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Um Rat-Proofing My Home?

Last Post 06 Dec 2011 11:30 PM by WindowsonWashington. 8 Replies.

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marli

New Member

Posts:33

05 Dec 2011 10:06 PM
So now that I have your attention, we have been gutting our 110 year old house and plan on doing some spray foam and major insulation during the renovation portion. The house is almost all solid masonry with a small kitchen addition that is frame construction. We plan on having quite a bit of masonry work done to re-point and fill in the leaks. Also, we would like to spray foam the entire brick exterior wall. Where the rats come in.... During our demo work we have found 3 dead rat carcasses (so far). These are definitely rats and not mice (are there 8"+ mice?). I have heard certain types of spray foam can be toxic to pests, but will a standard spray foam and sealing up our house be enough? I plan on setting some standard traps in the basement just in case.... Any tips or pointers to prevent this in the future are GREATLY appreciated. The rats are all pretty much mummified so I'm not sure how prevalent rats would be today in the house. Haven't asked the neighbors yet if they've had problems -- I'm sure they will not be happy to hear about it. Thanks! Marli

WindowsonWashington User is Offline

New Member

Posts:96

05 Dec 2011 11:03 PM
3 rats in a 110 year old home is not much. I just found 2 in my 6 year old home so that should put it in perspective. What climate region is the home located in? There can be some issues with spray foaming directly to brick so be sure to keep that in mind. http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com...-buildings

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ICFHybrid

Veteran Member

Posts:3039

06 Dec 2011 12:52 AM
Any tips or pointers to prevent this in the future are GREATLY appreciated Do away with obvious attractants like garbage storage that they can get in and pet food that is left out. Seal up any holes about 1/4" or bigger, particularly foundation vents that are broken or have holes that are too big. Trim back trees or shrubs that facilitate roof access. If they smell food or sense warmth, they can chew through most soft things like wood or foam if they really want to. The best thing is to cut and screw galvanized sheet metal or hardware cloth to seal the openings you find before you use the wood or foam. Check the seals on your garage doors. They often get damaged at the corners. Got a cat?

ICFconstruction User is Offline

Veteran Member

Posts:1324
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06 Dec 2011 08:23 AM
I heard you can plug holes with steel wool, to keep mice out. Might work.

Brad Kvanbek - ICFconstruction.net

marli

New Member

Posts:33

06 Dec 2011 10:03 AM
Alas, no cat! Only a dog. We are located in central kentucky. I think I would like to parge the internal side of the brick first before spray foaming, assuming budget allows it. We have two courses of brick in the wall and I think there should be sufficient gap in between to allow for water drainage (we will be triple checking this). Thanks for everyone's advise! Metal sheeting sounds like a great option for the stick frame portion of the building particularly. At our current home we usually take trash out throughout the week. Would the outdoor trash still attract them most likely? Or is it a better practice to just take all trash out right before trash day?

WindowsonWashington User is Offline

New Member

Posts:96

06 Dec 2011 02:04 PM
Rats are a function of life and will probably be here long after we are gone. If you do as ICF said and minimize the attractants, most sealing measures will keep them out.

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sesmith

New Member

Posts:62

06 Dec 2011 06:16 PM
They tend to not like foam and sealing with spray foam should keep them out for the most part. Cellulose isn't a real favorite either. They absolutely LOVE fiberglass. (that's been my unfortunate experience).

ICFHybrid

Veteran Member

Posts:3039

06 Dec 2011 08:04 PM
Would the outdoor trash still attract them most likely? Even if your outdoor trash is sealed, they are going to know it's there, but assuming they can't have free lunch at it, I don't think that in itself will encourage them to break into your house. I was thinking more about open trash where they can feed and then look for someplace warm to hang out until breakfast. Some people store trash for weeks in the garage before they take it to the dump and that is a powerful invitation to get in and take up residence.

WindowsonWashington User is Offline

New Member

Posts:96

06 Dec 2011 11:30 PM
Posted By sesmith on 06 Dec 2011 06:16 PM They tend to not like foam and sealing with spray foam should keep them out for the most part. Cellulose isn't a real favorite either. They absolutely LOVE fiberglass. (that's been my unfortunate experience).

The difference is clear