Hello
I have an attic space that I would primarily like to mouse-proof and secondarily insulate for better warmth in the house.
The space is used for storing things that are not always used and needs to be 'sealed' so that mice cannot chew on them.
From what I have found through Googling and checking various insulation companies' websites, I have a partial idea of how I can proceed.
What I react to the most, however, is that when building a straight wall in the attic (so that there is a crawl space at the last bit), the layers in the wall, seen from inside the house, become:
Some form of board like OSB, battens, plastic, insulation... and then nothing more.
I would like to have some form of wooden board or something on the other side of the insulation to prevent mice (and last year rats) from chewing and nesting in the insulation.
So, after the long intro, can I put something like OSB or asphalt board on the crawl space side of the insulation to protect it, or is there a risk of trapping moisture in some way?
I have an attic space that I would primarily like to mouse-proof and secondarily insulate for better warmth in the house.
The space is used for storing things that are not always used and needs to be 'sealed' so that mice cannot chew on them.
From what I have found through Googling and checking various insulation companies' websites, I have a partial idea of how I can proceed.
What I react to the most, however, is that when building a straight wall in the attic (so that there is a crawl space at the last bit), the layers in the wall, seen from inside the house, become:
Some form of board like OSB, battens, plastic, insulation... and then nothing more.
I would like to have some form of wooden board or something on the other side of the insulation to prevent mice (and last year rats) from chewing and nesting in the insulation.
So, after the long intro, can I put something like OSB or asphalt board on the crawl space side of the insulation to protect it, or is there a risk of trapping moisture in some way?
Yep. Same here. One is amazed at the brain-dead "solution."kribbe1987 said:
You can't leave a single small opening/gap anywhere if you don't want the insulation pulverized by rodents. Asfaboard is probably not tough enough. OSB might work, but absolutely no weaknesses in the form of joints or empty screw/nail holes because then it gnaws up to a hole. I myself am nailing raw boards on a wind that's going to be insulated. I even nail on boards on the outside over knot holes where the knot has fallen away...
Living in the countryside on a horse farm, so the gnawing pressure is immense. If there's a weakness, it's just a matter of time (short) before it's discovered and exploited.
I have just been tearing and working on a plank house, and you don't have to be Einstein to recognize one. As previously mentioned, it can be difficult to determine what is load-bearing and what is not in a plank house since all walls contain enough wood to be load-bearing. If you plan to tear down the ceiling, do it right away; it might become apparent there what is load-bearing, at least it does in my house. But of course, it can also be figured out in other ways, a seasoned carpenter or even better a similar engineer can handle it.
I've heard that mice do not make tunnels in flax insulation. Unfortunately, it's a bit more expensive.