Cowleys Pest Services

A homeowner in Brick Township, NJ had water entering the crawl space area through the entry door. The homeowner was concerned about standing water in the crawl space, and rightly so. Stagnant water in the crawl space can trigger mold growth and is a major attractant for insects, rodents, and all sorts of nuisance wildlife. 

Even though the homeowner had a well-sealed entry door, rainwater was nevertheless still seeping in. To remedy the problem, we installed a Bilco StackWEL, a window well, to serve as a second barrier to prevent water entry. The Bilco Company manufactures a variety of USA-made specialized doors that are highly regarded in the building industry.  

By preventing standing water in problem areas around the foundation, and crawl space vent doors often top the list, you can prevent water seepage into the crawl space. These window wells are made of durable PVC (high density polyethylene), so they don’t warp or rot, and are corrosion resistant. These wells also have a grip-step design so it makes it easy to enter and exit the crawl space access area. We also dug a shallow trench, about one and one-half feet and installed a layer of stones that would collect water and filter it into the ground instead inside the crawl space. 

It may seem unusual to install a window well around a crawl space door. After all, we think of window wells installed around basement windows! In that situation, the well around the window — that semi-circular “dig-out” in front — has to be supported by some materials or the hole or well in the ground will eventually collapse. It is the exact same rationale why retaining walls are sometimes necessary. However, window wells can also serve the same purpose with below-grade crawl space doors where the home’s foundation is built in such a way where water is directed toward the crawl space door. 

As you can see by the before and after pictures. the aesthetics of the crawl space access was greatly improved after our installation.  With this second barrier in place and the placement of the stones to filter the water away from the foundation, the crawl space water intrusion issue was successfully resolved.

The new homeowner, who as a realtor was quite knowledgable about proper home design and preventative maintenance, wanted the crawl space encapsulated to avoid potential moisture and pest problems and contacted Cowleys Crawl Space Solutions Division.

To keep the air quality of your home healthy, prevent damage to your attic and roof, and keep your HVAC system running cost-efficiently, it’s important to maintain an air barrier between the living space of the home and the attic. Simply put, everything works better when attic air is kept out of the house and house air is kept out of the attic. Why? Let’s start with keeping attic air where it belongs. If you’ve ever ventured into the attic, especially during the warmer months, you know that attic air can be outright nasty. It often contains dust particles and other contaminants — contaminants that can cause health problems for the home’s occupants. The less attic air that enters your home’s living spaces, the better.

Just as important, we want to keep living space air out of the attic. Living space air can can be filled with water vapor. When that air is exposed to colder attic temperatures, the vapor gas condenses into water droplets that can potentially cause roof rot and mold growth (unfortunately, mold is an all-too-common attic contaminant). Living space air naturally tries to move up into the attic, especially in the winter, because of the “stack effect.” Heated air rises and expands. As air heats up, its molecules are pushed farther away, making it lighter (that’s why hot air balloons float). The air pushes upward against the attic floor. If there is a way for the air to find its way in, it will.  Air leakage into the attic stresses your HVAC system, increasing your heating and cooling bills. There are a number of possible sources of air leaks, but attic hatches are at the top of the list. More often than not, attic hatches are unsealed and have gaps that allow for unwanted air movement. There is an easy solution for this: Attic stairway covers.

The homeowner mentioned to us that he was concerned that his attic hatch was causing significant air leakage. We had the perfect product: the Hatchmaster Attic Stairway Cover. This lightweight, durable cover secures around the perimeter of the attic hatch frame. It’s made of double-bubble reflective insulation, has a 15 R-Value, and a heavy-duty zipper to open and close. 

A homeowner in Deal, NJ had a “builder grade” metal crawl space entry door installed when the home was built. This door was definitely a contractor money-saver item — and it showed. Over a few years, the door failed to stand up the the wear-and-tear of the outdoor elements. When we arrived, the door was rusted out and rotted. It wouldn’t even close. This crawl space entry point was trouble waiting to happen, and we were surprised that wildlife had not yet exploited this weak spot and visited the crawl space. This was an open invitation. 

The homeowner knew that Cowleys had a specialized contractor division that handles a variety of crawl space improvements, up to and including full encapsulation. He contacted us for a replacement. We had the perfect item  — a customized Everlast door that’s specifically designed for crawl spaces. 

With this installation, the homeowner now had a crawl space door that would block rodents and possibly bigger critters like skunks, squirrels, and raccoons from gaining access and using the crawl space as their private nesting area.  Also, for homes with crawl spaces, homeowners have more to work about than just wildlife entry. These below-grade areas are notorious trouble spots for mold growth and other water-related issues, and these doors help do the job. Of course, there are other ways that water and moisture can infiltrate vented crawl spaces, but this door was an important start. 

