Rodent Proofing & Pest Exclusion
in Burnaby, BC
Burnaby's topography ranges from the relatively flat areas along the Burrard Inlet waterfront through the mid-slope residential neighbourhoods of Capitol Hill and Burnaby Mountain to the lower-lying districts around Edmonds and Metrotown. The variability in elevation and soil conditions means crawlspace challenges vary considerably across the city. Properties on Burnaby Mountain and Capitol Hill often deal with steep-site drainage challenges, where surface water moving downslope through clay soils is channelled toward downhill foundation walls. Properties near Deer Lake and in the lower Edmonds area face a higher seasonal water table.
Rodents find crawlspaces attractive for the same reasons moisture does well there: it's dark, protected, relatively warm, and — in homes without proper exclusion — easy to get into. Rats (particularly Norway rats, common throughout Surrey and the Fraser Valley) and house mice can squeeze through gaps as small as a quarter-inch. They enter through uncapped foundation vents, gaps around utility penetrations, deteriorated sill plate joints, and even through the condenser lines of HVAC systems if protective screens are missing or corroded.
Our rodent-proofing process starts with a perimeter audit: we walk the exterior of the foundation looking for every possible entry point, then we move inside the crawlspace to identify any gaps that weren't visible from outside. Foundation vents are fitted with heavy-gauge galvanized steel mesh or replaced with sealed covers. Gaps around plumbing and electrical penetrations are packed with stainless steel wool and sealed with caulk or foam. Damaged sill plates are repaired. If the foundation vent openings are large or irregularly shaped, we use pre-formed steel exclusion panels rather than flexible mesh, which rodents can push past over time.
Why Choose Us in Burnaby?
- Experience with Burnaby's specific soil and drainage conditions
- Custom-designed systems — not one-size-fits-all packages
- Fully licensed, insured, and WCB-covered technicians
- Written report with photos after every inspection
- Workmanship guarantee on all completed work
Request Service in Burnaby
About Burnaby — What We See Here
Many of Burnaby's established residential neighbourhoods were built in the post-war era through the early 1970s, and a significant proportion of this housing stock has crawlspace foundations. These homes are now old enough that original structural wood — posts, beams, sill plates — has had decades of exposure to whatever moisture conditions were present before the first renovations or repairs were done. In our experience, Burnaby homes from this era are among the most likely to have multiple compounding issues: deteriorated original posts, collapsed insulation, and mold on the subfloor underside that has gone unnoticed for years.
The good news for Burnaby homeowners is that the soil conditions in most of the city, while clay-heavy, respond well to proper perimeter drainage improvements. Combined with encapsulation, these interventions tend to produce very effective results. We also note that Burnaby has an active real estate market, and crawlspace conditions are increasingly part of pre-sale and pre-purchase inspection discussions — a clean, documented, encapsulated crawlspace is a measurable asset in the market.