Before & After Photos

A homeowner in Keasbey contacted Cowleys after hearing strange wildlife scratching and scurrying noises in her basement and inside her wall voids. Mice use wall voids to travel unseen inside a home when foraging for food. Even though mice inevitably find their way into the kitchen for food, they may be nesting anywhere. Rodents have a “gift” for staying out of sight since these nocturnal creatures do their foraging at night. Often, you’ll see signs of rodent activity well before spotting a live rodent, and it is important to keep your eyes, ears, and nose open. Mice populations increase rapidly, and you want to address these infestations as early as possible.

This homeowner was quite happy to see me when I arrived, and was thankful that I was sent out immediately to deal with the infestation. For a homeowner, those unfamiliar squeaks and scratches can be quite disturbing, and she wanted whatever trespassers were hiding in her home to be gone.

All indications were that this home has a mouse infestation. I inspected both the home’s interior and exterior for rodent activity. Although the mice themselves may be hard to spot, they are messy creatures that leave behind plenty of signs, including clusters of their tiny, dark pellet-like droppings, smelly urine, chewed wires, and clumps of insulation, paper, cardboard, or other nesting materials. Sometimes you’ll see mouse markings on walls, which are stains left from the dirt and oily residue in their hair.

Also, during a rodent inspection, I am always on the lookout for potential access points. Entry points need to be identified, so an exclusion can be performed. Exclusions prevent more animals from finding their way inside your home using the exact same routes. In this home, I found several gaps around pipes and other areas, as well as a small basement window that had been left open for some time giving the rodents an open invitation for entry.  

I closed the window and spoke with the homeowner about making sure that all ground-level windows stay shut. After setting a rodent tracking powder inside the gaps and voids, I sealed them with copper mesh. Copper mesh effectively blocks out mice. Mice can chew through wood and a lot of other material, but not this stuff. After treating burrows and patching the holes and gaps, I set up rodent bait stations around the exterior of the home and inside the basement in order to trap any mice still lurking in and around the home. 

This homeowner in Avenel, NJ contacted Cowleys for a crawl space improvement. Cowleys has an experienced crew that handles various crawl space improvements, up to and including full encapsulation and whole-house dehumidification for homeowners with water and moisture issues. These issues often result in mold growth that then affects the indoor air quality of the home.  

This particular installation job was more limited, and we are more than happy to adjust the scope of our work to meet the particular needs of the homeowner. The homeowner did not require full encapsulation (Cleanspacing”) because the crawl space was dry and did not have humidity levels that would be conducive to mold growth. However, the customer decided that it was time to replace his flimsy 6-mil “contractor bag” vapor barrier with something more durable and substantial in order to deal off the dirt and prevent dust and odors that periodically permeated the living areas above. 

To meet the needs of this homeowner we removed the old barrier and replaced it with our tear-resistant heavy-duty 20-mil CleanSpace vinyl vapor barrier. This vapor barrier is only available to licensed Basement Systems dealers. Our barrier is a specially engineered film made of layers of high density and low density polyethylene, and you  can walk on it without worrying about rips and tears. With its mil thickness, this barrier has the durability of a plastic tarp. 

The homeowner was quite pleased with our installation work and informed us that if he ever needed additional crawl space renovations, he’d have us back in an instant.

We received a call from a homeowner in Freehold, NJ who was suffering from raccoons in her attic. After our wildlife team took care of the raccoons and blocked up their entryway we needed to take care of the damage they did in the attic. Her attic had been decimated by raccoons. There was an abundant amount of raccoon feces and urine all over her attic. Raccoon feces and urine are harborage areas for viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Most notoriously the parasite Bayliscacariscc procyonis — also known as "raccoon roundworm.”  Once it enters a human, serious symptoms can emerge within days. This parasite invades the lungs, liver, heart, eyes, and brain and sparks serious inflammation throughout the body. While some people make a full recovery, the infection can leave others blind, in a coma, or with permanent brain damage. It's sometimes fatal. 

