I cannot say enough good things about Trapper Jack. They were fabulous from beginning to end…read more
I initially contacted Trapper Jack for a fourth opinion after discovering I had a much bigger wildlife and crawlspace situation than I realized. By that point, I had already received several inspections, recommendations and estimates, so I had quite a bit to compare them with.
From my very first conversation with Ben, I was impressed. He was incredibly thorough, knowledgeable, straightforward and responsive, and never made me feel as though he was trying to sell me more work than I actually needed. He wanted to inspect everything first, explain what he was seeing and then recommend the appropriate solution.
Trapper Jack stood out because of both the communication and the amount of thought that went into the job. Ben was wonderful about answering my many questions--and I had a LOT of them!--and clarifying details in writing so I knew exactly what was going to be done. Unlike some of the other companies I consulted, he did not try to convince me that I automatically needed a far more expensive encapsulation system.
The actual project was a big and very unpleasant one. They removed two layers of old vapor barrier along with feces, nesting material and other animal debris, cleaned everything out, hauled it away, installed a new vapor barrier, sealed potential entry points around the HVAC areas, installed ten powder-coated galvanized-metal vent covers and sanitized and deodorized everything afterward. They also replaced my broken crawlspace door with a beautiful new hinged door that closes securely and can be locked. Their exclusion work came with a two-year transferable warranty.
Johnell and Paul worked incredibly hard down in that crawlspace while the outside temperatures were already in the 90s. It was brutally hot work, and I honestly don't know how they did it. Despite the conditions and the decidedly unpleasant material they were hauling out from underneath my house, they remained professional, diligent, good-humored and just genuinely nice people to have working at my home. I couldn't have been more impressed with how hard those two worked.
There was also one unexpected situation during the job that, in my opinion, really demonstrated the character of this company. An old water pipe in the crawlspace failed after apparently being barely bumped while debris was being removed. The plumber who later repaired it told me the pipe was so deteriorated that it was essentially ready to go at any moment, so I certainly don't consider this carelessness on the crew's part.
The guys immediately let me know so I could shut off the water, and when I contacted Ben, he had already been alerted by his team and was personally on his way over. What impressed me even more was that Trapper Jack immediately offered to pay the entire cost of the plumbing repair. Given what the plumber told me about the condition of the pipe, I didn't think it would be fair for them to bear the whole expense, so we agreed to split it. To me, their willingness to take full responsibility before anyone even asked them to said a great deal about the kind of company they are.
I also appreciated how approachable the company was about the cost of such a large job. The owner's email actually invited me to contact him directly if I wanted to discuss payment options or negotiate the price. I took him up on the offer, and Greg immediately agreed to reduce my $9,067 estimate by another $350 because I was paying by check rather than credit card. I thought that was incredibly gracious and appreciated it very much.
What I appreciated most was that I felt Ben, Johnell and Paul genuinely wanted to solve the problem properly rather than simply get through a job and move on. Ben's communication throughout the entire process was exceptional. Every time I had a question, he answered it. When I wanted additional details in writing, he added them to the estimate. When an unexpected problem arose during the work, he came to the house himself.
I've dealt with a lot of contractors over the years, and good communication, follow-through and attention to detail are incredibly important to me. Trapper Jack delivered on all three.
I would absolutely recommend them and would use them again without hesitation. Five stars from beginning to end.
