Before & After Photos

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. 

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.

Previously, a raccoon had broken into this homeowners attic via the gable vent. Each of the gable vents were dry rotted, which made it easier for the raccoon to break into the home. After we safely removed and relocated the raccoon to a new, humane environment, we disinfected the attic area and removed the old, broken gable vents and replaced them with a new, sturdy one and screened them off to prevent any nuisance wildlife from gaining access into the home.

Now the home is properly protected from all nuisance wildlife!

This customer purchased a new property in Neshanic Station, NJ and was planning on renovating it. After returning to the home several weeks after the closing, he was shocked to discover a large yellow jackets nest on one of the living room windows! He had previously used Cowleys for one of his other properties, so he knew exactly who to call for help.

Once we arrived, we equipped our protective bee suit and inspected the area. During our inspection we discovered a crack in the framing of the window, which the yellow jackets used to enter the home. We told the owner and suggested that he replace the window once we're done treating, to which he agreed.

For treatment, we injected a knockdown aerosol application, waited several moments, and then injected a knockdown dusting product. Both of these treatments will exterminate the yellow jackets almost immediately. Once they were eliminated, we removed the nest, disposed of it, cleaned the area, and (as a temporary solution) sealed the crack in the window frame with a premium waterproof adhesive.