Typical jobs across Marion County

The calls we handle most often: what homeowners notice, what our technicians do, and what to expect.

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6 job stories

Typical job

What homeowners notice: Once the October nights turn cold, a family in a Queen Anne near Pleasant Run Parkway hears scratching inside the kitchen wall after dark. Droppings line the cellar stairs and turn up in the drawer beside the stove, and the old limestone foundation has mortar crumbling at the sill.
What we do: The technician follows greasy rub marks along the cellar walls, sets snap traps by the stairs, behind the range and at the attic eaves, then packs steel mesh and sealant into gaps around the gas line, the dryer vent and the sill. Two openings on the street-facing side are marked so the owners can ask the IHPC before changing them.
What to expect: Trap catches usually fall off within two or three weeks, and the written report maps every trap and sealed gap for the follow-up visit.

2 hours typical visit

Typical job

What homeowners notice: A new owner of a late-Victorian frame house on one of Woodruff Place's esplanade streets notices that a front porch board gives underfoot. Pulling up the board shows dark, layered wood and a crust of dried soil along the joist below, and nobody can say when the house last had a termite inspection.
What we do: The technician works around the brick foundation inside and out, probing the sill plate, basement joists, porch framing and the back stoop where wood meets soil. Soil-lined galleries in the porch joist and a mud tube on an interior pier confirm eastern subterranean termites, while the rest of the framing sounds solid.
What to expect: The owner receives a written report locating the activity and the damaged wood, with liquid and bait treatment options priced for approval before any work begins.

90 minutes typical visit

Typical job

What homeowners notice: Each fall, orange beetles coat the sunny south wall of an early-1900s bungalow a few blocks off Emerson Avenue. By November hundreds sit in the upstairs dormer windows and ceiling light covers, and sweeping them up leaves yellow spots and a bitter smell.
What we do: Ahead of the next cold snap, the technician applies a labeled perimeter treatment to the south and west walls, eaves and window frames, then seals gaps at the gable vents, siding joints and loose window trim. A shop vacuum kept just for beetles is the suggestion for any that already got in.
What to expect: Noticeably fewer beetles typically reach the living space that winter, and the report notes the early-fall window to book next year.

90 minutes typical visit

Typical job

What homeowners notice: Replacing a rotten porch floorboard on a small frame cottage near E. 10th Street, the owner finds the joist beneath packed with soil-colored mud and pale, soft-bodied insects. The cottage sits low on a shallow foundation, and a concrete back stoop butts against the siding.
What we do: After confirming eastern subterranean termites and checking the crawlspace and sill plate, the technician prices a liquid soil treatment along the foundation, with drilling through the back stoop, and a bait system as the alternative. With the owner's approval, the liquid treatment goes in, and moving a stacked lumber pile off the foundation is advised.
What to expect: The report lists each treated section and the damaged boards to replace, so a carpenter knows where to start and the next inspection has a baseline.

3 hours typical visit

Typical job

What homeowners notice: From April on, a family whose Lawrence backyard meets the woods near Fort Harrison State Park keeps pulling ticks off the dog and finding them on the children's socks. Most turn up after play near the shady back fence, where leaf litter piles against the wire.
What we do: The technician walks the lot to see where ticks are most likely to wait, then treats the wooded border, leaf litter, fence line and shaded lawn edges as the label allows. A mowed strip between the woods and the swing set is suggested, and the dog's tick prevention is left to the family's vet.
What to expect: Tick finds generally drop in the treated zones over the next few weeks, and the report says how long to keep kids and pets off the yard and when a second visit makes sense.

1 hour typical visit

Typical job

What homeowners notice: By late June, a family in a newer New Palestine subdivision can't use the back patio at dusk. The yard faces a shared stormwater pond, one corner gutter spills over after every storm, and a toy bin and a sandbox lid hold rainwater for days.
What we do: The technician tips and scrubs the containers, points out the overflowing gutter, and treats the shrubs, the shady side of the fence and the space under the deck where adult mosquitoes rest, following the label. The pond is shared ground, so treatment stays inside the family's lot line.
What to expect: Bites at dusk usually ease within a day or two of each monthly visit, and the report tracks which water sources were fixed and which still need watching.

45 minutes typical visit

Call and tell us what you see. We will tell you what it likely is and what it usually costs before anyone drives out.