Products
X Team has spent many years and worked on thousands of cases of working on houses and buildings.
Chimney Cap
For many animals, a chimney is just like a hollow tree or a cave; however it is also like an open door to a structure. Squirrels and birds will enter the chimney only to find that they are unable to get back up the flue. Bats will gain access to the home through the chimney. Raccoons and chimney swifts will live in chimneys and find it a great place to raise their young. To prevent wildlife from entering the chimney, WXT will install a chimney cap or screen metal chimneys’ with galvanized hardware cloth (GHC).
Chimney Crown
The chimney crown, which can also be referred to as a chimney wash, is a large slab that covers the top opening of the chimney. Unlike a chimney cap, which is typically made of metal and merely covers the opening to the flue, the chimney crown covers the entire top of the chimney. Chimney crowns may be made of metal, concrete, or stone. However, they should never be constructed using bricks and mortar, as these materials are not water proof and will deteriorate quickly when exposed to the elements.
Furnace
A furnace vent can also be an open door into a structure. Squirrels, birds, and bats get trapped in furnaces very frequently and raccoons will even use them to raise their young. WXT will install a chimney cap over clay furnace flues and install a master-flo furnace vent over all metal flues.
Turbine
A turbine is installed directly on the top of a roof and uses wind power to suck hot and humid air out of the attic. A turbine has a series of vanes that spin as wind passes through them. Seal under the turbine with hardware cloth to keep wildlife out.
Louver Vents
All wildlife including bats, birds, raccoons, squirrels, and even rats will enter the attic through unscreened or damaged louver vents, using an attic as their home. To prevent wildlife from living in an attic, WXT will repair and / or screen the louver vents with galvanized hardware cloth (GHC). The screens are subtle and actually will look like they belong on the house.
Solar Vents
The Master Flow 750 CFM Low Profile Solar Powered Roof Mount Exhaust Fan will help remove excess heat and moisture from your attic to protect the roofing system from premature deterioration and its low profile design enhances the appearance of your finished roof. The Solar Powered fan requires no wiring and uses no electricity. Hot attic air is removed from the attic by the fan as fresh air is drawn into the attic through your existing intake vents. The 24 volt DC brushless motor provides airflow up to 750 CFM and requires no maintenance. The impact resistant, 20-watt solar panel helps withstand hail and foreign object impact. Recommended usage for this unit is one unit per 1000 sq. ft. of attic space with a minimum intake ventilation of 560 sq. in. of net free area. Use a roof vent guard over the solar vent to keep wildlife out.
Fan Vents
The fan vent (we recommend solar fans) on a roof is actually a big hole in a roof with a fan in the middle. It comes installed with a lightweight screen on the inside, but raccoons, squirrels, and birds soon find they can push the screen over and enter your attic. WXT will eliminate this from happening by installing a stainless steel roof vent guard over the fan vent. WXT will also replace the plastic or damaged fan hoods with all metal replacement hoods prior to vent guard installation.
Roof Exhaust
Almost all roof exhaust provides access for squirrels if they find they can remove the interior insect screen. Birds will simply nest inside the vent and raccoons will even rip the entire vent off a roof to gain access to an attic. There are three ways to protect attic vents and they include screening, roof vent guard installation, or replacing them with a better quality vent.
Exhaust Vents
The biggest problem with exhaust vents is bird nesting. Birds will nest inside the vent because it provides great protection for them to raise their young. WXT will install a Universal Bird and Pest Guard or screen the vent for permanent protection.
Roof Vents
Almost all roof vents provide access for squirrels if they find they can remove the interior insect screen. Birds will simply nest inside the vent and raccoons will even rip the entire vent off a roof to gain access to an attic. There are three ways to protect attic vents and they include screening, roof vent guard installation, or replacing them with a better quality vent.
Roof / Flashing
WXT uses metal flashing to seal eaves and other gaps around the house. Flashing helps direct the flow of water around openings. Since water can seep into your home’s walls, deteriorating building materials, causing structural damage, and creating moisture and mold problems, it is very important to properly install flashing when doing your repairs or altering the exterior of a house. Flashing is used beneath the first course above ground level in a masonry building, above all wood trim on shelves, doors, and windows, where exterior stairs and decks attach to the house, and around any features in the roof structure.
