Blog – Page 213 – Easterday Construction Co., Inc.

Critter in the Wall

January 22, 2009 by

I received the following email from my sister the other day:

Hello all,

I have something in my wall between my bathroom and kitchen wall…. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get it out? I’m not sure what it is… Kameron and I think it might be a bat, but it’s possible that it’s a mouse.

If you have any suggestions… Please let me know… I hate how it sounds in there… You can hear the scratching and then something dragging… Not great!

Let me know…

Thanks!
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Tongue firmly in cheek, I responded as follows:

Critter Options:

Take Kameron to Chuck E. Cheese with a roll of quarters. Have him practice on Whack-a-Mole for a while. Then when you get home., give him a hammer and let him start busting holes in the drywall. When the critter pops out one of the hammer holes, Whack Him!
Borrow a shot gun. Do your best Elmer Fudd imitation, “Shhhhhh… Be Verrwy Quiet… I’m hunting wabbits…” Close your eyes, listen and shoot where you hear the sound!
Rent Mousehunt. Those guys had a million ideas! I particularly liked trying to impale the mouse through the wall using nail guns and 16d nails… http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119715/
Turn up the TV until whatever it is dies. The smell will go away in about a week…

Number four is the method I generally use, but if you decide to do one of the others, I can’t wait to hear about it! If there was a way of getting it out of the wall without putting a hole in the wall, it would have found it already on its own. It wants out as badly as you want it out. Yes, it could be causing damage in the wall, but probably less than if you go after it. If you still hear it there after a week, then it probably has a path to get to that point and is trying to get through to the next stud or into the cabinets or something. At that point you may have no choice but to put the hole in the wall and get it stopped.

Kevin

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Bat Exclusion using Hardware Clothe and Duct Tape — Bat Exclusion using Hardware Cloth and Duct Tape

There are some things you can do. It’s best when you can find out what you’re dealing with, but that’s not always possible. For small mammals such as mice or bats, that you expect are still traveling in and out, you can put hardware cloth over the opening. Cut the metal fabric slightly larger than the opening. Three sides should be cut to leave protruding sharp points. Fasten one edge above the opening and bend the protruding points back towards the wall around the hole, creating a hinged flap that they can escape past, but cannot comfortably re-enter.

Once you are sure that there are no animals inside, seal the hole. Again, once the building envelope has been breached, this is often an area which will be breached over and over as the scent is there and it will be recognized as a weak point.

Bats, rats and mice can enter any hole that they can get their heads through. If the hole is small, steel wool can be used to fill the hole. This is difficult and uncomfortable for them to chew through. Larger holes may need to be patched with sheet metal. Once the point of entry has been permanently sealed, then cosmetic repairs can be made, such as replacing siding, stucco or whatever the appropriate finished material is.

Back to my sister’s issue, odds are this is a bat or mouse in the wall. It has probably entered through a small hole and become trapped, unable to find it’s way back out. It may have followed holes drilled for wiring (or plumbing considering the location) and without her tearing up the walls to find it, it will probably die there. It is not unusual to find mummified remains when doing demolition for remodeling projects.

Even when your solution is #4 above, it is always good to look for an entrance point. If you can find it, it needs to be blocked to prevent additional “critters” from entering. Be they bats, rats, mice, squirrels or God forbid, larger creatures such as possums, raccoons, cats, etc., once an entrance point has been created, breaching the integrity of the building envelope, it will be a constant point of entrance, even after the initial invader has been eliminated or died. If you can determine what intruder you’re dealing with, you can set the appropriate trap outside the hole in the path they are traveling.

You can find more information on bat exclusion here:

http://www.batconservation.org/content/Batproblems.html

You can find out how to build a bat house here:

http://www.batconservation.org/content/buildyourown.htm

You can find more about mice here:

ttp://www.extension.org/pages/House_Mice_Damage_Assessment

And if you’re one that believes misery loves company, check out this amusing blog and read about someone else’s experiences driving critters out of their home: http://www.komar.org/faq/hunting_bats/ Fair warning though, some of his pictures are a bit graphic….

Self-cleaning Drain Pipe

January 19, 2009 by

Do you have problems with kids losing things in the bathroom drain? Ever lost jewelry down the drain? Worse yet, were you not sure and went through the process of removing the trap just to find that the lost item actually was misplaced elsewhere? Or do you have problems with constant clogs? I ran across the PermaFLOW trap from PF WaterWorks as a possible solution. This is a clear plastic trap with an external knob that can be turned to dislodge clogs.

