Before & After Photos

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 crawl space had almost every issue a crawl space could have, standing water, mold, hanging insulation, poor drainage, and moisture. Our crawl space encapsulation system solved them all. Crawl space humidity isn't just uncomfortable and smelly, it can cause structural damage to the woodwork of your home as well! Also, the mold it allows to grow is damaging to your health!

First, we removed all the contaminated insulation and debris, leveled the ground for proper draining, and installed a drainage matting, which is a dimpled plastic mat material, over the dirt-floor crawl space. This allows all excess moisture to work its way over to the new sump pump we installed. Next, we installed a vapor barrier which is a 20-mil 7-ply sandwich of high and low-density polyethylene that is treated with an antimicrobial finish that protects against mold and mildew growth. Next, we installed SilverGlo™ which is a waterproof foam insulation that seals the walls from outside moisture and humidity to the walls of the crawl space.

A property manager of an office building in Oceanport, NJ spotted an active hornet's nest along the roofline of his building and was terrified that his workers could get stung, so he called our office for help and I was sent out.

Once I found the nest, I took a closer look and several angry bald-faced hornets came flying out. Bald-faced hornets are social stinging insects with white markings on their face and are a close relative to yellowjackets  — which means that they are extremely aggressive. Their stings are extremely painful and, because their stinger isn't barbed, they can sting multiple times.

I grabbed my extendable pole, attached an aerosol knock-down application to it, and began treating the nest. This product will exterminate the bald-faced hornets almost immediately. A short while later, I removed the nest, disposed of it, and applied a residual along the entire roofline of the office building to prevent future stinging insects from infesting the area. 

Here is a great “before and after” photo comparison where I installed a vent block to replace, what frankly, was a big mess. This project was completed for a home in Avon by the Sea, NJ. Whenever we install a dehumidifier in a crawl space, we strongly recommend to homeowners to block the crawl space vents, which helps keep outside humid air from entering the basement (not to mention insects!). Installation of a commercial-grade dehumidifier is the single most important way for homeowners to prevent mold growth and other problems resulting from sustained high humidity in crawl spaces and basements. ideally, these subterranean areas should be encapsulated to keep humid air from entering the crawl space. Building scientists that study indoor airflow have found that vented crawl spaces do exactly what homeowners want to prevent —  allowing hot humid outdoor air enter the crawl space. There is a popular misconception that vented crawl spaces expel hot humid air, when in fact, the opposite is true. However, even if a homeowner decides to not fully encapsulate their crawl space, at a minimum, we strongly recommend that homeowners at least block the crawl space vents since these are, by far, the largest entry points for outside air.

To block the vents, we cut Silverglo insulation to size. SliverGlo insulation is an Expanded Polystyrene Foam (EPS) insulation that contains graphite. This lightweight, rigid, closed-cell insulation is 24% more efficient than over-the-counter batt and foam insulations. Its closed-cell structure provides minimal water absorption and low vapor permanence. As an added benefit, SilverGlo is coated with a mold-resistant aluminum that naturally enhancing primary sources of light, dramatically increasing the luminosity of even a single bulb. After setting in the insulation in the vent space, we then spray a hardening foam around the outside edges to completely block off any airflow. 

Homes that were built with dirt floor crawl space foundations became very popular after World War II when there was a huge demand for new and more affordable homes. Crawl spaces could be built faster and much cheaper than basements. However, no one could foresee the major issues that dirt floor crawl spaces can have on a home. For instance, this homeowner in Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ was experiencing incredibly high humidity levels and abundant moisture buildup in his crawl space. If left untreated any longer, this could lead to mold and mildew growth and structural damage. Fortunately, the homeowner decided to have Cowleys encapsulate his crawl space.

The benefits of crawl space encapsulation are dramatic. Relative humidity will stay below 70% even if the outdoor humidity is higher. You’ll save on your utility bills, have better air quality in the crawl space, and not only keep out moisture, but also keep out unwanted pests!

First, we cleared out all the debris and installed a drainage matting. A drainage matting is a dimpled plastic mat that allows water to work its way over to the sump pump. Next, we replaced the old, broken sump pump with a smart drain sump pump to allow any water that gets on top of the liner to flow down underneath the ground. 

Then, we installed a clean space liner covering the ground of the entire crawl space. A clean space liner is a super-durable, 20mil plastic sheet material designed to permanently prevent moisture, outside air, and pests from getting into your crawl space. The vapor barrier is installed over the foundation walls and floor to create a continuous air and moisture barrier. Finally, to control the humidity levels we installed a Sani-Dry dehumidifier. These machines are a powerful energy-efficient dehumidifier that outperforms standard household dehumidifiers by as much as 10 times while using the same amount of energy to run. The SaniDry XP directs the extracted water pulled out of the air directly into the sump pump. 

Now the humidity levels will be at a comfortable level, the value of the home has increased, and there will be no more moisture buildup in the crawl space.