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Posted by franz frippl on September 11, 2007, 12:23 pm
On Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:46:45 -0700, Woodchuck34 wrote:
> We moved into a 14 year old house 1 year ago and I have been crossing
> items off the honey-do list at a good pace. Last week, SWMBO asked me
> to look at the basement insulation, which we knew had some mice
> issues. The house had sat dorment for about 6 months before we bought
> it (no one crazy enough to do all this work), so the mice had free
> reign. As I started pulling down the fiberglass bats, the fecal
> matter kept raining down. Ultimately, I ripped all of the insulation
> down and still feel that it was the right decision due to the amount
> of droppings.
>
> I have been researching the insulation options and need help. Our
> intention is to finish the basement into a playroom for the kids in
> the near future. I do not want to have to repeat the expense/time of
> ripping down insulation and cleaning the mess again. Right now I'm
> leaning towards gluing rigid foam board insulation inbetween the
> ceiling rafters and either screwing/gluing (or both) a layer of
> drywall directly to the insulation for fire safety issues. The
> drawbacks of the rigid foam as I understand it are that is not as safe
> in a fire as fiberglass and its more expensive, but I don't want to
> create another mouse highway in my basement with fiberglass bats.
>
> My questions are these:
>
> 1. Is the rigid foam and the method I'm considering even going to keep
> the mice out (at least in between the subfloor and the insulation)?
> If not it not worth the expense.
>
> 2. If #1 is yes, is attaching a layer of drywall an adequate fire
> retardent (SWMBO is big on fire safety)
>
> 3. If I use this method and eventually finish the basement; I will be
> installing a drywall ceiling. Is it acceptable to then install a
> drywall ceiling to the rafters (since I will essentially be installing
> a second layer of drywall).
>
>
>
> Here are the other considerations:
>
> -Poured concrete foundation approx 8.5'
> -the plan is to finish the basement, but not necessarily constantly
> heat it, rather just heat it when its being used (I mention this
> because I've read that it isn't even as important to insulate under
> the 1st floor, but might be better to spend the money insulating the
> basement walls instead)
> -we've had an extreminator on contract since the dog "gave" SWMBO a
> mouse in the old house. They have put out poison and are coming
> tomorrow (first time they'll get a great look since the insulation is
> gone). Point is we have a professional involved. They did mention
> that mice aren't likely to chew through drywall. They just don't like
> it.
> -Basement is mostly dry but now is ready for me to seal every nook and
> cranny. Also will be looking for mice entry points.
> -have not found evidence of mice protrusion into the rest of the house
> except for the attic
>
> Any help/opinions would be very much appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> WoodChuck34
A small building I acquired last year had mice. Thought I had eradicated
every last one until the day I baked bread only to discover another nest
in the oven's insulation.
I cleaned up all debris and removed all nesting materials. Set out traps
and Just One Bite bait. Also cut back grass and vegetation around
building's perimeter to make the place less appealing to the critters.
Through some extra Just One Bite beneath the porch.
It doesn't take much of a hole for a mouse to squeeze through, but if you
can stay a few steps ahead of them, you might have a chance.
You might consider foam insulation around building perimeter where siding
meets foundation and wherever you can imagine a mouse getting in. Open
garage doors are an invitation but the critters can crawl in where gasket
meets door corners.
Keeping yard mowed and trimmed will help discourage mice. Cleaning up
yard waste, too.
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