Our installers love these Everlast covers because of their flexibility. They can be installed against wood framing or masonry, work exceptionally well, and have great aesthetics, blending in perfectly with the home’s foundation. These doors are made of a “bulletproof” hard durable plastic. Unlike wooden or metal crawl space covers, they don’t rot, warp, crack, or rust, and never need to be painted.  

Even though these covers form a tight seal over the crawl space access, they are super-easy to open for those rare occasions when homeowners or repair persons require entry. The door has four large, easy-to-grip knobs that twist off without a hitch. The door comes right off, and you’re in. 

The homeowner was quite pleased with the installation. With this small crawl space improvement, the crawl space now had a cover that actually worked. As an added benefit, the outside of the home looked much better.

Recently, our wildlife team was called out to a home in Shrewsbury, NJ, to remove bats that had infested the attic. The bats were infesting the attic by squeezing through the gable vent. A short while ago, we were able to successfully and safely remove all the bats from the home and disinfected the attic.

To prevent the bats from reinfesting the attic via the gable vent, we installed Pest-Blok over it. Pest-Blok doesn't restrict the airflow to the attic, undergoes a silicone-protected polyester coating process that makes it last longer, and guards the home against bats, squirrels, birds, and all other nuisance wildlife.

Recently, I was called out to an apartment unit in Asbury Park, NJ after the tenants had complained that mice were observed scampering about the living room. Upon arrival, I placed four RTU (“ready-to-use”) bait stations in the corners of the living room so that I could figure out where the mice were coming from based on whether and how much of the bait was taken.These bait stations fit flush against a wall or corner where mice travel and a curious mouse can’t resist entering and exploring. Once inside, the interior baffles lead them to the bait. These bait stations are the safest way to keep mouse-killing product in residential locations away from children and pets.  

On my follow-up visit, I observed that two of the four stations had activity. For those two stations, the bait was pretty much gone. So, doing some more investigating for the access points into the apartment, I found a hole under the slats of a radiator behind the hot water pipe. I sealed the hole with a chew-proof copper mesh and rebated the RTUs. Once the mice hiding inside are eliminated, with their entry point closed, this troublesome mouse infestation should be completely resolved in a  short amount of time.

This homeowner in Titusville, NJ, had mice infesting his crawl space. After a thorough inspection, we determined that the mice were able to enter the home through the tiny gaps that were around the utility pipes.

First, we carefully cleaned up all the rodent droppings and then installed several rodent bait stations throughout the crawl space and around the exterior of the home. Afterward, we stuffed each opening with chew-proof Xcluder® Fill Fabric. This material will form a firm and tight barrier to keep the mice out. Afterward, we sealed the Xcluder® Fill Fabric in place with a premium, waterproof adhesive. Once we finished, we scheduled several follow up visits to continue to monitor the bait stations and replenish the bait in the bait stations as needed.

This house in Pennington had a piece of fascia that had blown off during a recent storm. The fascia is the vertical finishing edge that caps the end of the rafters.When we arrived at the home and inspected the needed repair, the missing fascia board reminded me of a missing tooth. To me, the gap in the fascia made the home look sad.  

The Cowleys home improvement crew did its own version of a “dental implant” and replaced the missing piece. After we were done, the house looked as good as new and, even better, the homeowner was all smiles when admiring the completed job!  

We returned to a home in Pennington, NJ, for a follow up inspection for mice. After we inspected every single one of the bait stations and replenished the bait in each one, it's now time to seal off the entry points. Exactly how were the mice able to infest the home? Through a small gap around a utility pipe. It may seem small, but because they have collapsible rib ages that can flex more than most mammals, all a mouse needs is an opening the width of a pencil!

To properly exclude the home, we stuffed every single gap around the utility pipes on the exterior and interior of the home with Xcluder™ Fill Fabric and then sealed them with a premium, waterproof adhesive. Xcluder™ Fill Fabric is made from a blend of coarse stainless steel and poly fibers to form a highly resilient and impenetrable barrier against rodents and pests. Lastly, we scheduled several additional follow up inspections to replenish the bait in the bait stations and monitor the mice activity throughout and around the home. 

We've returned to this home in Pennington, NJ to check on the mice activity in the crawl space. After were inspected the home and replenished the bait in all the rodent bait stations, it was time to exclude the areas of the property that the mice were using to gain access into the home. What areas were they? They were several gaps around multiple utility pipes around the property.

To properly exclude the mice, we stuffed each opening with Xcluder® Fill Fabric. Mice hate the taste of metal and this will deter them from the areas as well as form a firm and tight barrier to keep the rodents out. Afterward, we sealed the Xcluder® Fill Fabric in place with a premium, waterproof adhesive. Now the home is properly excluded from mice.