Can you really build a fortress against the tiniest invaders of our homes—mice? This week, join me, Jim Troth, and the ever-knowledgeable Laura, the office goddess, as we unpack the challenges of creating a mouse-proof house while giving you the latest updates on the progress of our own property under construction. From the practicality of placing electrical outlets to seeing that our bathtub actually fits in just the right spot, we cover the tangible milestones of building a home. Then, we pivot to a topic that's both intriguing and a little unsettling: the battle against those pesky rodents that seem to find their way into even the most fortified homes.
As we peel back the layers of construction and homeowner maintenance, you'll get an insider's look at why even the poshest neighborhoods aren't immune to uninvited furry guests. Laura dishes out her wisdom on the everyday habits that could be welcoming these critters, while I lend my construction expertise on how to reinforce your home's defenses. It's a conversation filled with practical tips, surprising revelations, and a touch of humor—because let's face it, dealing with mice can be as frustrating as it is funny. So, whether you've faced a mouse dilemma or you're just curious about the nuts and bolts of keeping a home secure, tune in for an engaging session that promises to enlighten and entertain.
To learn more about Habitation Investigation, the Three-time Winner of the Best Home Inspection Company in the Midwest Plus the Winner of Consumer Choice Award for Columbus Ohio visit Home Inspection Columbus Ohio - Habitation Investigation (homeinspectionsinohio.com)
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Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Standing Out in Ohio podcast,
where we discuss topics,upcoming events, news and
predictions with real estateprofessionals and entrepreneurs.
Listen and learn what makestheir companies and themselves
stand out and gain advantagesover the competition and gain
market share.
Subscribe for the latest newsand discussion on what it takes
(00:23):
to stand out from the crowd.
Now here's your host, jim.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hey everybody, Welcome to the Standing Out and
how podcast.
This is Jim Troth and of course, with me is Laura, the office
goddess.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Hello everyone.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
All right, laura.
All right.
Quick update on the house, thehouse we're building.
How's that going?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
I think all the siding's on the roofing is done.
They were working onelectricity and plumbing the
last I knew, so getting there.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
We were there the other day and the boxes are in
place.
Where are they going to put theoutlets at?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
One of the bathtubs is in.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Megan's tub is in Yep , so it's moving along, it's
chugging along quite nicely yep,and like megan said, it's hard
to visualize it when it's justfor it was just just the slab.
It's hard to see if it's justthe exterior it's hard to see,
but once everything's up alittle bit easier and now that
there's like a tub and there'slike, oh, okay, oh, that is wide
(01:26):
enough for a tub.
Okay, because?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
it did not look wide enough.
Yeah, hard to visualizesomething.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
So anyway, we had a question.
I think this came online it didsomebody wanted to know if,
when they build new houses, dothey build them mouse-proof.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
But first let's listen to this Habitation
investigation is the way to gofor a home inspection in Ohio.
Trusted licensed homeinspectors for your needs from
radon to mold to warranties, fora great home inspection, you
(02:08):
really can't go wrong.
Visit homeinspectionsinohiocom.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
All right.
So somebody will know if, whenthey build houses, do they make
them mouse proof.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Yes, and the answer?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
to no, yes, that was the question.
That was the question.
Yes, I'll tell you rightproof.
Yes, and the answer to.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
No, yes, that was the question.
That was the question.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yes, and I'll tell you right now.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
No.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
No.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Well, first of all, our new house.
All during the building processyou don't A good part of it,
especially in the beginning.
There's no windows, there's nodoors, there's no way you can
keep anything out.
We had footprints in the mudoutside the house the other day
of a raccoon like a foot awayfrom the house.
(02:53):
We call him ricky, but anywaythere's a raccoon that lives not
just outside the house and wellnear the cabin too, because
we'll see him on the cabin theyprobably right there in the
middle looking for scraps offood, anything, if we left
anything behind, by the way,there's no way the house is
going to be critter proof.
No, there's no way especiallynot out in the woods like we are
(03:14):
no, even if you're out, if,while lock construction out in
the fields, stir up the miceStir up the stirp homes.
The most mouse infested place Iever saw was a nice area in
Dublin.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Really.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Yes.
So if you do not want mice inyour house, you need to clean up
after yourself when you cook.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
That's all I got to say about that?
Speaker 3 (03:40):
In the siding.
Make sure that your dryer ventsor cable lines coming in, that
you caulk those up so there's noopenings.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Mice's, a mouse's skull will collapse and that's
how they can fit into thoselittle itty bitty freaking holes
that you think would beimpossible yeah, it does not
take much space for a mouse toget through because, like la
Laura said, our heads, humanskulls, our skulls fuse together
the sections of it.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
That does not happen with a mouse.
That little head, they cansquish it, they can push through
little things.
So it's really, man, you wouldhave to build a house really
super tight to keep the micecoming in once.
Once you've done the framing,put the side on.
It's going to be really supertight.
But they will chew throughthings.
Yes, they will.
Squirrels will chew throughfascia boards.
(04:33):
They'll create their ownopenings.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
You just got to be vigilant.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
But the best thing is , don't give them a reason to be
there, right?
Which is food?
Do not leave food out for them.
Is food?
