Renovating your home is a rewarding but challenging undertaking. Whether you’re updating a single room or your entire living space, it’s gratifying to see the finished product and share it with friends and family. Unfortunately, pests are always waiting to revel in the celebration with you. The renovation process can leave your home vulnerable to insects, rodents and other unwanted invaders looking for shelter. That’s why it’s important to factor pest exclusion and prevention into your home renovation plans.
Here are some expert tips for fortifying your home during renovations:
Keep An Eye Out For Structural Gaps
While making changes to your home, it’s likely you’ll have to tear down, replace or otherwise move structures like doors, walls and windows. In the process, you may create open lanes for pests to move inside. Make sure all structures are tightly fitted in place, and inspect the renovated areas to see if there are any holes or openings, using sealant to patch these up where appropriate.
Be Aware Of How The Site Is Graded
Knowing how your property is graded is crucial to controlling water drainage. If the site is not graded for water to flow away from your house, you could end up with large pools of standing water, which can attract mosquitoes and other pests.
Remember To Keep Doors Closed When Not In Use
It sounds simple, but it’s surprisingly easy to forget. Especially if you’re working with contractors, it’s likely there will be a lot of foot traffic into, out of and around your home. Pests will seize the opportunity and make their way inside if you don’t close the doors. In cases where doors or windows can’t be kept closed, install pest prevention devices such as monitors and mechanical pest control products as a line of defense.
Clean Up The Clutter
During renovations, materials like wood and glass, as well as building tools and equipment, tend to be cast to the side or left lying around. This may seem harmless but can actually provide extra hiding places for pests. That’s why it’s advisable to pack everything up and store it safely after each use. This is especially true outdoors, where items like wood piles and water-holding barrels can provide nesting or breeding grounds.
Watch Where You Dig
Moving soil around your home can disrupt pest populations, including bugs and any burrowing animals. Look for elevated pest activity in areas where you’re digging, and make sure pests aren’t relocating from the dirt into your home. You should also aerate renovated rooms or sites to ensure proper drying of surfaces and structures. If wall plastering is involved, improper drying can lead to psocid and plaster beetle infestations.
By using the tips listed above, you’ll have a great start toward protecting your home from pests during renovation. If you’re still not sure where to begin, or you need some extra help along the way, contact a trusted pest management provider. They’ll examine your property and develop targeted exclusion and prevention techniques to keep your house fortified against pests.
Need a quick reference guide for all of this? You can also download our expert tip sheet here.
Reviewed by Alice Sinia, Ph.D., MSc on September 21 2020.
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