Cowleys Pest Services Before & After Photos

These homeowners in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, were having problems with squirrels “squirreling” their way into their attic. They were tired of dealing with these periodic squirrel infestations into their home, and contacted Cowleys in the hopes of finding a long-term solution. We had the perfect answer for them! 

Our contractor division installed CritterProof, a critter protection product manufactured by Leaf Supreme, a leading designer of gutter protection systems. CritterProof is specifically designed to cover the fascia gap and exclude various wildlife that often makes their way onto the roof and into the attic. The most common “attic invaders” that we see time and time again here in New Jersey are squirrels, raccoons, and bats. Mice also find their way into the attic, but usually they first enter the home through the basement or crawl space. 

CritterProof is a protective system that stops wildlife from chewing and clawing their way through the delicate fascia boards to gain access to the soffit area and, ultimately, where the attic. For wildlife, attics are the perfect refuge to escape the harsh outdoor elements and they make for a wonderful nesting area to care for their young. After all, attics are warm, quiet, private, and free from the preying eyes of predators.  

A home’s soffit/fascia area is one of the more common routes we see for wildlife to gain entry. CritterProof’s unique adjustable design provides custom coverage of the fascia gap while still maintaining critical attic ventilation. CritterProof is available in black, white, and other colors by special order.

Squirrels were harboring in the attic of this home in Atlantic Highlands, NJ and we were sent out to safely remove them from the property. After inspecting the exterior of the home, we discovered that the squirrels were able to get inside by chewing through the exposed fascia.

In order to safely remove them, we installed a one-way device over the main access point and temporarily enclosed the area off with hardware cloth. We also set up a number of retrieval device close by. The one-way device will allow the squirrels to safely leave the attic, but prevent them from getting back in. In fact, a short while after setting up, we retrieved all of the squirrels and took them to a safer, humane location. 

We then removed all of the hardware cloth, disinfected the attic, and installed sturdy metal flashing over the entire fascia board. This will prevent the squirrels, and any other nuisance wildlife, from getting back into the attic through this area.

This Seaside Heights homeowner wanted to cover his submersible sump pump, and contacted Cowleys. Cowleys offers more than just pest control. We also have a specialized division devoted to keeping crawl spaces and basements clean and dry. Sump pumps, a critical part of any crawl space system, pump out damaging groundwater that has found its way inside your home. While Cowleys sells and installs the sturdiest, most trouble-free sump pumps available, we also will take on specialized projects for homeowners like this one. 

What’s a submersible sump pump? These pumps are located inside the sump basin, and its motor is designed to work when completely submerged in water. The alternative is a pedestal pump. With pedestals, the entire pump is located above the sump pit, and its motor is not designed to be submerged. You’ll usually only see pedestal-type pumps where the sump pit is too narrow or shallow for a submersible. Submersibles are today’s residential standard because they are far more efficient and quieter than pedestal pumps. 

This homeowner understood the importance of covering his submersible sump pump, and contacted Cowleys to do the job. There are a number of important reasons to cover your sump. Covered sump pumps help reduce moisture, and keeping moisture levels down is essential for preventing mold growth. (The primary way to keep down moisture levels in your crawl space or basement is through dehumidification.) Also, covered sump pumps are especially important for homes with a radon gas problem because of the surrounding soil. While a sump pump cover will help to reduce the amount of radon, it won’t completely resolve the problem. Unfortunately, soil gases can seep in from many places, including floor cracks and floor drains. A sump pump lid reduces pump noise, stops debris from falling into the pit, and keeps out insects and rodents. If your sump pump is in the basement, a cover will keep out curious kids who may want to use the sump pit as a fun play site. 

We recommend solid covers if there’s a pipe beneath that drains water into the sump well, and a perforated one if water drains into the well after flowing across the basement floor. Because of two plumbing pipes that funneled into the sump pit, we needed to build a custom cover for this homeowner. While this cover may not qualify as an exhibit at some fancy art museum, the Cowleys crawl space technicians who worked on this job are especially proud of it! As you can see, the cover does exactly what it’s supposed to do, and it made an unattractive area of the home look a whole lot better.

This Brielle, NJ homeowner had a raccoon enter the attic through the soffit. The soffit is the underside of the roof overhang. It is commonly made out of aluminum or vinyl and has passive vents providing much-needed ventilation and air circulation to the attic and expelling the rising heat, which causes all sorts of problems both during the summer and the winter. Unfortunately, soffits, especially if they are damaged, are a favorite access point for wildlife to enter your attic. Raccoons and squirrels are innately able to find and exploit the weak points into a home, and soffits are at the top of the list of favorite entry points. 

Cowleys wildlife technicians had already come in to trap the raccoon, and immediately afterwards installed a temporary patch to seal the area. However, the homeowner wanted a more aesthetically pleasing repair. Cowleys has a home improvement division that, among other things, has an experienced crew that repairs damages caused by wildlife, termites, and other insects. The homeowner was quite pleased with our repair of his home, and so were we! 

This residential customer in Brielle, NJ, had used Cowleys to help him deal with crawl space flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy, the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. At that time. the homeowner contracted Cowleys to remove his moldy insulation and install an encapsulation system. Crawl space encapsulation transforms damp vented crawlspaces that are often fraught with mold and pest issues into clean, dry, attractive and energy efficient spaces.

This heart of our encapsulation system is a super durable 20 mil thick polyethylene vapor barrier that blocks moisture, outside air, and pests from getting into your crawl space. We also use other crawl space products as necessary, such as vent covers, drainage matting, and commercial-grade dehumidifiers.

Following this encapsulation, the homeowner no longer had water or moisture issues in his crawl space. According to him, his crawl space was now as dry as a bone. However, at the time, he elected to not replace the moldy water-damaged insulation that we removed. Not surprisingly, for a few winter seasons, he had cold floors above the crawl space. He decided this was no longer tolerable, and he called us back to install some good insulation.

We recommended JM ComfortTerm insulation, a Formaldehyde-free fiberglass insulation with R-values up to R-30 (12” thickness). Its batts and rolls are wrapped in plastic for less dust kick-up during installation and also has a vapor-retarder plastic facing. Now, with the crawl space insulation job completed, this home will be more comfortable, and this thermal envelope will help with the home’s indoor air quality and dramatically improve the home’s energy efficiency.