Measure its maximum height, add about 12", go to a big box like Home
Depot,
and get a sufficient amount of "hardware cloth". This is a steel mesh
that you can staple
to the porch portions, is able to be have the bottom part put into a
trenched area
at the base, then put the dirt back and consider lining it with
stones. Or else consider
simply filling the little trench with concrete.
But also consider correcting the conditions that encouraged the
animals to be there in the
first place. Clean it out well, and then spread a fair amount of cheap
men's aftershave
around with an aerosol sprayer to discourage the squirrels.



On Aug 3, 7:43 pm, " wrote:
Do you folks have any advice for my sister?

I need some help trying one last thing about keeping the animals out
from under my deck. The best choice is to have it ripped up and
replaced with a concrete patio. However, I think that will cost me at
least $10K. I'm going to get an estimate but want to try one more
thing before I do that. Right now I have at least two ground
squirrels and a raccoon living there who come out periodically in the
day/evenings.

Do you have any ideas? A good idea is to dig a trench deep enough all
around it and put in short fencing so the animals can't dig
underneath. However, that's too hard for me, and I can't buy the
fencing small enough (it's in huge rolls at Lowe's/Home Depot). What
has worked is rocks--but wherever I put them to block their entrance
they just avoid that area and dig another hole to get in and out. I
don't think I can find enough rocks to totally surround the deck.

I have hired a high-school kid to help me in a few weeks. He will do
the physical labor based on my idea. So, I have a few weeks to decide
what to try this time. Any ideas?

Thanx in advance
Jason