Before & After Photos

Recently, a momma raccoon decided to take up residence in an elementary school in Lincroft, NJ. She set up a nesting area above the school’s drop ceiling for herself and her three babies. Needless to say, school administrators were none-too-pleased with this wildlife problem. Raccoons are large aggressive animals that also happen to be New Jersey’s primary rabies vector. Mother raccoons can be particularly aggressive if they feel that someone is threatening their kits. In short, raccoons, in and around any structure, especially a school where there are curious little kids looking for trouble, is a dangerous situation. I was told that the raccoon noises were becoming a serious distraction to both students and faculty. In addition, raccoons can cause extensive property damage. With this infestation, as often happens, the raccoons ruined much of the insulation above the drop ceiling. They tear up the soft, cushiony material for nesting and it becomes a sponge for their wastes. The school will handle the insulation removal and replacement later on.  And it’s not just the animals that pose a danger. Wildlife urine and waste particles, which can become airborne, can contain dangerous pathogens.  

Upon arrival, as with any wildfire infestation, I inspected the building to to determine how the raccoon gained access to the building. Usually, with large animals, the entry points aren’t too subtle. Here, I immediately saw that the raccoon ripped out one of the flimsy air vent screens. Often, standard air vent screens used by contractors are not sturdy enough to withstand a wildlife “break-in.” They are simply not made with wildlife intrusions in mind and standard vent covers are no match for a determined raccoon. There animals are not only strong intelligent animals, but they also have human-like five-fingered front paws that are extremely dexterous. They have been known to open doors and screw the lids off cans! 

It was important to trap these raccoons, and get the job done quickly. We placed four baited traps on the roof of the school in strategic locations based on their activity. The mother raccoon must leave the nest in order to forage for food for herself and her babies. Two days later, “momma” was successfully captured. We then proceeded to retrieve the helpless babies, removing them one by one, and reunited them with their worried mother. One thing we don’t do is split up happy raccoon families! We relocated the family to a safe area far away from human habitats. Finally, to prevent future re-infestations, we fortified all of these potential entry points by screening off the eight roof vents with 1/4-in, galvanized hardware. Raccoons or squirrels will not be able to gain access into the building through these heavy-duty vents. This Lincroft school that should not have to worry about another wildlife infestation anytime soon! 

The Cowleys home improvement crew was sent to a home in Colts Neck to remodel the homeowner’s outdoor access to his crawl space. His old crawl space entry was cumbersome to open and close, and even worse, it provided virtually no protection from the outdoor elements. Whenever it rained, the current crawl space access allowed a stream of water to rush inside. The homeowner was concerned about standing water in the basement and the problems it could cause, and rightly so. Standing water in the crawl space is an open invitation for mold growth and is an attractant for mosquitoes, other insects, and all sorts of wildlife.

We wanted a crawl space access that was easy to use, blocked rainwater from entering, and provided protection from the outdoor elements. To meet these objectives, we replaced the entry cover with one of our Everlast doors. These Everlast vent covers completely block outside air and moisture from entering the crawl space. They can be installed against wood framing or masonry, work exceptionally well, and are aesthetically pleasing. Made with a hard durable plastic, they stand up to the worst weather conditions, and are completely maintenance free. They should never rot, warp, or crack and they never need to be painted. From out experience, they are virtually indestructible. Also, if you or a repair person needs crawl space access, they are easy to open. All you need to do is twist a few easy-to-grip knobs, and you’re in! 

Given this homeowner’s water issues, we wanted to have a second barrier to prevent water entry. We decided to install a product manufactured by the Bilco Company, which makes a variety of USA-made specialized doors and other specialty access products for the building industry, including the StakWEL window well. 

What’s a window well? And why would Cowleys want to install a window well around a crawl space door? Glad you asked!

Most basements have windows, especially finished basements since it’s nice to have some natural lighting and a way to let in outdoor air. Windows installed in basements that are mostly below-grade require window wells — those semi-circular “dig-outs” you find on the basement window’s exterior. This well needs to be supported by some materials or it will eventually collapse. 

Window wells help prevent water penetration around the window framing and window damage (Basement windows are prone to damage since they are at or near ground level.). Window wells also allow for emergency egress out of the basement. This is important because most local building codes require basement windows to provide emergency egress, in which case, the well needs a built-in steps or ladder. Window wells should also have covers to keep out leaves and debris and help prevent water and snow from collecting inside the well.

We decided to install a window well around this crawl space door for many of the same reasons that a homeowner would want to install one around their basement window. This homeowner was having a serious water intrusion problem whenever it rained. The safest course of action was to give him a second barrier in addition to the Everlast door, and the StakWEL window well fit the bill perfectly. It’s is made out of a tough corrosion-resistant high density polyethylene, and it’s modular, which greatly simplified installation. As a bonus, these wells have a grip-step design so you don’t have to have the agility of a mountain climber to enter and exit the crawl space access area. The window well also has an optional cover for extra protection against the elements. 

After we were done, the remodel of this crawl space access looked great, and we are confident that his water issues will finally be over. The homeowner was quite pleased, and he said that he’d let us know after the first heavy rain how his crawl space was holding up. We expect to here nothing but good news!

We went out on a service call for a homeowner in Colts Neck, NJ who was hearing birds chirping in his attic. As we arrived and began our inspection along the roof we discovered a severe "roofline gap" or a "builders gap.” This term refers to when the roof decking is left slightly shorter than the rafter ends creating a gap between the roof and the gutter. Although covered by a layer of shingles this gap extends the full roofline of your home and is an ideal place for wildlife and birds to enter. 

The gap was located under the last tab of shingles where the plywood meets the fascia board (the board behind the gutter). As we examined the gap, we found several birds nest inside. Birds nesting in your attic isn’t just annoying but is hazardous to your health. The nesting material they use can harbor many different types of parasites, including bird mites. Bird mites are microscopic parasites that feed on the blood of birds. They have flat, oval bodies, and are nearly white when unfed, but become bright red when recently fed. Once birds have abandoned their nests, bird mites migrate indoors from an abandoned nest, entering through the attic via openings in the ceiling or interior wall surfaces, and feed on the blood of humans. 

For treatment, we sanitized the nesting areas with a product that specifically targets bird mites and then carefully removed all the nests. Next, we installed a product called "leaf proof" all along the roofline gap. A leaf proof is made of an aluminum metal that slips under the bottom of the last shingle in between shingle and plywood and attaches to gutter with a small screw. This product still allows the water to run into the gutter but blocks and protects from birds and other animals from accessing the attic area. Now the homeowner's attic and gutter are properly protected from invasive wildlife and birds.

Pigeons and seagulls can find landing spots on ledges and other areas of rooftops, especially on the Jersey shore. For this house in Beach Haven, NJ, the homeowners were having issues with nuisance birds making their roof the birds new home.

These birds were landing and roosting on the gutters, causing a mess. We installed bird spikes to deter these birds and send them elsewhere.

I was dispatched to a home in Lanoka Harbor, a Lacey Township community, just north of Forked River. The homeowner had contacted Cowleys to take care of a flea problem in the home’s mechanical room that housed the HVAC equipment. Also, he asked us to replace the rotted plywood doors and wood framing used to access this small space located in the rear of the house. Many Cowleys technicians have extensive backgrounds in home repair and improvement, especially those of us assigned to either the Crawl Space Solutions By Cowleys Division, which specializes in helping homeowners resolve water, moisture, and high humidity problems in their crawl space, or our wildlife division where critter infestations are often accompanied by damage to insulation and other building materials.