Before & After Photos

A homeowner in Jackson, NJ had an unsuspecting visitor take up residency in her home — a raccoon! She called our office for help and we were sent out to find out how the raccoon got into the attic and safely remove it.

Moments into our inspection, we noticed that a portion of the soffit was ripped open and there was raccoon hair stuck in the opening. This was the main access point. We temporarily enclosed the area with hardware cloth and installed a one-way device over the access point. The one-way device allows the raccoon to safely leave the attic but prevents it from getting back in. We also placed several baited devices nearby.

A short while later, we safely retrieved the raccoon, relocated it to a new, humane environment, and disinfected the attic area. Lastly, we sealed up the access point with sturdy metal flashing to prevent reinfestation. 

A commercial facility in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, nearby Atlantic City, was having an on-going problem with birds gaining access to a tool storage area of the building. The manager contacted Bird Solutions By Cowleys to resolve this bird infestation once and for all.  

Our two-man crew inspected the area to determine how the birds were gaining access. It did not take us long to find the opening. The problem was a gap above an I-beam that gave the birds wide open access. To restrict the bird from further entry, we constructed a bird barrier by closing this space off with hardware cloth. With this access point permanently closed, birds will no longer be able to enter this space and make a mess of things.

An Avanel, NJ homeowner contacted Cowleys for a nuisance wildlife technician to take care of a wildlife problem, and I was dispatched to his home. He told me that animals, possibly opossums, were gaining access under his cantilevered flooring. I have an interest in building construction and, to me, cantilevers are a great example of smart home building. With standard framing construction, joists are extended to a girder at the front end, and the framing looks like a bed frame. However, with cantilevered flooring, instead of a girder at the end of the joists, a beam is placed under the joists, so they can extend past that support.

That overhang that is past the beam is what’s called the cantilever. Using this construction, you can extend a home’s footprint and save on material costs— as long as it’s done right. For a safe cantilever overhang, you have to consider the strength of the particular wood and the spacing of the joists. Also, since the beam acts as a fulcrum, you have to make sure that the flooring can handle the weight put on the cantilever by taking into account the backspan of the joists (the distance of the joist up to the beam). Cantilevered engineering is like building a playground teeter-totter that you don’t want to budge an inch when weight is placed on the unsupported side. Unfortunately, some wildlife was as impressed with this cantilevered flooring as I was — and they wanted an up-close view by getting into the spacing under the flooring extending over the foundation!

For this particular job, the animals had made of mess of things with their clawing and droppings, and I needed to remove all of the debris and contaminated insulation underneath. I was able to access the area through the ceiling of the basement. After removing the debris, I sanitized and deodorized the entire area so that no other wildlife would be attracted to the same area by the left-over scent. For added measure, I blocked off every bay in the framing with Silver-Glo insulation and spray foam. Finally, I installed a Dig Defense® on the exterior portion of the cantilever and the rear deck to keep wildlife from being able to gain access. With a dig defense, the area invaded by wildlife is blocked by underground fencing to prevent them from re-entering. 

This homeowner in South Amboy, NJ noticed mice droppings in her basement. Upon inspection throughout the basement I discovered a small shimmer of daylight coming from above the foundation sill plate. I inspected the area further to find more droppings and a significant crevice where a drain pipe exited to the exterior. The entry point was confirmed when inspecting the exterior area. I placed small Rodent bait stations with rodenticide bait in the interior area where mice activity was observed to eliminate any mice that may be residing within. I then installed an exterior Rodent bait station with rodenticide and sealed the entry point with copper mesh to eliminate any more mice attempting to gain entry into the home.

After we successfully removed and relocated a raccoon that invaded this home in Freehold, NJ, we needed to fix the damage it caused.

We replaced the broken soffit with water pressure lumber to provide structural integrity to the area. This is also treated with an application to prevent termites as well. Afterward, we enclosed the area with sturdy, metal flashing to prevent future intrusions from any nuisance wildlife.