sheds on skids and critters

[shannonw]

Hi,

what do people do when they get a shed on skids to keep critters out from under them? In florida I'd have all kinds of **** living under there.

I gotta get the kids bikes out of the garage, i've given up trying to work around them, one on skids is the quickest as I don't have to go through all the freaking permitting mess around here.

 

[sselander]

What I did on mine:
take some hardware cloth (wire mesh) cut a foot and 1/2 wide and then fold into an L shape.
dig a small trench and staple to the skids. When done, cover the horizontal part with dirt.
The idea is when the animal starts digging, he will hit the mesh.

Take a look here:
http://totalwildlifecontrol.com/our-services/woven-wire-wildlife-barrier/

 

[robin1731]

I just had a new shed built and delivered. It does sit on skids a good 4" high on one end and more on the other. I asked the builder that very question. I live in a woods so I have a lot of critters around here too. He said to leave it the way it is. They won't go under there because they are too visible. With no place to hide they find another spot.

 

[Gary S]

Sheds here are required to be permantly built on concrete slabs to avoid the rodent problem.

 

[5lima30]

I have had good luck throwing some mothballs under the shed (2-3x a year). YMMV.

 

[964haus]

What I did on mine:
take some hardware cloth (wire mesh) cut a foot and 1/2 wide and then fold into an L shape.
dig a small trench and staple to the skids. When done, cover the horizontal part with dirt.
The idea is when the animal starts digging, he will hit the mesh.

Take a look here:
http://totalwildlifecontrol.com/our-services/woven-wire-wildlife-barrier/

I did this exact method too. Look fine and the lower trim board covers it too. Easy to do.
M.

 

[shannonw]

Yeah that mesh seems like the way to go i was wondering about that same thing. The sheds on skids don't need to breath underneath? Covered with dirt would probably work, i've had mice and stuff get in the smallest of cracks i couldn't believe...but sure enough sealing the cracks and the droppings went away.

Concrete is my preference as well but that's going to get more expensive as i think that means build on site and permits,etc. They have this great rule, permit needed for > 150 sq feet OR if built on site.

 

[digdug18]

I've got a groundhog under mine. Though he's going to die of lead poisoning sooner then later.

 

[964haus]

Slight mod to my previous answer - you can see here what I actually did. It's not fully buried like in the diagram. You're right, that they should be airflow under the wooden floor to prevent moisture buildup and damage.

You can see here where the mesh goes and how the gap is maintained. 3 skids running lengthways down the shed.

Hope this helps,
m.

 

[kbs2244]

I learned to live and let live.
It turns into a no win battle.
They will always outnumber you.
(Do you have 2 to 6 offspring per year?)

Put it high enough to get good air flow, and keep the grass mowed close around it, and it will discourage a lot of them.

 

[MoparTrucks]

I learned to live and let live.
It turns into a no win battle.
They will always outnumber you.
(Do you have 2 to 6 offspring per year?)

Put it high enough to get good air flow, and keep the grass mowed close around it, and it will discourage a lot of them.

 

[theoldwizard1]

1/4 - 1/2" mesh installed as pictured is the best solution,

Second. 4-6" off the ground with mothballs and good trimming. Most critters want a dark place to sleep in the daytime.