Soffit Gets Torn Apart by Raccoons in Far Hills, NJ

Before	After

One evening, this homeowner in Far Hills, NJ heard some "odd noises" in her attic and suspected that something might have invaded her attic, so she called Little Rascals for help. As we inspected the property, we noticed an area of the soffit appeared to be damaged. So we took a closer look and determined that the damages were inflicted by raccoons. How did we know for sure? We also found raccoon paw prints near it.

First, we installed a positive set over the access point and temporarily enclosed it with hardware cloth. We also set up several baited devices nearby. A positive set is comprised of a nose cone, which will guide the raccoons into a two-gaited, heavy-duty device to it. This is called a positive set, because we are positive that the raccoons will have no other way to exit except through our device! Shortly after setting up our devices, we safely retrieved the raccoons and relocated them to a new, humane location.

Before we left, we went back to our trucks, fashioned a piece of sturdy, metal flashing, and installed in over the access point to prevent reinfestation.

Removing a Bald-Faced Hornets Nest from the Soffit in Far Hills, NJ

Before	After

After noticing a small, but active hornets nest on his soffit, this homeowner in Far Hills, NJ immediately called Cowleys for help and we were sent out. Once we arrived and took a closer look at the nest, we identified these stinging insects as bald-faced hornets. Bald-faced hornets are social stinging insects that are a close relative to yellow jackets. The surface of their upper midsection almost looks triangular from the side, and they have white markings on their face. They are EXTREMELY aggressive and will not hesitate to sting anything that invades their space. What makes them even scarier is they have smooth stingers, which means they can sting over and over again, can actually sense vibrations in the air, and remember their invader's face!

We treated the nest with a knockdown aerosol and a knockdown liquid application. Both of these products exterminate the bald-faced hornets almost immediately. A short while later, we removed the nest, properly disposed of it, and applied a liquid residual to the area to eliminate any returning bald-faced hornets and prevent any future bald-faced hornets from rebuilding their nest. 

Wet Crawl Space Gets Cleaned and Encapsulated in Far Hills, NJ

Before	After

Tired of dealing with wet and dirty crawl space, this customer in Far Hills, NJ, reached out to Crawl Space Solutions by Cowleys and wanted us to encapsulate his crawl space! Dirt floor crawl spaces attract and absorb moisture and once the dirt dries, it causes humidity levels to rise and can lead to mold and mildew issues (fortunately, there was no mold or mildew in the crawl space).

First, we removed all the debris and old insulation, leveled the ground for proper draining, and installed drainage matting, which is a dimpled plastic mat that allows all excess moisture to work its way over to the sump pump. We also cleaned off all the beams in the crawl space and installed SilverGlo™ on the walls of the crawl space. SilverGlo™ is a waterproof foam insulation that seals the walls from outside moisture and humidity.

Afterward, we installed a vapor barrier. A vapor barrier is a heavy-duty, 20-mil 7-ply sandwich of high and low-density polyethylene with a polyester-cord reinforcement. By encapsulating the crawl space & installing the vapor barrier over the foundation walls and floor will create a continuous air and moisture barrier. The vapor barrier is extremely durable and is treated with an antimicrobial to prevent mold. Lastly, to control the humidity levels in the crawl space, we installed a Sedona dehumidifier. This is a powerful, energy-efficient, commercial-grade dehumidifier that outperforms standard household dehumidifiers by as much as 10 times while using the same amount of energy to run.

Now the homeowner has no longer has a dirty, dirt-floored crawl as well as an additional area in their home for storage!