Experts recommend using ecowool to insulate the structure. This is a material with a high degree of adhesion, it tightly fills even small gaps, although it is much more expensive. The use of ecowool will reduce the likelihood of rodents entering the house. In addition, the material does not generate dust, does not contain components hazardous to humans.

Important: ecowool is difficult to install, so it should be applied by a specialist who is familiar with the technology of such work. In case of errors in application, the material may lose its properties and shrink.

If mice start under the floor

The fact that mice have started up under the floor of a frame house can be easily recognized by the characteristic sounds. In this case, experts recommend making a so-called expanded clay castle. Expanded clay is a material that is obtained by firing low-melting clay. A layer of expanded clay about 30 centimeters thick is placed on the ground. This layer is covered with polyethylene and then covered with a double layer of OSB-3. Finally, the laminate is laid. Between the subfloor and the main floor, you also need to lay a layer of expanded clay 10 centimeters. This method is quite laborious, but it allows you to get away from the problem of damage to the floor by rodents.

Ultrasonic generators

What if the house has already been erected, and despite all the preventive measures, it was attacked by rodents? There are many proven methods of eliminating mice, among which a very effective and environmentally friendly one is the use of ultrasonic scarers. These are devices whose principle of operation is to emit sound waves that are not audible to the human ear. At the same time, rodents clearly hear an unpleasant sound, which forces them to leave the area of influence of the device. Such devices are effective not only against mice - the installation of an ultrasonic repeller can also rid the area of larger rodents - rats, moles and other pests.

The presence of a cat in the house, and preferably several, can prevent the appearance of small pests. Everyone knows with what pleasure cats-hunters exterminate rodents. Indeed, even the smell of a predator scares away rodents. But this does not always work. You may come across a cat that will live in the same territory with mice in complete harmony, without causing them any harm. Natural enemies of small rodents are weasels, stoats. Several of these domesticated animals are able to quickly clear the house of mice.

Mechanical methods of protection from mice

If for some reason you do not want to use baits, traps or repellents, you can try to protect yourself from the entry of mice into the house in another way. The question will be as follows - how to seal the cracks in the floor from the mice.

Swissinno metallic wool

It is a strip of stainless material that looks like tangled threads. They can easily seal any, even the smallest gaps, empty spaces in the wall around the pipes. The product replaces the usual mixture of concrete and glass and prevents rodents from entering the house. The material is safe for people and can be easily removed if necessary.

Mousetrap

This method of eliminating rodents has been known from time immemorial. A mousetrap is such a simple device that works when the animal pulls on the bait. Mice are not selective in their food, but cracklings or a piece of raw or fried bacon, cut off with the skin, are best suited as bait. Mousetraps are placed on a flat, hard surface where pests are most common. If you choose the right bait, then you can quite effectively eliminate all the mice living in the house. In addition, the method is quite environmentally friendly and cannot harm humans.

Rodent traps can be made by yourself. So, for this purpose, glass bottles are used, for example, from beer. It is necessary to pour a little fragrant unrefined sunflower oil into the bottle, and set the bottle itself at an angle of about forty degrees, securing it with a rope. As practice shows, mice often fall into such a trap and up to five animals can be in the bottle per night.

Another option for a trap is with a bucket and two planks. In a regular bucket, you need to pour water up to half. A plank is placed on the bucket, along which the mouse can climb up. Two more slats are installed on top, one is placed on the bucket itself, and the second is cross with the first, it should be somewhat shorter. You need to put bait on the edge of the short bar. The meaning of this design is that when the mouse gets close to the treat, the bar tilts under its weight and the animal falls into the bucket. Then the bar returns to its original position. This method is quite effective, but it is designed for enthusiasts, as it is necessary to carefully choose the length of the short board, and make it so that it returns to its place.

Chemical substances

Poison is the most effective way to control small rodents, insects and other pests in your home and garden. The method is not entirely humane, but it allows you to solve the problem very quickly. Such funds are available in a variety of forms. It can be hard briquettes, dough briquettes, poisoned grain, granules, which retain their toxic properties for a long time. In addition, the cost of the drugs offered on the market is very different, which allows you to choose the most suitable remedy.

