No Worries: Animal Proof Your Deck

Does one of the following apply to you?

You think there’s a (insert animal of concern) living under the deck but you’re not sure
You’ve surprised a groundhog and it has fled under the deck
Your dog has chased an opossum under the deck before and now the dog is fascinated with that spot
You have a general concern with wild animals like skunks living under the deck

Never worry about nuisance animals under your deck again. How?

Make sure animals stay out by blocking off access under your deck (even from burrowing animals) with wire.

We call it a deck exclusion and it works to keep animals out.

It starts with high quality galvanized wire mesh. The wire mesh comes in a roll and is two feet wide. The appropriate length is cut and the wire is bent to a 90 degree angle. Then the area below and in front of the deck is excavated.

Once the digging is done the bent wire goes in the excavation. It is attached securely to the bottom of the deck. This way it sits about a foot down and a foot out from the deck. Then the dirt is back filled.

The next time an animal digs to get under a deck, it will hit the wire and be forced to retreat. Having the wire come out a foot takes away any angle that would put the animal under the wire.

Here’s a video of a deck exclusion Ryan recently performed.

As you’ll see, the homeowner had an issue with skunks under the deck. Since we dig during the day and the skunks come out at night, the deck couldn’t be immediately blocked off. A trap was placed to make sure all the animals potentially under the deck had come out. You’ll see there was definitely a skunk under the deck.