First, we put on our personal protective equipment and removed all of the soiled fiberglass insulation that contained raccoon droppings and urine. Once raccoons made their business in your attic and on your insulation, you have to get rid of it. Afterward, we carefully removed all the contents and then sanitized and deodorized the attic. Not properly cleaning up your attic can lead to serious health risks. By using a broom or vacuum, you increase the risk of dangerous air particles raising, hence increasing the risk of contracting the roundworm parasite. Finally, we blew in cellulose insulation. Cellulose insulation is made from ground up recycled paper. It is treated with different types of applications that aren’t hazardous to humans and provides resistance to mold, pests, and fire.

These homeowners in Carteret, NJ found themselves with a raccoon infestation in their attic. Our wildlife technicians quickly trapped and relocated the trespassing animals. Unfortunately, as often happens, the attic insulation was contaminated and destroyed. Raccoons, with their razor-sharp claws, will shred through the insulation and use it as nesting material. Also, they deposit their wastes and urine all over it. Once this happens, the saturated insulation is not salvageable.  There is no choice but to remove and replace it with new insulation.

A Cowleys installation crew arrived to make the attic as good as new. Our goal was to remove any traces that the attic was once a home to wildlife. After removing the contaminated insulation, we sanitized and deodorized the entire attic to remove any and all “evidence” that there once was a raccoon infestation, including the pungent smells left behind. After a wildlife infestation, it is critical to have the attic thoroughly cleaned — not only to remove dangerous pathogens but also to remove any remnants of an infestation, which can be an attractant for other raccoons and wildlife to follow. Wildlife cleaning and sanitation is not a DIY weekend project. This stuff is dangerous! When droppings are disturbed, airborne waste particles are released into the air that can be breathed in and cause serious, chronic respiratory infections. Animals droppings in an enclosed area are a serious bio-hazard. This waste should only be removed by someone who is trained in using proper protective equipment.

After the cleaning and sanitation, we installed our blown-in cellulose insulation. This insulation has excellent thermal properties and, because it is blown-in rather than cut to size like fiberglass batts, all areas of the attic, down to the smallest nooks and crannies, are insulated. This insulation will pay for itself over time with reduced heating and cooling bills. 

The installation crew was especially proud of this project. We successfully transformed an attic that was destroyed by invading wildlife into a clean, beautiful, functional space that will improve the home’s energy efficiency.

I was sent to a home in Howell that was having a problem with overwintering mice. As temperatures drop, mice will start entering our homes seeking food and shelter. Upon arrival, the first thing we do is speak with the homeowner to find out where there has been rodent activity. Since mice are nocturnal and tend to do their foraging in the dead of night, usually homeowners will see signs of activity before spotting live mouse activity. Common signs of mouse trouble are finding mouse droppings, nesting materials, or stored food. A homeowner may also find mouse tracks in dusty places and oily rub marks along the walls. Sometimes, it’s the smell that let’s a homeowner know that there is a problem. We are often called in after a homeowner smells urine or a dead rotting mouse carcass behind the dryer or refrigerator

We want to know where there has been signs of mouse activity to help us focus on our inspection. Mice can find access points into a home in numerous places, but once inside, the small sneaky critters will usually make their way to the kitchen because they are looking for food and that’s where the “motherload” of food is located. Mice are especially attracted to pet foods that are left out in the open and easy-to-infiltrate cardboard cereal containers.  

An important part of my inspection when dealing with mice is looking for points of entry. It’s a challenge. Mice are even smaller than you think they are because of their fur. So, unlike some of the larger wildlife like squirrels and raccoons, the entry points are not as obvious, and a hole about the diameter of a dime is enough for them to squeeze in. Common points of entry include holes around pipe chases, electrical conduits, gaps under siding, overhead garage doors, and Bilco basement doors. Overhead doors often don’t shut all the way to the ground, and if weatherstripping is missing or damaged, it’s an open invitation. Likewise, Bilco doors often have uneven gaps between the steel door and the frame that are large enough for small rodent access. 

After determining the points of entry, I’ll seal any small holes with copper mesh and caulking. Larger openings require some construction work, and Cowleys has a home construction crew able to repair those gaps and cracks that need more than a sturdy “plug.”  

After closing the points of entry, I’ll take care of the infestation by baiting the areas of activity.