Rant: my DIY deck project turned into a squirrel condo

I was out in my backyard in Portland last Saturday, finally building that raised deck I planned for months. Got the frame halfway done, all level and looking good. Then I turn around for 5 minutes to grab more screws, and a whole family of squirrels had started stuffing acorns into the open joist gaps. I swear one of them looked at me like "you done?" Now I gotta pull apart the whole thing and add mesh before I even think about the boards. Has anyone else had wildlife hijack their build mid-project?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair_allen1mo ago

Which is funny because people always think squirrels are cute until they pull a move like this. But you gotta remember they're basically just rats with good PR from the whole nut burying thing. Get that mesh installed and watch your back once it gets cold because they will absolutely chew through a lot of those plastic ones.

ryan_nelson1mo ago

Gotta hand it to you, you nailed it with the whole "rats with good PR" thing. Squirrels are basically just tree rats that learned how to look cute while causing chaos. People forget they'll gnaw through soffits, chew into attics, and destroy bird feeders like it's a hobby. The cold weather part is real too, they get desperate for warmth and food and turn into tiny demolition experts. Mesh is the only way to go, metal hardware cloth specifically, because that plastic stuff is just a snack to them.

sarahh481mo agoMost Upvoted

Wait, have you actually seen them chew through the plastic stuff or just heard about it? I'm asking because I've been using the heavy duty plastic mesh and so far so good, but now I'm worried I'm just feeding them.