The poison, entering the rodent's body along with the bait, causes the death of the animal, even if the amount of the substance was very small. This method requires caution, since when working with toxic substances there is a risk of poisoning yourself. Therefore, it is necessary to work with the poison with gloves and, preferably, in old unnecessary clothes, which can then be simply thrown away. The poison must be located in places that are difficult to reach for the inhabitants of the house, so that none of the household members can get poisoned. Pets should also be carefully guarded. Before starting work, carefully read the attached instructions, the description of the tool, evaluate your capabilities.

There is one point that can cause trouble for the residents of the house. If a mouse that has eaten the poison crawls into a hard-to-reach place before dying. In this case, it will rot, exuding an unpleasant odor for a long time. You will have to look for the source of the smell, open the floor or dismantle the walls.

Fact: modern producers of the poison offer such a product, after which the animal begins to suffocate and tries to leave the room.This, in some cases, helps prevent odors.

How to protect a frame house from mice?

Frame houses - light, warm and relatively inexpensive - are well-deservedly popular. But, unfortunately, mice really like the walls and ceilings filled with loose insulation. How to deal with uninvited guests?

Small rodents penetrate inside the house, there are nests, settle down, spoil the insulation, frame and food supplies. It is extremely difficult to evict them, so it would be wise to prevent them from entering the house during the construction phase.

The most vulnerable part of the frame is the ventilated gap between the insulation and the skin.

From the bottom, it should be closed with a fine-mesh metal mesh, making a kind of tray with at least 40 mm overhanging the walls.

Another weak point is the insulated base. It should also be covered with metal mesh and then plastered. Such armor is too tough for small pests. But if you put a defense starting at ground level, it will be of little use, because mice can undermine the base and get inside. Therefore, the mesh is deepened by at least 0.8 m.

Instead of a metal mesh, a metal sheet with a thickness of at least 1.5 mm can be used to protect the foundation.

Rodent-proof floor construction
Another vulnerable area is floors.

Even at the construction stage, you should wrap the harness from below with the same metal mesh. If, for one reason or another, this was not done, the mesh can be laid along the subfloor and only then proceed with laying the waterproofing and installing insulation plates.

However, there is another, somewhat outdated, but quite effective way to protect the lower plane of the house from rodents. Expanded clay with a thickness of at least 0.3 m is poured onto the rough floor, covered with plastic wrap, and then two layers of OSB-3 slabs are laid. Next, another layer of expanded clay is poured with a thickness of at least 10 cm.

Some experts advise impregnating wood boards with boric acid - mice cannot stand it. But this is only an additional measure and should not be relied on. Unfortunately, even the most stubborn chemicals fade over time.

Mice often enter the house through cracks in the corners, so it is advisable to cover them with a metal mesh along the entire height

In general, the builders of frame houses strongly recommend not to save on the mesh, and lay it wherever there is even the slightest risk of small pests entering. Mice are exceptionally dexterous, nosy and persistent animals, capable of crawling into the narrowest cracks.

When choosing a mesh, it is very important not to be mistaken. Of course, it must be stainless. The minimum wire thickness is 2 mm, and the mesh size is about 10 × 10 mm. Larger mice will already be able to "seep".

An important role in protection from rodents is played by the correct choice of insulation.

It is undesirable to use polyfoam, despite the fact that it is cheap and easy to work with. Mice willingly settle in it, gnawing real "residential areas" inside the walls. In addition, this material is short-lived compared to other thermal insulators.

Mineral wool is less enthusiastic in mice. And so-called ecowool is not at all to the liking of small pests - a sprayed insulation consisting of 80% recycled cellulose, and 20% of a mixture of boric acid and borax, which serves as a powerful antiseptic. This "chemistry" is completely harmless to humans and domestic animals that do not contact him directly, but it scares off mice.

So, we have reviewed the main preventive measures. But what if the mice still settled in the house?

You should not rely on cats and cats - among the pampered pets, accustomed to ready-made food, there are few real hunters left. You can install ultrasonic repellents in your home that work at a frequency inaudible to the human ear.The devices do not directly harm the mice, but they cause them to feel intimidated and make them run away. For maximum effect, it is advisable to place the devices in several points of the house.

Ultrasonic traps can be uncomfortable for cats and dogs. So it is better to relocate pets during the operation of the devices.

Note that recently there have been a lot of unscrupulous manufacturers selling poorly working and sometimes completely defective devices. So before buying, you should carefully study consumer reviews, and choose the products of the company that scored the most points.