Vent Pipes / Plumbing Stacks
Wildlife will think this is a hole in a roof and try to use it to access an attic. They soon find they are trapped and cannot escape. WXT will screen the plumbing stacks with stainless steel screens to prevent this from happening. This will prevent wildlife from chewing soft lead pipe covers.
Fascia Boards
Damaged or rotten fascia boards will provide raccoons, squirrels, birds, and rodents direct access to an attic. WXT will repair or replace damaged fascia boards to eliminate this access point.
Dormer Eaves
It is fairly common practice for builders to leave a gap where dormer soffits or fascia meet the roof. These areas, referred to as soffit / eaves or dormer eaves, are very common access sites for bats, birds, squirrels, and raccoons. WXT will completely box in and or seal these gaps to prevent future wildlife entry.
Gutters / Flashing
It is best to keep the gutters in good condition and clean so they don’t clog up with debris. If this happens, they will hold water and begin to rot out the fascia boards it is attached to. It is also common practice for roofers to leave a gap behind the gutter where the fascia and roof sheathing meet in some of the northern states. This becomes a prime access point for birds, squirrels, and raccoons and should be repaired properly. WXT will repair fascia damage and secure the gap behind the gutter with gutter flashing or we will install gutter guards.
Deck / Patios
Decks and patios are a common home for opossums, rabbits, skunks, raccoons and other wildlife. Decks and patios can be secured by installing a rat wall. This is a permanent solution and when installed properly, is very aesthetic. WXT will commonly use 18-24 inches of metal buried in the ground or concrete or a combination of both. You can also build a rat wall all the way around a house.
Foundation Vents
Some houses have foundation vents and they are prime access sites for rats and mice. WXT will screen or replace these vents eliminating access in the future.
Dryer Vents
Every animal loves the warmth provided by the dryer and it will soon become a home for wildlife. Birds love to nest inside these vents and other wildlife like rabbits, opossums, squirrels, rats, mice, and snakes will use them to gain access to your home. WXT will install a Heartland Dryer Vent or Universal Bird and Pest Guard to eliminate access.
Construction Gaps
If there is a construction gap on a home, wildlife will find it. These construction gaps can be found anywhere from the foundation to the peak of a roof and will provide access for everything from mice to bats. A thorough inspection by WXT will reveal these prime access sites and provide the opportunity to have these sites repaired and wildlife-proofed properly.
Valleys
Valleys are created where two roof slopes meet. Because of the volume of water and lower slope along valley lines, valleys are particularly vulnerable to leakage.
There are two basic types of valleys: open and closed.
Open Valleys
Open valleys are so defined because the valley line remains uncovered by the primary roofing material. Open valleys are protected by a combination of ice and water shield and metal.
Closed Valleys
Closed valleys are covered over using the shingles or other primary roofing material.
Many roofers overlook the details required for a proper closed style valley application. As with all the detailed areas of your roof, it is important to know the details of each valley style in order to make an educated decision for a wildlife remediation program. Do a very good inspection on wood and tile roofs.
Ridge Vents
The biggest problem with ridge vents is rodent entry and bird nesting. Birds will nest inside the ridge vents when they warp or in the older bigger ones and rodent just chew right through the material. Ridge Vents are Installed at the peak of a sloped roof, the ridge vent allows damp, warm air to escape from the attic but always has wildlife issues.
Wood Siding
Wood siding is very versatile in style and can be used on a wide variety of building structures. It can be painted or stained in any color desired. Though installation and repair is relatively simple, wood siding requires more maintenance than other popular solutions, requiring treatment every four to nine years depending on the severity of the elements to which it is exposed. Wildlife, ants and termites are a threat to many types of wood siding, such that extra treatment and maintenance that can significantly increase the cost in some pest-infested areas.
Hardie Siding
This siding seems to be a rising trend in the industry lately. It’s a product that lasts, comes in a wide variety of textures and colors, and it’s affordable. The benefits extend beyond those factors, and when it comes to hardie board siding, there is a long list of pros.
