I contacted Thoroughspect after seeing an Angie’s List deal for their inspection service on house sealing against rodents and other critters. I had suspected squirrels had entered my attic after hearing noises above my bedroom throughout the cold winter and initially thought i would investigate and attempt to do some sealing myself when the weather was warmer.
Upon purchasing the deal, Brian, the owner of Throughspect quickly responded to me via email and we set up a convenient time for him to come by my house for the inspection.
Inspection:
Brian arrived right on time for our appointment (he actually arrived early and had already done a quick visual inspection of the exterior of the house unbeknownst to me) and I immediately found him to be a likable, personable person. This was especially so after he offered to remove his shoes in our house and was playful to our 3 year old son. We did a walk around the perimeter of the house, with Brian pointing out all the potential entry points, nooks and crannies that i never would have thought a mouse, bat or squirrel would be able to enter from. After the exterior, he came inside and did a thorough inspection of my basement, pointing out some issues and helpful tips (e.g. expired fire extinguisher, how to deal with mold in a washing machine, etc). Apparently, Brian is also an experienced general contractor and was very helpful in commenting on good and bad aspects of my house, something i really appreciated.
After the basement inspection we did quick tour of the first and second floor and then really focused on the attic where the major issue was. As the entry to the attic was in my son’s room above the closet area we had to move a wardrobe and other things blocking the area. Brian got his ladder from his van and then entered the attic. As i’ve only been in my unfinished attic once (during an inspection before i purchased the house) i was expecting the worse given the activity i heard from my bedroom throughout the winter. Brian confirmed my fears as he saw a total occupation in my attic by squirrels. There were very clear penetration points and apparent damage to some duct work connected to my central A/C system. I was horrified by the fact that my family and I were potentially exposed to harmful air that would have been pulled into this system through the vents in all of our rooms. Brian took many pictures and commented on all the activity happening in the attic as if he were a squirrel. This made a lot of sense as this is what he normally deals with and he clearly understands the behavior of these type of rodents. After he finished up we discussed some next steps, one of which was the delivery of a complete written report to me and that concluded the inspection. Within the week, Brian had emailed me a very detailed report which documented practically everything we discussed during the inspection together with lots of annotated photos explaining issues and highlighting areas that needed to be addressed. An estimated scope of work, with several options and cost was also provided. I couldn’t be more satisfied at the $49 i just spent for this inspection. After reading and digesting the report the easy decision to hire Thoroughspect to seal my house was made.
House sealing:
After paying a partial downpayment and scheduling an appointment for the work, Brian and his team arrived at my house about a week later ready to do a complete seal from top to bottom. Similar to Brian, his two person team was very friendly and respectful of our house, taking great care in ensuring a clean and neat job.
Work on both the exterior and interior was done, in installing one way traps in the attic to wire screens and wood blocks (to seal spaces on an exterior crawl space door which mice can squeeze through) in various cracks and areas around my house. There was a lot of the work involved as many pieces of objects needed to be customized and/or fabricated on site for a perfect, tight fit.
Brian was at my house every day work was being done and also made individual visits after the two days to check on traps left in the attic to remove any live squirrels that were caught, which there were on each occasion. Part of Brian’s and Thoroughspect’s mission is to be environmentally and socially responsible. This was evident in that no poisons were used and squirrels that were captured were released some 50+ miles from my house into a wooded area. Brian himself is a pet lover and from what i understand he also runs a dog shelter/rescue and rehabilitation program.
Follow ups:
Upon completion and full payment for their work, Brian continued to email me asking if there were any noises to be heard. I am happy to report that my attic seems completely sealed from squirrels and i am waiting for cleanup work in the replacement of insulation and repair of ductwork from another company (since Thoroughspect does not do this type of work).
Just last week i heard an irregular noise coming from a soffit in one of my bathrooms. Not sure what that was i reached out to Brian and he came to investigate the same day. It turned out to be a bird who somehow got through a vent louver. Even though this was not part of the original scope, Brian happily installed a wire screen for us. I could not be happier with the service and folks from Thoroughspect. I highly recommend Brian and his team for any house sealing and have no hesitation to answer any questions anyone may have on my job.