As for poisons, it would be wise to refuse to use them. And not only for humane reasons. Having eaten the poison, the mouse will die somewhere inside the partition or ceiling, and will decompose for many months, exuding a strong and extremely unpleasant odor. Even if it turns out to accurately determine the "resting place" (and this is almost impossible), in order to remove the carcass, you will have to disassemble the walls or raise the floors. It is much more reasonable to use the so-called live traps, made independently or purchased from the manufacturer. The caught animals can then be carried away from home and released. Well, if things are really bad, it is worth calling in a rodent control specialist who will solve the problem at a professional level.

At the end of the topic, we note that mice are attracted by the smell of food, for which they are ready to get through any obstacles. Therefore, it is very important to store food in safe, tightly closed containers and never leave food waste in the house overnight. If the mice realize that there is nothing to eat, they themselves will leave in search of a better life.

Other methods

The struggle of man with rodents has been going on for many centuries. People are constantly coming up with new ways to protect the house and property from damage by pests. So, burnt wooden blocks and branches are laid under the flooring. The smell of burnt wood scares off mice. In addition, you can use other aromatic repellents - pine, mint, tobacco, added to the insulation. Red hot pepper is poured around the perimeter of the house and, if possible, into the walls. It is also known that rodents do not tolerate the smell of burnt wool. The old method is to put a piece of wool in an old unnecessary saucepan, make a few holes in the saucepan and set the wool on fire, then put this container in the basement. The smoke smell will slowly spread throughout your home, chasing the pests away.

A source

Control methods

If mice do sneak into your home, you need to know how to get rid of them. There are many methods. The main thing is to choose the appropriate method, taking into account the type of structure and the number of pests.

Some people use poison, however, this is one of the worst methods, as the mouse can die in the wall. You can only get it if you destroy the wall. The cadaverous smell will spread throughout the house, after which it will be simply impossible to be in it. Even products that have a mummified effect leave an unpleasant odor, albeit less strong. In this regard, it is recommended to drive the mice away or catch them.

Folk ways

The following methods can be used by builders when erecting a building or by residents after the completion of the construction process. So, the tricks are as follows:

To scare off, burnt logs are placed under the floor.
Together with the insulation, tobacco dust, ash, chamomile, wormwood, mint, slag, dry burdock, pine branches are added.
Red hot pepper powder is poured along the walls.
Broken glass is placed under the floor.

These methods are the most popular, but there are others.

Useful: Analysis of reviews of houses from vulture panels - myths and reality

Mechanical means

Often, mousetraps, traps, traps are used to control rodents. It is better to place them along the walls in rooms where the mouse has been seen.In this case, it is also necessary to close up the holes and crevices through which the pests entered the dwelling, otherwise new individuals will appear each time. Such devices can be bought, or you can make yourself. Let's consider some methods of their preparation.

Option 1. Cut off the neck of a plastic bottle, put the bait inside and coat the walls with sunflower oil. Next, you need to lower the neck into the middle of the bottle and fix it with tape. A mouse can easily climb into such a trap, but due to the slippery walls, it will no longer be able to get out of the bottle.

Option 2. Pour water into a bucket, place husks, leaves or straw on top, pour 1 spoonful of vegetable oil, add grains or seeds. So that the mouse can easily climb, you need to put a ladder. It can be an ordinary stick. When the rodent tries to get food, it will fall into the water and drown. The top layer will fall into place, so more than one pest can fall into the trap.

Option 3. You can use oilcloth, plywood or thick cardboard to form a sticky trap. Attach this base to the floor, pour glue on top and place the bait in the center. The mouse will stick and will not be able to escape. Moreover, the trap can work for several animals at the same time.

Scare away

Mice from a frame house can be driven away by an unpleasant sound or smell. Plants such as wormwood, chamomile, mint are shoved along the walls into burrows. This method is also considered preventive, since rodents are unlikely to appear in these places. The floors should be washed with ammonia or vinegar solution, and concentrated preparations should be left in the saucer. You can also wash the floor with the addition of essential oils, citrus fruits, mint, lemon balm.

There is also a more modern method: an ultrasonic repeller. Such a device has a control system. For the best effect, it is advisable to purchase several scarers and place them in the corners of the house and along the walls. Ultrasonic radiation from them brings discomfort to mice, which makes them want to leave this territory.