- Longevity:Most hardie board siding comes with a 50-year, limited transferable warranty. This siding is completely rot and insect resistant and can even handle salt spray from the ocean.
- Appearance:Hardie board siding can be made to mimic just about any other siding material, including wood lap boards, cedar shingles, and wood shake siding. Color options are virtually unlimited. These colors are accompanied by a 15 year warranty on the finish.
- Fire Resistance:Hardie board siding is 90 percent sand and cement which makes it fire-resistant. Case in point, a St. Paul Minnesota house fire torched two fire trucks parked 60 feet away, but the cement board siding home next door, 50 feet away, remained unscathed.
- Storm Resistance:Whether you’re looking for a siding material that can withstand the next Katrina, or one that can fend off the next summer hailstorm without sustaining damage, cement board siding is a proven commodity in the weather department.
Spanish Tile
Roof tiles are designed mainly to keep out rain, and are traditionally made from locally available materials such as terracotta or slate. Modern materials such as concrete and plastic are also used and some clay tiles have a waterproof glaze.
Roof tiles are ‘hung’ from the framework of a roof by fixing them with nails. The tiles are usually hung in parallel rows, with each row overlapping the row below it to exclude rainwater and to cover the nails that hold the row below. There are also roof tiles for special positions, particularly where the planes of the several pitches meet. They include ridge, hip and valley tiles. These can either be bedded and pointed in cement mortar or mechanically fixed. When they are not totally sealed we run into issues with rodents and wildlife getting in around the ridges, hips and valleys.
Asphalt Shingles
An asphalt shingle is a type of roof shingle that uses asphalt for waterproofing. It is one of the most widely used roofing covers in North America because it has a relatively inexpensive up-front cost and is fairly simple to install. We have less issues with this type of shingle but rodents and wildlife will still rip it off of a roof.
Wood Shingles
Wood shingles are thin, tapered pieces of wood primarily used to cover roofs and walls of buildings to protect them from the weather. It is a good idea put repair a wood roof by putting metal under the shingle you repair.
Metal Roofing: Metal beats out conventional roofing materials on a number of different counts:
Expected life
Properly installed, a metal roof should last as long as the house, sealing out water, surviving high winds, and easily shedding snow. Metal is resistant to fire, mildew, insects, and rot. Warranties vary widely, but most companies back their products for 20 to 50 years. Paint finishes typically have a 30-year limited warranty.
Weight
Compared with tile at 750 pounds per square (an area equal to 100 square feet) or concrete tile at 900 pounds per square, metal roofing is lightweight. Most varieties run from 50 to 150 pounds per square.
Some types of metal roofing materials may be applied over an existing roof without the need for tear-off or additional structural support. In fact, if you’re building a house or an addition, you can often downsize or reduce the number of roof support members.
Speed & ease of roofing installation
Most metal roofing materials come in multiple-shingle sections or in 12- to 36-inch-wide panels. An accomplished contractor can install these quickly. If your roof is stripped off and a storm is on the way, shortening the process by a day or two may have a critical advantage. Because of the material’s light weight, you can save on engineering and building the supporting structure.
Fire resistance
Because metal roof materials are noncombustible, they typically have a Class A fire rating (the most resistant). But part of a roof’s overall classification depends on materials beneath the surface that could ignite in intense heat. Most metal roofs applied over a combustible material such as wood shingles have a lower, Class C rating. See notes under “Metal Roofing Drawbacks” regarding problems in the event of a house fire.
Heat conduction
Metal reflects radiant heat from the sun, minimizing midday heat gain. This means you save energy needed for air conditioning during the day. Though the material itself is low in insulation R-value, many systems utilize a dead-air space between the metal and roof deck to increase energy efficiency.
Slate Roof
Slate roofing tile has some huge upsides, mostly due to the fact that it’s a natural stone product, giving it a unique, beautiful appearance, and the longevity that slate is famous for. Here’s a list of the most popular reasons homeowners choose to install slate roofing tiles on their home.