Do not leave food out for them.
I mean not that you'reintentionally feeding them, but
if you have cracker crumbs andcheese I like cheese they're
going to come in.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
So you know I was on the wagon train.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Wait Alright, laura.
Someday you're going to talkabout the wagon train.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Someday I will talk about the wagon train.
They had a food truck.
Was it a truck or another wagontrain?
Someday I will tell about thewagon train.
They had a food truck.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Was it a truck or another wagon train?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
It was part of the wagon train.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Was it old Surrey?
Speaker 3 (05:16):
No, jim, it was just like this little food vehicle
that they drove.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Wait, does it have a motor or is it pulled by a horse
?
Speaker 3 (05:28):
I think it was pulled by something an animal I animal
or a car, I I don't remember,like it just it was pulled by
horse dude.
This is like 30 freaking yearsago.
So anyways, I remember one ofmy kids was like begging for
food.
She'd been sick that day,hadn't eaten anything, and she
just wanted a peanut butter andjelly.
That's a fair request.
(05:49):
I can understand that.
So I traipse my happy littleunsuspecting butt into the food
wagon food wagon to make her asandwich, open up the bottom
cupboard, scream bloody murder.
like all of the guys that wereworking in the camp came running
because they thought I wasbeing attacked Because there
(06:11):
were mice in the bottom of thecabinet just munching on the
food.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah, because there's food.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
But it wasn't out.
It was in the cabinet.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Yes, but they could smell it.
That's why in our cabin that wehave in the woods right now, if
we leave food there, it is inthese airtight buckets.
Yes and we screw that up, Screwdown.
You cannot get into it becauseI do not want a mouse or the
raccoon or any other crittersmelling this and they go.
(06:44):
Hey, I can go in.
Here's what I do also.
Every time we leave, I take apeppermint spray and I mist a
little peppermint in the cabincenter.
Then I go out to the cornersbecause mice and rodents do not
like peppermints.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Well, I think there's another reason why we haven't
had any mice in there, and thatwould be the five-foot-long
black rat snake that we sawscurrying across the middle of
the trail, going towards thecabin.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeah, you sure heard Laura freak out.
We're driving the ATV goingback to the cabin and this thing
was easily four to five feetlong.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Easily.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
And it was.
He was speedy Black Snake.
He was going quite quicklyacross that trail, he almost.
The trail is about seven feetacross and he easily was.
He was three-quarters of thewidth Easily.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
He was easily five foot.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
But that's an animal that you do not want in your
house, in your cabin.
I do not want him in my house.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
He could stay outside and snack on all the mice he
wants, but no coming in.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
So this is part of the hippie, Laura.
You use nature to battle thesethings.
So if you want a mouse-proofhouse, Laura, is there any kind
of plants you would recommendyou plant right outside your
house?
Mint you would plant mint.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
I would plant mint.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Peppermint, spearmint , all the mints.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I think all the mints .
I can double check on that andsend you a link for information
to put on this.
But yeah, I'm pretty sure theydon't like mint for some reason.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
They can do research.
Well, there is a spray calledRodent Sheriff and it's just
peppermint oil, is all.
It is Maybe another type ofmint in there, but I'll spray
that in the cabin and it'sstrong, so I spray it when I'm
leaving, right, but that keepsmice away.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
We've not had any problems, so yes, so, but no,
houses are not built mouse-proof.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
No, they can't be Not really, especially during
construction.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
There's no way.
Now, after you're done, thehouse is built, you can do
things to help make it harderfor the mice to come.
Like you, don't leave.
If you have penetrationsthrough the walls, like, say, a
gas pipe, make those are sealed,not big and loose.
Open holes, sidings loose.
Don't let it sit there loosebecause they can go up
(09:02):
underneath that and then chew ahole.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
Leave a kitty cat in your house.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Have a cat that's slightly hungry is good.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Because it will be finding.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Plant mint around the house.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
That would work.
But you're not going to createa house that's 100% mouse-proof
or bug-proof, because bugs areso small it's going to be almost
impossible to keep them out.
Very true, so I think that's itfor this one.
But that was a funny questionbecause, like man, I never
thought of that.
What I mean if you don't know,you don't know, but they do.
(09:36):
I mean it would be nice if theydid build things so tight and
exactly the correct dimensionsand width that it was so tight
together there's no way anythingcould get through that's then
you're sacrificing clean air inthat air exchange unless you
have an air exchange unit that'sright.
You do need a certain amount ofair exchange, and that comes
goes back to our inner airquality class, but it's almost.
(09:59):
It would be very, verydifficult to have a house that's
so tight that there's no spacefor any air leaking in, which is
enough space for bugs.
And well, miles, if he sees alittle tiny gap where he may not
fit through, he can create that, he can gnaw on that and make
it big enough for him so.
I think that's about it forthis.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Bye, everyone, Thanks everybody Bye-bye.
You've been listening to theStanding Out in Ohio podcast.
Be sure to subscribe on Spotifyor Google Podcasts to get new,
fresh episodes.
For more, please follow us onInstagram, twitter and Facebook,
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(10:43):
jimtroffcom.
That's J-I-M-T-R-O-T-H andclick on podcast.
Until next time.
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