Anti-pest porch construction?

[Sasquatch]

I'm building a new home. My neighborhood has had a problem with pests living under porches and decks. We're building a front porch that will only be two feet (or less) off the ground, so there will be enough room underneath for pests but not room for pest control professionals, pest abatement activities, etc. Is there something we can do during the construction phase to keep pests from nesting under there, like razor wire or something? We're mostly concerned about skunks, racoons, and wild cats. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. - John

[Glenn]

Two foot high? Crawl under once in a while and destroy any nest.

Or put fencing, maybe 1/2 hardware cloth around the area and if you don't want to look at the fence, build a nice lattice work over it.. If you are really paranoid, use 3' wide fence and bury it a foot below grade for burrowing pests.

[PPS]

You could use Critter Ridder:

on Repellants, then on Critter Ridder.

If it's an adult female with babies, use Raccoon Eviction Fluid.

As it states in the copy, "Raccoon Eviction Fluid, this is not a chemical repellant, but elicits an instinctual biological reaction in the adult female raccoon to flee, and in the process move her young out of wherever she is currently dwelling."

Fox urine is also effective. Can by at your local garden center. Scares away everything, including neighbors dog (but I found something even more effective.)

[mrsgator88]

mothballs got rid of my chipmunks

S

[PPS]

Drinking beer and passing gas gets rid of mother-in-laws quite well.

[Jonny]

Other than small animals, the next biggest problem can be ants and so forth. Especially if you eat or feed the dogs on the porch. Dogs are sloppy eaters. Most decking on porches lets water pass through. Washing the deck down only waters the critters and the habitat beneath, and keeps them there if the climate is generally dry.

A decent skirt usually keeps out the small animals, does nothing for insects. Rodents can go straight through a lattice-work skirt. A cinder block skirt is fine. Doesn't need concrete fill as its only supporting its own weight.

Wouldn't hurt to put applicable long term insecticide granules on top of the piers, and on the ground before closing off with decking.

[HerHusband]

When we built our house, I extended the concrete stemwall foundation along the outside edge of the porch (front deck). That's in addition to the stemwall on the inside edge of the porch (that supports the weight of the house).

I have a removable section of about 4 deck boards I can lift out to access the area under the porch, which is also how I get to the crawlspace under the house.

It was only slightly more work during construction, but I have been very happy with it. No animals are able to get access under the porch, and I don't have to worry about soil being backfilled up against wood anywhere.

I put a layer of pea gravel under the porch, as well as in the crawlspace of the house. Easy on the knees when crawling, and it drains well.

Anthony