Ahh, home ownership. There's a lot to love but with every passing day there's a new discovery and/or obstacle to overcome. The need for pest control is one of those new-to-me things.
Turns out that 90 degree temps in late September work out well for bugs. Thanks, climate change. And, despite living in the middle of the city, termites, carpenter bees and the rest are all real threats. Ugh. Really? I thought I'd only have to worry about these pests if I lived out in the country. Doesn't city pollution have *any* benefits? Also a risk: mice. Again, it turns out that the adage about country mice and city mice comes from reality. I guess I just never paid attention to these things before. I lived in bigger cities, usually in high rises. My worries were unclean neighbors and the bugs they might attract. If something happened, I called the landlord, freaked out for a day and it was handled. Now? I'm the landlord and if something happens I have to fix it. I'm not planning on anything happening. Enter: Ace.
Ace had the initial contract on my house to check for potential termite problems. The tech who came out to service my home was Brian Hackett. Brian's a really good guy. He's honest, hard-working and does the job of three guys. On his first visit, he took me all around my house, told me what he was looking for, told me what I should be looking for, and gave my home a clean bill of health. Awesome. I'll take it. On his next (yearly) visit, again, he found no sign of termites. Woo-hoo! He was, however, dive bombed by a bee. I wasn't concerned because we need bees so I just learn to live with them. Thing is, this was no honey bee. This was a carpenter bee and all the wood on my home is just the kind of tasty treat they enjoy. Ugh. Okay. What's the solution? A spray/sealant and advice on how to further protect my home. See, this is what I like about Brian. Not only does he do his job, provide the service and fix the problem, he lets me know how to prevent further problems in the future. This kind of assistance creates trust which creates client longevity. My latest call: a dead mouse found by the window on my lower level. Nope. Not today, Satan. I called Brian on a Sunday (out of my mind, by the way) and he was at my house on Tuesday. We checked the outside of my home for potential entry points. Evidently, mice only need an inch or so to make their way into your home. #thestuffofnightmares Thankfully, my home's pretty well-sealed but Brian found a potential entry point that I am caulking this weekend (definitely before it gets cold). He went around my house looking for droppings and I was relieved to see many of the potential hiding places were clear. Just to be safe, he left some poison traps and a follow up appointment for a month from now. He also sprayed my basement and garage for spiders.* I feel like my house is mine again. Brian Hackett is my guy. I'm pretty sure he should be yours, too. Daniel Hamilton is aces as well. This guy is SUPER thorough and is in demand. He'll make sure you're satisfied, he'll answer all your questions and he'll make sure that everything is as it should be. With a resume like that, he's super busy and he requests that people not ask for him if it's not an emergency -- so he can help more people. Yep, he's that good *and* that thoughtful!!
*I felt a bit bad about that. I have a deal with spiders. They stay outside and in the corners of my basement I don't go in and they can eat all the bugs they want, keeping my home bug free (which it's been). They don't bother me; I don't bother them. I fear what breaking this truce will mean. read more