Need more space

[Anthony Whitesell]

I need more space. Who doesn't. I am thinking an enclosed shed would be a nice solution to my two of my largest reasons, but that brings up a third problem.

1) A kid acquiring more outdoor toys that need a place to be stored
2) A woodworking hobby requiring additional space for tools and materials
3) Mice and bees

A shed would fix problems #1 and #2, but I'm afraid it would bring increase the situation with problem #3 (by making a place they will think is for them). I already have a pavillion type shed to keep the sun and rain off the outdoor tools (lawnmower, etc.) but the mice find it very comfortable; especially under the lawnmower cowling. Can you say mouse-bergers? Yuck!

So everyone is thinking of the same structure, let's assume the shed is going to be built like a house (rim joist, floor joists, wall plates, 16OC studs, ceiling joists, rafters, vinyl siding, 3-tab shingles, etc.); 8' by 10' with a double door in one side.

So what I'm looking for is what steps you would take to mouse and bee proof a shed that you were building.

[Von Bickley]

So what I'm looking for is what steps you would take to mouse and bee proof a shed that you were building.

Build it tight as you can. Caulk under the outside walls and seal all cracks the best that you can.

Poison, Poison, Poison.........

[John Lanciani]

I have two sheds currently, a 10' x 16' for garden stuff and a 12' x 20' for wood storage and finishing (insulated and heated). The first is 10 yrs old and the 2nd is 5 and I've never had a mouse or bees/wasps in either one. The key, as Von mentioned, is to build them as tight as a house. Caulk, construction adhesive, etc. to seal all of the seams as you go. It takes a little extra time and money but it is not at all impossible to keep the pests out. My biggest challenge living in the woods is keeping the carpenter ants away.

Personally, though, I'd never use vinyl siding since it is virtually impossible to keep the critters from getting behind it. My siding of choice is 5/8" T1-11. Also, I always use insulated steel doors, either single or double as needed since they seal tight enough to keep out everything unwanted.

[Anthony Whitesell]

Not big on the poison idea. You never know what is going to get into it. Ditto on the ants as well. But worse off in this yard area the spiders. Although I haven't noticed any of the poisonous ones. The spiders (or really the spider webs) are another plentiful annoyance. As for the bees, I have taken down three from my daughters playhouse, two from the house soffet, and two from under the BBQ grill so far this year. Some were black wasp, other yellow jackets. Last year I had a sparrow nesting in the pavillion shed along with the mice, but haven't had any bees nests...yet.

I was headed for the vinyl so I didn't have to repaint; T1-11 was my second choice...less seems to help conquer problem #3. I was thinking a bead of great stuff might help with the insects but I know from experience it does nothing to stop mice.

[David Helm]

I think the only answer is to learn to live with rodents. They are virtually impossible to get rid of; especially if you live in the country.

[Anthony Whitesell]

They are fine if they are living in their house. It's only a problem when they are living in mine.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Barn cats. Well shed cats. Used for thousands of years for rodents. : )

When my shop was a barn I built a rodent proof yarn storage closet for the LOML. Cement board all around instead of Sheetrock. It's been pest free for 8 years now despite hoards of mice nearby.
No reason you can't build sheds with similar construction. Keeping away bees and hornets requires preplanning and good sealing, but not impossible. I haven't even had spiders in the yarn closet!

[Kevin Stricker]

I say give the mice a nice home away from your home....As long as they are not underfoot and getting into your food why worry?

BTW catfood is a rodents best friend...you keep filling the bowl and they keep emptying/storing it.

[David Helm]

I say give the mice a nice home away from your home....As long as they are not underfoot and getting into your food why worry?

BTW catfood is a rodents best friend...you keep filling the bowl and they keep emptying/storing it.

Not to mention that a well fed cat is too lazy to catch mice!

[Chip Lindley]

Besides barn cats, any farmer worth his salt, had a big black snake or king snake in his barn to keep rodents at bay. I'd rather live with a non-poisonous snake any day than wasps, hornets or spiders! But, that's just me...

[Anthony Whitesell]

I think the dumbest thing I've seen is a green garden hose with two white strips on it. Great it doesn't blend in with the grass, but I hate it when it move when I try to pick it up...because is a gardener snake and not actually the hose. The snakes I have around here have two yellow-ish to white stips on their back...just like the d!@# garden hose.

[Clint Olver]

place one of these in your shed:

http://www.oustamouse.com/

No more mice! As for bees, seal up you shed the best you can, and if you see a nest, remove it asap. A good soaking of WD40 at night will kill any bees in the nest, then bag it and throw it out.

C

[Jacob Nothstine]

Mothballs in a container the kids will not get into, mice hate them.

Have you thought about going up? I just put a attic ladder in my garage and put down 8 4x8 sheets of plywood. gave me a ton of storage for stuff I don't use a lot.

[Peter Scoma]

I'm putting a double door shed adjacent to my shop to store excess tools, materials and some stationary equipment that I don't regularly use. All my neighbors have them as well and many have rodent problems. One common denominator for all their sheds is that they either a) sit directly on the ground or are placed on sleepers of inadequate height or b) owners have attempted to stop rodent infestation by (ineffectively) closing off the section between the ground and the bottom of the shed.

My shed will be installed on a grade that gains 12" over a 10 ft span. I'm pouring 4 ft concrete pylons that will raise the shed about 8in on one end and nearly 20inches on the other to make up for the grade. I'm putting down weed blocking plastic (forget what its called) and 6in of gravel under the structure which will leave the bottom completely open and unobstructed. I'm thinking that allowing unrestricted airflow underneath will extend the life of the shed and also doesn't really provide any cover for rodents to nest. I'll also be sealing up the shed similar to my home in terms of weatherproofing and whatnot. Well see if I am as smart as I think I am.

[Anthony Whitesell]

This was another aspect I was worried about, critters UNDER the shed. What to put under the shed and how far to raise it if any from the ground. I was thinking the same thing 3/4" crushed gravel over weedblock/landscape fabric and raise it 12" from the ground. With 2x10 floor joists, the floor of the shed will be almost 2 feet from the ground.

I'm thinking the biggest weak point for critters and crawlers in the shed will be the doors. I'm thinking that prefab double door would seal the best, but I'd prefer not to spend 30% of the budget on the door. So I'm trying to architect a homemade door with a good seal. Because of that I'm also considering some small screened vents to avoid it becoming an oven or a humidor. Thinking about some of those small round soffet vents near the floor and installing ridge vent over screen door screen on the roof.