- Appearance— First and foremost, homeowners are drawn to slate because of its beauty. There simply isn’t a roofing material on the market that has a classier, more celebrated appearance. Furthermore, slate roofing tiles offer more choices than most homeowners realize, available in varying sizes and thicknesses, as well as a wide range of colors, including gray, green, purple, black, red, and mottled tiles that sport several colors mixed together.
- Longevity— Slate roofs can and should be routinely built to last at least a century. In fact, 150 years is a reasonable expectation of a roof’s longevity if the roof is properly constructed. That’s a big plus in an industry where many roofing systems are lucky to last 20 or 30 years before needing replacement.
- Fire Resistance — Slate roofing is one of the most fire resistant roofs that exist. Unlike many other roofing materials, slate tiles themselves are completely fire proof. That’s a big advantage when it comes to preventing fires caused by air borne sparks from fireworks, wildfires, or from adjacent house fires.
- Environmentally Friendly— Roofing waste accounts for more than 5 percent of the total waste sent to landfills across the nation every year. Since the majority of that roofing waste can be attributed to asphalt shingle roofing that needs replacement every 20 to 30 years, it’s easy to see the positive environmental impacts of installing a roof that is going to last 100 years or more.
Attic Restoration
The problem with insulation is if an animal gains access to an attic, it provides prime nesting material for mice, rats, raccoons, squirrels, and birds. The attic insulation may need to be removed & replaced and / or disinfected & deodorized if it becomes mixed with animal feces or bird nesting debris. WXT has the knowledge to handle these situations and can correct them.
Debris Removal
Basic labor to remove construction debris with favorable site conditions should be $200 per hour, per man plus a dump or dumpster fee.
Dumpster Rental
From a roll-off dumpster to trailer waste removal services, we’re dedicated to making our clients happy. You may want to charge a minimum fee of $1,000 when a 20-40 yard dumpster is needed for a job.
You can use a dumpster when you are cleaning out an attic or cleaning out a garage.
Disinfect & Deodorize
The Attic & Ductwork runs throughout an entire house and the ductwork is the main component of a ventilation system. Naturally, it is important to keep the attic & ducts clean and disinfected to prevent the spread of germs and spores through the air. Rodent and Wildlife droppings are the primary concern with attics & ducts, as it can easily build up in these isolated areas and can be tough to eradicate and can be deadly. The proper application to disinfect and deodorizer is done through the use of a machine that can coat the entire lining of a duct and attic walls and floors.
Flea, Tick Mange & Mite Treatment
Fleas can cause terrible skin irritation that will make our clients animals scratch, lick and bite themselves. This can result in rashes, scaly skin, hot spots and hair loss. It only takes one pregnant flea to lead to a flea infestation on our clients animals or in their home.
Ticks can cause diseases that can lead to significant health issues such as debilitating illness, paralysis and even death. It only takes one tick to spread disease, so continuous protection is critical to help reduce the risk of infection.
Mange and Mites can cause severe itching and a variety of problems that can impact a domestic animals health if left untreated.
Every house should be treated for these insects after a wildlife infestation.
Fog Attic or House / Building: The Attic & Ductwork runs throughout an entire house and the ductwork is the main component of a ventilation system. Naturally, it is important to keep the attic & ducts clean and disinfected to prevent the spread of germs and spores through the air. Rodent and Wildlife droppings are the primary concern with attics & ducts, as it can easily build up in these isolated areas and can be tough to eradicate and can be deadly. The proper application to disinfect and deodorizer is done through the use of a machine that can coat the entire lining of a duct and attic walls and floors.
Attic Tent
The Attic Tent is the ultimate attic access insulation cover ever invented attic stairs scuttle holes knee-wall doors and full-size doors. Its primary design is to stop air infiltration between the home and attic the most common medium for wasting costly residential energy during both hot and cold seasons.
Attic Ladder
An attic ladder is a retractable ladder that is installed into the floor of an attic and ceiling of the floor below the attic.
FINANCING RESOURCES
Financing for home services is available through third parties
What our customers say:
Project: Repair or Partially Replace Wood or Fiber-Cement Siding
Did a very good job. Very professional and pleased with the work they did.
Rick K., North Richland Hills, TX