“We sealed our side, and Elba wrote a note for the people next door. They called the office two days later.”
Julieta R.Homeowner, Kensington
Pest control for Philadelphia row homes
The wall is shared. So is the mouse.
Mice don't stop at the party wall. We seal your side, then help you talk to the neighbor about theirs, because a house that is sealed on one side can push the problem to the other.
The party wall
Four places a mouse gets from one house to the next
Two houses, one wall. From the street you can see where it meets the outside. The rest is behind the plaster, and we check it from cellar to attic.
The wall itself
Old mortar and plaster crack with age. Mice use the cracks, and the gaps around any pipe or wire that passes through. We look at both faces of the wall.
Pipes and downspouts
Every pipe that goes through a wall leaves a ring of gap around it. Mice chew through foam, so we close the ring with steel mesh and sealant on top.
Brick, stone and cellar
Where brick meets the foundation, mortar loosens, and a cellar window or vent opens straight into the house. This is where most of them come in.
Doors and window frames
A worn door sweep, or a gap at a frame no wider than a pencil, is enough for a mouse to get through.
The neighbor
Talk to next door before the work, not after
Sealing one side of a wall can send mice to the side that isn't sealed. A short conversation does more than a second visit.
We look at your side
Cellar, attic, kitchen and bath. We mark every opening on a sketch of your house, and the ones that face the wall.
You get a note for next door
One page in plain words: what we found, what it means for them, and how to reach us. You hand it over, or we do. Your choice.
They book, or they don't
They can call us or anyone else. We never go into a house we weren't asked into, and we don't discuss your visit with them unless you say so.
We match the dates if both say yes
Same day and same crew, so the openings close together. Each house gets its own written scope and its own bill.
One side or both
Your house alone, or both houses together
Both are honest options. Here is what each one does and doesn't change.
| Both houses, same day | Your house only | |
|---|---|---|
| What gets sealed | Both houses, same dayThe openings on both sides of the wall | Your house onlyThe openings on your side of the wall |
| Where mice tend to go | Both houses, same dayThere are fewer open routes between the two | Your house onlyOften to the house that is still open |
| Visits | Both houses, same dayTwo scopes on one day, with a follow-up for each | Your house onlyYours, with one follow-up |
| Who pays | Both houses, same dayEach house pays for its own work | Your house onlyYou |
| A good fit when | Both houses, same dayThe neighbor is willing and can be home | Your house onlyNext door isn't ready, or the house is empty |
How pricing works
No price is on this page because the price depends on your house. Here is what decides it.
What decides the price
A row home is narrow and tall, so the size of a job is mostly about how many openings there are and how hard they are to reach. The square footage matters less.
Floors, and whether there is a cellar
How many openings we find along the walls and pipes
Whether the attic and cellar can be reached
One house, or two houses done together
Units in the building, for a landlord
What the estimate includes, and what it doesn't
It is a written scope: what we found, what we will seal or trap, how many visits, and the terms if pests return. It does not cover repairs to brick, plaster or plumbing, or any work on the neighbor's house.
Includes: the inspection, the written scope, follow-up visits, the terms if pests return
Doesn't include: masonry, plaster or plumbing repair, the other side of the wall
What happens at the visit
A technician goes through the house from cellar to roof with a light, shows you what they found, and says what it means. Plan on about an hour for a typical row home. The scope says whether a visit fee is credited toward the work.
When you get the number
Before any work starts, in writing, as one price for the scope. If the neighbor joins, each house gets its own scope and its own number.
If the job changes
If we open a wall or lift a floorboard and find more, we stop and show you. Nothing is added until you agree to it in writing.
What we're called for
Pests in attached houses and small rental buildings
Most calls are mice and roaches. Here is the full list, and what we do first.
Mice and rats
Seal first, then trap. The work is in cellars, attics and along the party wall.
Mice and ratsRoaches and ants
Kitchens, baths and the walls between. We find the trail or the hiding place before anything else.
Roaches and antsBed bugs
Mostly in rentals. We inspect every unit that shares a wall, and we don't promise a one-visit fix.
Wasps and hornets
Nests under cornices and porch roofs. We say what we can reach from a ladder and what needs a lift.
Cellar pests
Damp cellars bring silverfish and crickets. We treat what is there and tell you what draws them.
Rental buildings
Two to six units. One scope for each unit and a notice for every tenant.
For landlords
The year
What turns up, and when
A recurring plan follows this calendar: an inspection in the fall, a check in the cellar in winter, and a look at kitchens and cornices in the warm months.
Mice and rats
Indoors from the first cold nights.
Oct to Mar
Ants
Kitchens and window frames.
Apr to Jul
Roaches
Kitchens, baths and the walls between.
Jun to Sep
Wasps and hornets
Nests grow through the summer.
Jun to Oct
Cellar crickets and silverfish
Damp cellars.
May to Sep
Bed bugs
Lease changes and travel.
Aug to Oct
Seasons are typical for the Philadelphia area and shift with the weather.
In their words
What the neighbors said
“Every unit got its own notice and its own scope. The report showed the sealed spots on a sketch of the building.”
Lucious B.Landlord, a four-unit building in Germantown
“I'm at the end of the row and I still had to ask my neighbor. Dollie's note made it an easy conversation.”
Kristal D.Homeowner, Mayfair
Sample reviews.
The staff box
Who answers the phone and who comes to the door
Eight of us in the shop and the vans. These five are who you'll meet or hear from.
Dollie Arrington
Owner and licensed applicator
Runs the schedule, signs the written scopes and writes the neighbor notes herself.
Elba Velazquez
Lead technician
Does the inspections and the sealing, and walks you through what she found.
Khang Pham
Technician
Cellars, kitchens and the follow-up visits.
Lyndsey Moreau
Technician
Rental buildings and bed bug inspections.
Donnie Murphy
Scheduling and customer care
Picks up the phone, books the visits and sends the scopes.
Where we go
Row-home Philadelphia, and the edge of Delaware County
Streets of attached houses are most of our work. If your block isn't listed, send the address and we'll say.
South and Southwest Philadelphia
- Whitman
- Grays Ferry
- Pennsport
- Bella Vista
- Kingsessing
North Philadelphia and the River Wards
- Kensington
- Northern Liberties
- Brewerytown
- Francisville
- Germantown
Northeast Philadelphia
- Frankford
- Mayfair
- Tacony
- Olney
Delaware County
- Folcroft
- Yeadon
- Collingdale
We work in the city and the near edge of Delaware County. We don't take commercial kitchens, buildings of more than six units, or houses in Montgomery or Bucks counties.
Contact
Request a visit
Tell us which house is yours and what you're hearing or seeing. We write back in the hours below.
Call(215) 555-0101
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- SundayToday
- Closed