They are also marketing this as a “green” solution as it should reduce the need for corrosive chemicals when dealing with a clogged drain. The design is such that they say it improves flow, thus the “self-cleaning” designation. The cost appears to run around $40, plus installation. We have not tried one yet, but I have a few clients that I will be giving the suggestion.

Happy New Year, 2009!

January 5, 2009 by

Happy New Year to everyone! We all have high hopes for what the new year will bring, despite the somewhat depressing news brought to us by the national media. Personally I want to take a positive attitude and look at last year’s slow down as producing some pent up demand for some growth! I can’t say that my crystal ball is any better than yours, but keeping a positive attitude can’t hurt.

2009 is a bit of a milestone for Easterday Construction Co., Inc. too. The early history of our company is bit sketchy, but our earliest record of completed work is the dedication stone on the south side of the Culver Elementary School Gym which says the gym was built in 1929 by Russell L. Easterday Construction and Supply Company. That would have to be one of the earliest incarnations of our company which puts us at 80 years old this year!

Proposed Culver Elementary School Gym Addition

At the time of construction, the gym was the High School Gym. Through changes over the years, it has served as a Jr. High School Gym and now the Elementary School Gym. The Adminstration is currently considering renovations including roof work, changing the interior floor plan, installing new bleachers and building an addition on the west side to correct problems with the existing locker room. The gym is located across the street from our office in Culver. We look forward to the opportunity to participate in this project if it moves forward.

I met Judge Wendall C. Tombaugh late last year to discuss a project at his home. It was interesting talking to him as he is a former Culver resident (moving away in 1929) and knew of our company from those days until today. It’s always interesting to hear history of our Company from the perspective of those on the outside. It’s also interesting that his recollections back date our beginnings even further. First hand accounts are getting harder and harder to come by.

I’ve kind of rambled here, but here’s wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year!

Kevin

Key West

December 29, 2008 by

As mentioned in a previous post, Becky and I took some time off after Thanksgiving to travel south. We didn’t find the best weather, but we still had a good time. We spent the weekend after Thankgiving in Atlanta and then drove down to Key West, FL on Monday. We basically had three days at Key West (Tues, Wed, Thurs) before driving back to Atlanta on Friday.

This is our second trip to Key West in two years. We went there last year at this time and enjoyed it as well. This year we had somewhat of a heads up on what we had seen and liked and knew a little more about where to go. Last year we visited the Key West Garden Club in the West Martello, Hemingway’s Home, Truman’s Little White House and Fort Zachery Taylor. This year we visited East Martello Fort Museum, the Butterfly Conservatory as well as returning to Fort Zachary Taylor and doing some additional neighborhood exploration. We enjoyed the live blues music at the Sunset Pier and enjoyed the <warning!> raunchy songs and humor by Pete & Wayne at Sloppy Joes.

Former ECC employee Leroy Bean honored by Culver Chamber of Commerce

December 16, 2008 by

From the Pilot News:

Awarded Volunteer of the Year was Leroy Bean, whom Stallings (Culver Chamber President) said “epitomizes what a volunteer is.”

Born in Chicago in 1941, Bean was in Culver by 1942 and has lived here 66 years since, marrying Margaret Poor in 1961 and having two daughters, Kimberly and Cheryl, besides three grandchildren, three step grandchildren, and five great grandsons. Bean retired from Easterday Construction after 42 years in Nov., 2004 joining the Lions Club along the way in July, 2001. Bean became “Station Master” in 2002 at the Club’s headquarters, the former Culver train station-depot in the town park. “If Leroy asks you to take that job over,” quipped Stallings with a smile, “you have to say ‘no.’ He basically runs that place. Everything that happens there, Leroy’s involved in it.”

Bean has been in charge of rental of the station since 2003, and over recent years has volunteered at the Kiwanis Club’s Twin Lakes camp, helped with Christmas in April several times, worked with Culver’s food pantry, removed snow from sidewalks of neighbors and residents; put up Christmas decorations on Main St. and Lakeshore Drive, and held seats on the park board and Lakefest Committee.

Bean, expressing his appreciation and surprise at the award, said simply he’d “rather be out volunteering somewhere!”

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As stated in the above article, Leroy was an employee of Easterday Construction Co., Inc. for over 40 years, much of that time serving as a Project Superintendent. He started as a truck driver and worked his way up, developing his skills as a carpenter and supervisor along the way. We still count him as a friend and are proud of his continuing accomplishments since leaving us. We wish him the best and hope to nominate him for this award again in the future. – Kevin