Before & After Photos

I was called to a community in Oakhurst, NJ where a homeowner was concerned about a huge hornets nest on a tree outside of a school bus stop. I arrived after all children were in school to treat the nest. I dusted the entrance/exit of the nest and then poked a hole in nest to eliminate the population trapped inside the nest. After allowing a few moments to pass, giving a chance for the treatment to take effect,  I cut the nest off the tree. It's quite interesting to see the inside of the nests.

This Oakhurst homeowner had some major fascia issues that allowed their attic to become a squirrel “motel.” A Cowleys wildlife technician had trapped and relocated numerous squirrels. Once he did a final sweep and determined that there were no more squirrels in the attic, the home improvement crew was called in to do some pretty involved exclusion work that involved a lot more than just plugging up a hole. Wildlife exclusion involves any type of repair work involved in order to seal potential entry points into a home to prevent any re-entry. Taking care of the existing infestation is the critical first step, but after that it is important to take steps to prevent a re-infestation.

Squirrels, raccoons, and other wildlife often seek refuge in attics. These animals are excellent climbers and generally have no problems reaching the roofline. Once there, they can do all sorts of mischief to gain access inside. One of the most common entry points into a home are water-damaged soffits and fascia boards. The fascia board is the vertical finishing edge that caps the end of the rafters. This is the usual spot where the home’s gutters are attached.  The soffit is the finished wood or vinyl horizontal underside beneath the overhanging section of the roof eave. Once these building materials become water-damaged and start to rot, they become targets for wildlife that can easily tear through these weakened materials to gain access to the attic. 

This particular house had some major problems along the roofline. The rear left side soffit and fascia had dropped about three inches. Fortunately, we were able to just push it back up and re-secure it.  However, the rear left corner of the home had roof and fascia damage that left in wide open for wildlife, not to mention water infiltration into the attic. Water seepage into the attic can lead to insect infestations, mold growth, and damage to building materials. 

The roof repair was straightforward. We patched the shingles to close up the opening. The rotten fascia had lost its structural integrity and had to go. We first had to detach the gutter in order to access and remove the rotten fascia boards.  We replaced the bad boards with AZTEC-brand trim, which is made of cellular PVC. Contractors love this material. It is highly durable and won’t rot, cup, split, warp, or twist like wood.  With this new trim, the homeowner will never have to worry about wood rot again. Finally, we reattached the gutters to complete the job.  

This job was a lesson to homeowners about keeping up with needed home repairs and simple annual home maintenance jobs like gutter cleaning. If homeowners are unable to clean their own gutters, Cowleys offers professional gutter cleaning services.  Also, most building materials degrade over time. Fascia and soffits are notorious trouble spots because they are near the roofline and are constantly surrounded by water. If the gutters are clogged, water will pool there and start saturating the surrounding wood. 

There is no question that this homeowner’s squirrel infestation was attributable to the needed repairs of his roof and soffit. Of course, homes kept in good repair can also suffer from wildlife infestations. A determined raccoon or squirrel can tear through visually anything. However, homes with preexisting exterior damage give wildlife an easy “bullseye” to aim for, and if they see a weak spot, you can rest assured that they will exploit it.

Recently, a homeowner in West Long Branch, NJ contacted Cowleys so that we could capture and relocate some raccoons that infested the roofline area, and after capture, repair the damaged building materials. Raccoons are large, dexterous animals capable of causing a significant damage with their razor-sharp teeth and claws. Here, raccoons damaged some soffit and fascia materials in order to gain entry. 

We secured baited traps on the roof of the building around their pathway that they were using to and from their entry point. Sure enough, the very next day, the raccoons were captured, and we then released them in a safe location in a much more suitable habitat. With the animals removed, we could  remove and replace the damaged fascia and soffit materials. Once the repair work was done, the home looked as good as new. No one would have ever guessed that there was a recent raccoon infestation.

This homeowner in Rumson, NJ decided it was time to get rid of all the moisture in his crawl space and utilize it for storage, but he had no idea what to do. So he called Cowleys and we were sent out to insect and encapsulate.

After a thorough inspection, we noticed that the crawl space was in disarray and the insulation was dirty and soaked with moisture. Using our hygrometer, we noticed the humidity levels were extremely high. Fortunately, no mold had developed. Crawl spaces can spell trouble. As a subterranean space, they are often the primary point of entry for water and moisture, and they are the root cause of many home problems – including problems that affect your family’s health.

After speaking with the homeowner and discussing options, we went to work. First, we removed all the debris and contaminated insulation and then leveled the ground for proper draining. Afterward, we installed a drainage matting, which is a dimpled plastic mat that allows excess moisture to work its way over to the new sump pump we installed. We then filled the outside of the hole of the sump pump area with stones which will allow water to filter downward.

Next, we installed a vapor barrier which is a 20-mil 7-ply sandwich of high and low-density polyethylene with a polyester-cord reinforcement. It cannot tear, is extremely durable, and is treated with an antimicrobial finish that protects against mold and mildew growth. Once the vapor barrier was down, we installed SilverGlo™ along the walls of the crawl space. SilverGlo™ is a durable and waterproof rigid foam insulation that seals the walls from outside moisture and humidity.

Lastly, we installed a Sani-Dry Sedona dehumidifier. This heavy-duty, commercial-grade dehumidifier directs the extracted water pulled out of the air directly into the sump pump. Now the crawl space will no longer have any issues with high humidity levels, mold or mildew growth, and will create a healthy environment for the family.

This homeowner in Rumson, NJ was tired of having an excessive amount of moisture in his crawl space, so he called our office to encapsulate it. Excessive moisture in your crawl space can have a major impact on your family’s health. In fact, 50% of the air in your home comes up through the crawl space — which means that moisture and mold can seep into your home, where you're breathing it in. After surveying the crawl space, we noticed that the homeowner had a dirt floor crawl space. Dirt floor crawl spaces attract and absorb moisture. When the dirt dries, the moisture from the dirt ground evaporates up into the crawl space, which causes humidity levels to rise in your home. After a thorough inspection, we determined that this was the cause of the moisture build-up in the crawl space.  

First, we leveled the ground for proper draining and installed drainage matting. This material is a dimpled plastic mat that allows all excess moisture to work its way over to the sump pump. Once we finished, we installed a vapor barrier which is a heavy-duty, 20-mil 7-ply sandwich of high and low-density polyethylene with a polyester-cord reinforcement. It cannot tear and is extremely durable. The vapor barrier is also treated with an antimicrobial to prevent mold and is installed over the foundation walls and floor to create a continuous air and moisture barrier.

Next, we installed SilverGlo™ on the walls of the crawl space. SilverGlo™ is a waterproof foam insulation that seals the walls from outside moisture and humidity. Lastly, we installed a Sani-Dry Sedona commercial-grade dehumidifier to control the humidity levels. The Sedona directs the extracted water pulled out of the air directly into the sump pump.