Before & After Photos

Recently, we were contacted by homeowners in Millstone Township, NJ who decided to have a dehumidifier installed in their basement as a permanent long-term solution to their chronic humidity problem. High moisture environments in crawl spaces and basements invites mold, insects, and even structural damage to the home. 

The readings on our hygrometer, which measures the humidity (amount of water vapor) in the air, confirmed that this basement had an unacceptably high level of humidity. Homes require an acceptable range of humidity for our comfort and health, and air that is too dry or too wet can be the source of problems for a home’s occupants. Our homes are most comfortable at humidity levels between 30 - 50%. Almost always, the problem with basements and crawl spaces Is too much humidity. High humidity levels can cause condensation on windows, wet stains on walls and ceilings, musty odors, and over extended periods of time, wood rot and structural damage. humidity levels rise above 55%,  a home is ripe for mold growth. Mold spores attach to wet or damp surfaces,  consuming whatever organic material that it grows upon. 

Based on the size (cubic volume) of the basement and its humidity level, we recommended a SaniDry XP commercial dehumidifier. We only install SaniDry commercial-grade dehumidifiers. These machines are specifically designed and manufactured for the challenging environments of basements and crawl spaces. Generic residential dehumidifiers simply aren’t up to the job. For example, the SaniDry XP is 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 can effectively cover indoor living spaces over 3000 square feet, making it well-suited for basements and crawl spaces over 40” high. 

The most important difference between a residential dehumidifier and a SaniDry commercial dehumidifier is its ease of use and automatic operation. A residential dehumidifier requires human intervention to empty the pan of collected dehumidified water. If not timely emptied the pan will overflow and the machine usually huts off once the flow bucket is full. Our commercial dehumidifiers direct the extracted water pulled out of the air into either a sump pump or, if a sump pump isn’t present, a small condensation pump that pumps the water through a 1/2” condensate hose that runs to the outside of the basement. For this installation, we needed to drill a 1/2” hole through the foundation wall to run the hose outside. The installation went off without a hitch.  Now, this basement will no longer have chronic humidity issues. The home will be more comfortable and the risk of dangerous mold growth has been removed.

An East Brunswick homeowner contacted Crawl Space Solutions by Cowleys to inspect her “CleanSpace” that had been installed by another company ten years ago. She was concerned because one of the Everlast vent cover doors “looked funny.” Upon arrival, we immediately saw that the homeowner was right, and it was a good thing she called us. Because the door was was not installed properly, it was bowing out in the middle and not sitting flat on the foundation wall. This was a potential problem because it allowed damp, humid outdoor air to flow into the crawl space. 

When it comes to any home improvement, the installation is just as important as the product. The Crawl Space Solutions by Cowleys crews have extensive home building and improvement experience. 

For this Rumson homeowner, we removed the old, damaged Everlast door and installed a new one — but this time correctly! These Everlast vent covers are an important part of the encapsulation process because close off outside air and moisture from entering the crawl space through the exterior vents. They can be installed against wood framing or masonry, work exceptionally well, and are aesthetically pleasing. Made with a hard durable plastic, they stand up to the worst weather conditions, and, unlike wood vents, these covers are completely maintenance free. They should never rot, warp, or crack and they never need to be painted. With this Rumson home, the warping was caused by improper installation, not because of the door itself. Also, even though these vent covers completely seal the vents from the outdoor elements, they are easy to open should you need to access your crawl space. All you need to do is twist a few easy-to-grip knobs, and you’re in!  

This homeowner was pleased to know that, after ten years, her encapsulated crawl space, besides the one vent door that needed to be replaced, was in tip-top shape. After she thanked us for replacing the door, we were on our way to help fix a crawl space for another customer.

An East Brunswick homeowner contacted Crawl Space Solutions by Cowleys to enlarge their existing crawl space opening. Although we specialize in converting problem-ridden vented crawl spaces into clean, dry encapsulated crawl spaces, our technicians have the experience to handle virtually any crawl space renovation work. This Brick homeowner was faced with a serious issue: His current crawl space opening was so small that a person of normal dimensions could not possible fit through it.

