Wood Rat wall

[Crowbarman55]

I am building a 12x16 shed.
It will be wood floor.
The City requires a Wood Rat wall with a wood floor (see pic)
How would you attach this to the floor?
Just nail it to the outside of the rim joist?
Forgive me I need simple instructions and pictures would be better.
Thanks

 

[velocipede]

Their sample shows rim joists sitting directly on finished grade, What if your shed is on skids over a gravel base? Same requirement? What is your shed sitting on?

 

[Crowbarman55]

It will be on skids.

 

[readhead]

I know the answer but we need some more information. Is this a portable storage building? If so, what size?

 

[nmk_61802]

Their detail looks incorrect... I think this is what they mean:


I don't like putting wood below grade and would ask if they would accept s.s. wire stapled to the shed skids as an alternative.

 

[Superbowl]

I would ask about laying hardware cloth (wire mesh with 1/2" square holes) on top of the joists with the plywood floor on top of that. Then you just nail through both the plywood and hardware cloth. No rat is getting through that. And if you decide to move the shed you don't have to deal with a rat wall going 12" into the dirt.

To answer your question however, nail or screw the wood for the rat wall backing to the 2" side of the 2"x4" shown in your drawing that is laying on it's 4" side.

 

[PCustoms]

I am building a 12x16 shed.
It will be wood floor.
The City requires a Wood Rat wall with a wood floor (see pic)
How would you attach this to the floor?
Just nail it to the outside of the rim joist?
Forgive me I need simple instructions and pictures would be better.
Thanks

Can you slightly elevate the shed to allow airflow and prevent critters?

 

[Crowbarman55]

Can you slightly elevate the shed to allow airflow and prevent critters?

16 foot max height allowed

 

[PCustoms]

16 foot max height allowed

I was thinking just a few inches...

How tall is your shed?

 

[LWB]

This may be a dumb question, but since when has wood stopped a rat?

In our chicken coop I put hardware cloth down 12" and 2x6 floor joists on patio stones. I filled every cavity with 3/4" gravel right to the top of the 2x6. No chickens causalities lol

 

[Crowbarman55]

I was thinking just a few inches...

How tall is your shed?

It's going to be probably 12 foot like this one I built in a different county.

 

[PCustoms]

It's going to be probably 12 foot like this one I built in a different county.

Ok, so build it a foot off the ground...

I'm thrown off that you can stick build a shed but can figure out a rat wall.

 

[carlaisle]

1/2" plywood will not deter, let alone stop, even a moderately motivated rat. Install it in whatever manner is most convenient that will satisfy the inspector.

 

[Crowbarman55]

Ok, so build it a foot off the ground...

I'm thrown off that you can stick build a shed but can figure out a rat wall.

A rat wall wasn't required then and there. I didn't need a permit or an inspection then. I just want to make sure I pass inspection now.

 

[PCustoms]

A rat wall wasn't required then and there. I didn't need a permit or an inspection then. I just want to make sure I pass inspection now.

What document(s) did you pull your spec from?

 

[Crowbarman55]

This may be a dumb question, but since when has wood stopped a rat?

In our chicken coop I put hardware cloth down 12" and 2x6 floor joists on patio stones. I filled every cavity with 3/4" gravel right to the top of the 2x6. No chickens causalities lol

I don't know. It's the city we live in that has this stupid code to use wood. lol

 

[Crowbarman55]

What document(s) did you pull your spec from?

From the city website.

 

[RivennHewn]

I don't know. It's the city we live in that has this stupid code to use wood. lol

Dang. Some city official went to college!

Got to be the worst detail I’ve ever seen

 

[Crowbarman55]

1/2" plywood will not deter, let alone stop, even a moderately motivated rat. Install it in whatever manner is most convenient that will satisfy the inspector.

I agree. I talked to the inspector and he told me to just use 1/2" because it's cheaper.

 

[Crowbarman55]

Dang. Some city official went to college!

Got to be the worst detail I’ve ever seen

We are known as chemical city so maybe wood it's the only thing that will not melt in the contaminated soil??????

 

[PCustoms]

From the city website.

Great....

What city?

Is there a full document?

Help us help you

 

[Superbowl]

1/2" plywood will not deter, let alone stop, even a moderately motivated rat. Install it in whatever manner is most convenient that will satisfy the inspector.

Go back and look at the plan in the first post. The plywood is "a continuous nailer" for the rat wall barrier. So the plywood is just a nailer. I suspect metal flashing is the actual rat wall barrier.

 

[carcruse]

Great....

What city?

Is there a full document?

Help us help you

Since it is known as Chemical City, he must be in Midland, Michigan. Home of Dow Chemical.

 

[carlaisle]

Go back and look at the plan in the first post. The plywood is "a continuous nailer" for the rat wall barrier. So the plywood is just a nailer. I suspect metal flashing is the actual rat wall barrier.

Agreed, but since no "rat wall barrier material" is specified, none is required to be installed. The correct solution remains to ask the inspector what is required to pass and then do that.

 

[Crowbarman55]

Since it is known as Chemical City, he must be in Midland, Michigan. Home of Dow Chemical.

You are correct