How to mouse-proof a timber-boarded house?

[David001]

Mice, shrews, voles!  Somehow they all get into our house and make their way up into the walls and attic.

 

A couple of years ago one of them nibbled a plastic pipe in an upstairs wall and caused a leak which saturated the plaster of an upstairs wall and the downstairs wall directly beneath, as well the carpets of both adjacent rooms!

 

So it's time to close the "front door"!

 

The trouble is: where IS their "front door"?

 

 

Somewhere around the perimeter of the house, the little devils are clearly able to make their way up the 8 inches of plaster between the shingle and the first board of timber-cladding, as in the photo.

Where they go after that we'll never know, but behind the cladding there must be one or more holes allowing them into the house.

 

So what's needed is a guard of some kind.

 

1. It must be attached between the top of the grey plaster and the bottom of the first board.
2. It must be firmly and permanently attached.
3. It shouldn't have holes or gaps in it greater than 6 mm.
4. It must allow air to ventilate the cavity behind the boards.
5. It must stop determined rodents from making it onto the outer surface of the boards, so that they can't climb until they find a gap between the boards.
6. It should come in long strips, so that there will be as few joins as possible.
7. It should be black (or be painted black), so that no part of it will be visible.

 

And:

1. It mustn't be chewable.
2. It mustn't rust.
3. It mustn't be an eye-sore.

 

Are there any other requirements?

 

Any recommendations, please? 

 

[Alan Ambrose]

Stainless steel mesh stapled (stainless staples) to close the gap at the bottom of the cladding would be a good start. Also, look for any penetrations through the plasterboard (e.g. in kitchen cupboards)and seal with anti-mouse mastic. Some pest control companies offer this service if you don’t want to diy.

 

[Roundtuit]

Have a look at profilestore.co.uk, ventilation profiles.  They do flat or angled in black at good prices.  I bought some recently for proofing some cladding.