We installed a new crawl space entrance way by removing the concrete block, installing a new wood frame, and making a custom door for easy access.
We also custom-made a vent cover that we installed into one of our vent blockers. This was one of our smaller jobs, but for this homeowner, it was an important one. After all, a homeowner must be able to have ready access to their crawl space. Crawl spaces are prone to all sorts problems, from moisture to mold to insect and wildlife infestations. It is critical to have access to this often-neglected area of the home to periodically inspect for problems and to make the necessary repairs.

Here are some “before and after” exclusion pictures that I had taken as part of a job to resolve a mouse infestation for a homeowner in East Brunswick, NJ. When dealing with rodents, it is critical to determine how they are gaining access inside the home. You can go ahead and set up bait traps and apply applications to deal with the mice inside the home, but to permanently resolve the problem and prevent re-infestations, you need to locate the entry points used by the mice to gain access into the home. Sometimes you know they are actual entry points because of nearby rodent activity near the gap or crack. For example, if you find tiny, dark pellet-like droppings or smelly urine near the gap or crack, you are pretty much guaranteed that some mice availed themselves of the opening to gain access into the home. Other times during the inspection, the technician may find potential entry points that need to be sealed. 

Finding the gaps and cracks can sometimes be a challenge. Mice are tiny creatures and they can fit through a hole the size of a dime. A good inspection requires a thorough visual of the home’s entire foundation. Often, mice enter into the crawl space or attic and then use wall voids to maneuver their way around the home, eventually making their way to the kitchen to forager for food. Sometimes, the gaps are small and it takes a lot of detective work to find them. However, there are occasions where you’ll find a huge gap that for a mouse would be the equivalent of the Holland tunnel! That was the case here. With this home, there was a huge gap around a utility pipe entering the home. The gaps around pipes and wiring entering the home are always treated as one of the “usual suspects” to check when looking for rodent entry points. Here, you can see the large gap around the pipe.

To seal this gap, I filled it with chew-proof copper mesh. Rodents are persistent creatures that can tear and chew there way through many materials. For example, using caulk to close gaps is never enough. With the copper mesh firmly in place, this access point for mice has been permanently blocked.

This homeowner in East Brunswick, NJ had a bat infestation a while back. Our wildlife team had taken care of the issue and he had a bat warranty with us should there be a later re-infestation. This year, he decided it was time for a new roof. Given his bat issues in the past, he wanted us to come out to the home to make sure that there were no new entries into the home before replacing the roof. We were happy to help out. 

During my roof inspection, based on the earlier infestation and how the bats had gained attic access, I recommended that he consider installing Ridge-Guards over the ridge vents. Ridge vents are an important, necessary part of a home’s roofing system. These vents allow damp, warm air to escape from the attic, which increases the home’s energy efficiency and helps protect asphalt shingles from overheating and warping in the summer. Unfortunately, these vents come with a downside. They are often exploited by small wildlife, especially flying squirrels, bats, and sometimes mice, to gain attic entry.  

This homeowner did not even want to think about another bat infestation after what he had gone through. I recommended that he consider Cowleys for installing a Ridge-Guard system. A Ridge-Guard is a breathable protective cover that we install over the ridge vents. This covering guards against animal entry through the ridge vents. We’ve used this product for homeowners looking for an effective way to prevent bats and other wildlife from gaining access through the ridge vent instead of having to deal with the messy, and often expensive to fix, aftermath of a wildlife infestation.  

As a wildlife technician, I must admit that I enjoy the challenge of capturing and outsmarting wildlife. However, for homeowners, preventing potential wildlife issues from happening in the first place is a far better alternative to dealing with an actual infestation. Cowleys has a separate contractor division with an experienced construction crew that handles various homeowner services including repairs caused by wildlife.