Abandoned Townhome Becomes Nightmare [News Blog]

Written by Jalyn Souchek, Reporter

CORALVILLE (KWWL) –

Raccoons falling from their roof is how one homeowner described the nightmare of living next door to an abandoned property.

Phil Ganoe and his wife had just had their first child when they bought their first home over 15 years ago. The next year, their neighbor up and left the connecting townhome, leaving it abandoned.

“It was our first home and we were excited and things started out real well. We didn’t ever think we would end up where we are now,” Ganoe said.

The situation turned into a nightmare when a few years later a storm severely damaged the roof on the abandoned side, leaving a large hole in the ceiling.

It only got worse.

Raccoon Removal River Wilderness Parrish FL

“Every time it rained or snowed, God, we worried,” Ganoe said.

The open hole meant the home was filling up with mold. He worried about the health effects it could be having for his family but, again, it only got worse.

“Then the raccoons came. So, the raccoons got in through the hole in the ceiling and then, before you know, we have raccoons in our ceiling,” he said. “There were dead baby raccoons on our first steps. They had nested in the roof and the weight of them had busted through and fallen out onto our front steps.”

Over the years, Ganoe had tried to get in contact with the old neighbor, but without much luck.

He said they tried to sell their home, but the eyesore that was next door didn’t bring in a single interested buyer. It took several calls to the city.  Eventually, the city of Coralville took possession of the property, he said.

That’s when Habitat for Humanity was able to step in and help.

After 15 years, Ganoe said he was in disbelief something was going to be done. He also feared the damage would be so bad that their home wouldn’t be able to be saved, but that wasn’t the case. The first order of business was to replace the entire roof.

“After hearing Phil’s story and his families’ issues that they had due to this property, we kind of thought it made sense to help out as much as we could,” Heath Brewer, Habitat Executive Director, said. He said, when Habitat took on the property, they had no idea how much the neighbors had been impacted by it.

With a new roof over their head and a raccoon-free home, Ganoe spends extra time helping Habitat with the renovation of the home. After 15 years, he will soon have neighbors again.

“They were nice enough to put a roof on our house. They didn’t have to do that and we’re very grateful for that and, being a neighbor, I kind of feel like that’s the neighborly thing to do,” he said.

To show his gratitude, Ganoe is raising money for Habitat to cover the costs of repairing his side of the home. More about that fundraiser can be found here.

Brewer said the renovations should be completed in April and it will be available for affordable housing. He said the renovations not only help the Ganoe family with their headaches, but it will add value to the neighborhood.

 

How Do You Keep Raccoons Out of Your Yard? [Manatee County, FL]

WORRIED ABOUT RACCOONS?

Call 1-866-263 WILD!

Nuisance Wildlife Removal Inc is fully licensed and insured. We are a locally and family-owned business that has been operating in Manatee and Sarasota county for 20 years. We are the real experts and have the experience to prove it. Call today to speak with a trusted professional. 

To read part II of our Raccoon FAQ installment series “Are Raccoons Dangerous During the Day?” click here

To read part I of our Raccoon FAQ installment series “How to Get Rid of a Raccoon?” click here

 

Nuisance Wildlife Removal Inc
1329 10th Street East Palmetto, Florida 34221
(941) 729-2103
 

Wildlife Invades Florida Homes.

abandonned raccoon babyAlways Seek A Qualified Person For The Job

Would you ask your plumber to fix your car? Of course not. He has his specialty, and so do we at Nuisance Wildlife Removal. We remove animals such as raccoons, snakes, opossums, bats, and bee hives, when they invade peoples’ spaces. Do it yourself people often think they’ll save money by hiring a handy man or even doing the job themselves, but often that can cause a bigger problem.

How Do We Get A Raccoon Family Out Of Your House?

The baby raccoon on the right would have died if the homeowner had gone ahead with his plan to wait until the raccoon in his attic left at night, then seal up the entrance.

  1. First of all, a mother raccoon would have just frantically made a new entrance to get to her babies, causing even more damage to the house.
  2. Secondly, if she had failed, then the owner would have the foul odor of rotting dead raccoons in his attic to deal with.

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed. His wife called Nuisance Wildlife Removal services for a FREE assessment of the situation. We showed the owner that there was indeed a nest of babies in his attic, and that momma had more than one entrance to his house. We went to work by first convincing the mother raccoon that she should not stay any longer. To do this, we sprayed a predator scent, which alerts her to constant danger to her and her babies. In exiting the only route that we had left her, she stepped into a trap we had set.

Once the young family was evicted, we fixed all the places on the home where the raccoons had done damage to get in. Unfortunately, it was also obvious that this was not the first time this house had been used as a raccoon nursery. We ended up having to do a complete attic restoration for this home owner. We pulled out all the old insulation and disinfected the entire attic area, and sprayed for the thousands of fleas we found there. We then replaced all the insulation, and even had some crushed vent work repaired.

By the way, this was covered by his home owner’s insurance.

The raccoons were taken to an animal rehab facility until the babies can fend for themselves in the wild.

 

CALL 866-263-WILD (9453)

Attic Restoration

rats bring damage to the attic areaIt Takes A Wildlife Expert To Clean Up Their Mess

Many people ask why we offer attic restoration services and why they shouldn’t just call someone in construction. Well, after years of experience we know what to look for and we know exactly what needs to be removed and disinfected. We know the behaviors of different wildlife and by understanding this we know where to look for damage. It is simply not a matter of just cleaning up after an animal. A legitimate  attic restoration, is much more involved.

What We Do and What You Should Look for Before Hiring an Attic Restoration Company

It is important to do a thorough inspection of an attic, making detailed notations of any chewed wires, urine marks, feces, nests, and torn or damaged air conditioning ducts, which contaminate your living space.

The next step is to inspect the outside of your home to determine any and all entry points and prevent creatures from re-entering. By taking pictures and filling out an inspection report you will have the documentation you need to present to your insurance company.  Our company submits our proposal and negotiate with the insurance company, but not all businesses offer this service.

We Have A Greater Goal In Mind For YOU

The main goals are to remove all wildlife and the feces, urine, parasites and disease they brought with them. The next goal is to prevent creatures from getting back in your homes. Any company you hire should have these goals.

Wild Life Trapper removes the insulation contaminated with feces and urine. This is done by using the most innovative and up to date equipment available. The entire area is disinfected with an anti-microbial enzyme to rid your home of diseases, bacteria, and allergens. We also kill the fleas and other parasites.

If you have any questions please contact us. We are happy to answer any questions you have.

 

We  Proudly Serve Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, Tampa, Clearwater, St. Pete and Largo

 

CALL 866-263-WILD (9453)