Funny you mention ants—I had the same problem, but with spiders. I thought sealing the joints would be enough, but those little guys still found a way in. Did anyone try using that expanding foam stuff? I was worried it might trap moisture, so I skipped it, but now I’m second-guessing. Also, did the gravel layer make a big difference for drainage? My soil’s pretty clay-heavy and I’m not sure if I should dig it all out or just hope for the best...
- Used expanding foam once—regretted it. It sealed up tight, but yeah, moisture got trapped and I ended up with some funky mold behind the wall.
- About the gravel: made a noticeable difference for me, especially with clay soil. Didn’t dig super deep, just enough for a few inches of gravel under the slab.
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“I thought sealing the joints would be enough, but those little guys still found a way in.”
Same here, spiders are relentless. Ever try those sticky traps along the baseboards?
Curious—did you run your wifi cable underground or go wireless? Wondering if trenching through clay is as bad as it sounds...
I actually went the wired route—ran Cat6 in conduit underground. Trenching through clay was a pain, not gonna sugarcoat it. The soil clumped up and stuck to everything, but I only had to go about 18 inches deep for peace of mind. Wireless extenders never gave me a solid connection out there, especially with all the trees in the way. Wired’s been rock solid since, no regrets. Sticky traps for spiders do help, but I swear they multiply just to spite me...
Cat6 underground is a solid choice—nothing beats the reliability of a direct line, especially with unpredictable wireless signals. Curious if you considered any creative ways to hide or integrate the conduit into your landscaping? I’ve seen some folks use planters or garden features to disguise utility runs.
No More Dead Zones: How I Got Wifi In My Backyard Shed
I totally get the appeal of hiding the conduit—my first thought was to just bury it and forget about it, but then I realized my budget was already stretched with the cable itself. Ended up running it along the fence line and tucked it behind some old bricks I had lying around. Not exactly a garden feature, but it does the trick and didn’t cost me extra. Honestly, I kinda like that low-key, DIY look anyway... adds character, right?
