Brownstone owners- do you always encounter mice?
We are starting our house search and trying to decide between a high end condo/coop and brownstone. We are up for the general maintenance associated with a brownstone in terms of constant repairs, etc. However, one thing that keeps giving me pause is the rodent issue. So I wanted to ask those of you who…
We are starting our house search and trying to decide between a high end condo/coop and brownstone. We are up for the general maintenance associated with a brownstone in terms of constant repairs, etc. However, one thing that keeps giving me pause is the rodent issue.
So I wanted to ask those of you who have brownstones to describe what type of mouse encounters should be expected.
If we buy a house that is in great condition, is it still a guarantee that we’ll see mice annually when the weather turns cold? Or is it more just a common occurance? We live in Manhattan now in an old building and have encountered mice but it was just once and they have not turned up again after we caught them.
So I just want to understand whether I can expect this to be an ongoing problem (as in, catch mice frequently throughout the year) or whether this is typically more of an isolated incident that, if properly addressed by exterminators, etc.- can be dealt with.
I’m just trying to understand the nature and severity of the mouse situation in most brownstones. Any comments would be appreciated.
Thank you!
We started to get mice a few years ago, when new neighbors next door moved in with a mouser cat.
We have a cat, that is not the least bit interested in chasing or catching mice. We had an exterminator come in few times to seal up holes and lay glue traps.
That helped, but since the mice are only coming in cabinet with the kitchen garbage, we got a rat zapper for under the sink. No more problems, and no poison.
We got a cat a few years ago after several mice came jumping out of a kitchen drawer a few years ago. (It helped that our daughter had been begging for a cat.) Before that incident, the mice came in every Fall. We’d see evidence in the kitchen and then call an exterminator — one visit and the mice were gone. We have a rear parlor kitchen and that is always where the mice are. I’ve never seen any evidence of mice in any other part of the house. If you keep food away from where your babies sleep and play, you should be fine.
BklynHouseLover- how do you deal with the really bad infestation that you encounter from time to time? Is it remedied quickly?
MrsLimestone- thanks for the tips. I appreciate it. (You are generally very helpful on this baord).
Pests don’t care if you live in a condo, townhouse or brownstone. If you seal off the spaces they enter and don’t leave food laying around you shouldn’t have a major problem. If a mouse wanders in, its can be easily remedied by a trap. I wouldn’t lay down poison b/c then you’ll just have a dead mouse in your house which is more dangerous than a live one.
Ive always had a cat so perhaps thats why I haven’t had any issues but he has never caught any mice. Hard to say if any have traveled through and been scared off. But its never been an issue.
I don’t think a random mouse is going to pose much of a threat to your children.
I have owned brownstones for over 20 years. Sometimes, for several years no mice, some times a really bad infestation. No idea why.
Thanks all- we are just trying to get a realistic sense of this issue. We would likely be open to monthly/quarterly exterminators and would also do as thorough a job as possible with sealing holes.
We have newborn twins to take into consideration which is one reason why we’re pretty fearful of rodents. I’m just wondering if it is realistic to keep them at bay- at least out of our interior space.
Interesting that condos would likely be affected too. Living in Manhattan for 10 years, I understand that rodents can exist anywhere. We’re ready to buy a home though with a yard, but are given genuine pause when faced with mice running around and little kids doing the same.
I realize that there is no way to say for sure, but are some brooklyn brownstone owners able to effectively keep rodents,squirrels, etc. away from their interior space?
This post is really making me crack up. If you are that afraid of rodents you should rethink living in NY, any temperate climate for that matter
You can get mice in new condos too. Just ask around… my friends have had them, and they live in a multifamily newish development.
Cats and through cleaning go a long way. Good luck.
the problem is that you can work to seal up every crack and crevice that you see in the basement and around the foundation but they get in through the common walls that you share with your lovely brownstones to either side!!
You can keep them out of your interior space by making sure that EVERY hole and the area around every pipe in the kitchen and bathroom is effectively sealed up. This is ony going to be accomplished by removing the cabinets and making sure there are no crevices, holes or soaces anywhere in the floor or the drywall. They come up through the small voids between the wall or the floor and the pipes & drains. Steel wool works well in filling the voids bt if they are larger, you need to feit some new wood around the pipe and the opening.
If you set poison out you will eventually wind up with a dead rodent in the walls somewhere and a bad smell for a couple of months