Animal Noises Under the Floor

Twenty or so years ago, a member of our team and his wife spent the night in an “historic” hotel in Port Aransas, Texas.

Suffice to say, “historic” meant a little dated and cramped. But honestly, the room was booked more for the rate than the history and ambiance of the place. It was Spring Break and it had a bed. No frills needed or expected. We were only going to sleep there really.

Or so we thought.

Sometime in the middle of the night, we were both awakened and stayed that way for a while. That’s because there was some kind of animal (animals?) crawling around under the floorboards of our room!

It was probably just an oppossum or something but, in the middle of the night, it sure was loud. It’s hard to sleep when you’re tracking animal movement under you for what seems like hours.

Nobody wants nuisance wildlife crawling around under a living space making noise and disturbing the peace!

Today we share a video that shows the use of wire to block holes that let animals get under a room added onto a house. It is a great solution that we employ in all kinds of situations.

Keeping animals out from under structures is good for the house and your peace of mind!

First Step: Find the Openings

When any animals get into or under the home, the first step in formulating a solution is to find out where they are getting in.

Some animals force their own ways inside. But, most just find some advantage our structures provide and exploit it.

Holes and gaps into our homes open up for all sorts of reasons. Age, weather, changes/additions, and poor animal-conscious design from the outset are some top causes of creating animal-conducive conditions.

At the house shown in the picture to the right and video below, the opening was formed when some concrete steps were removed and wooden ones put in their place. The original concrete probably shifted over time due to factors above or poor installation. Nevertheless, the steps were what was important to the person who made the repair–not the gap that had been created with access under the addition’s floor.

When the noises under the floor started, it was pretty easy to locate where the animals were getting in.

Second Step: Seal the Gap

The gap you see in the picture above needs closed. And while there are various methods to do that, when it comes to keeping animals out steel wire works well.

In this case, getting to the opening required some dissassembly. But once exposed, covering the gap is not too bad.

Please watch the video for a much clearer look at the problem and solution.