We have been putting up garden sheds since the 80's on various rural sites, and have nothing but good experience using gravel with a hardware cloth interface. The very first shed I put up did not have the hardware cloth, and I constantly battled critters getting into the base surface. I spent hours trapping and baiting all the animals that found the shed-covered area their perfect base. We have a number of sheds now, and all have been successfully protected from the many burrowing animals with a simple gravel and wire system.

What I am most pleased with are two sheds, one about 10x20', the other about 20x30. One was built in 1993, the other about 1995. In neither case have animals been able to penetrate the barriers I put down, but they have sure tried a lot. We have a particular problem with squirrels, rabbits and mice. I have seen lots of places on the exterior where they started to dig, found my protection, and finally gave up. We have no nests at all under either structure.

My method is to put down about a foot deep layer of gravel, with the wire mesh extending out from the runners about 18". I prefer to put the mesh an inch or two below the surface. This makes the whole installation look better, and also seems to be very effective at deterring diggers. Once the shed is erected, I attach the mesh all around the sides of the sheds to the runners. In one shed which uses the gravel as its floor I placed the wire mesh under the whole area of the shed. The mesh probably costs less than a singe trap I'd need to get rid of an unwanted critter, only takes a few minutes to lay down, and I find it works well. Even on the inside of the shed with the gravel floor, I place the mesh about an inch or two below the surface. This really avoids any trip hazards, and makes for a good presentation. If I put up another shed, I will definitely put wire down over the entire footprint. A 20x30' shed would need about 700 square feet of wire cloth, about the amount in one 7'x100' roll which only costs 25-30 dollars. I would put down most of the gravel, lay the mesh, then lay the rest of the gravel.

If you already have the gravel down, I strongly agree with Ken above: take the time to put the mesh in; you won't regret it.

Renais