The Catamount Carpet story

The story of Catamount Carpet Cleaning Inc.

       Don Jones who was a trained professional  chef by trade had a dream to have his own business. He approached a friend that had his own pizzeria and pitched him an idea. His name was Tony Minichiello but everyone called him Tony Canoli. After doing some market research and talking to a number of business owners, Don and Tony decided that they would start up a carpet and upholstery  cleaning business.  Tony put together a pro-former for the local bank that they both had used for several years. After all , they were only looking to borrow $8800.00.  They both had good credit, so hard could it be. 

   They were about to find out. The bank sent a lady from another town to check out the application. She determined that there was not enough business in their town to warrant a carpet cleaning business, so she denied the loan. 

  Don and Tony were focused now more than ever to make this a reality. They had signed agreements from at least six property managers in town testifying that they would use the services of Catamount Carpet Cleaning. With these in hand, the two went to visit another banker in a town 21 miles away. He was recommended by one of the business owners. The banker liked Don and Tony and gave them the loan. So with a loan of $8800.00 and a signature on a new van , they began working in earnest on April 1st 1987. They had planned on doing about $70,000 the first year. In fact they generated $ 224,000. 

In six months they paid back the original loan. They borrowed another $30,000 and paid that back within the first year. They never could have accomplished what they did if they had listened to the naysayers. In 1995 Don bought out Tony and Tony went on to seek his fortune in Michigan.

    Catamount Carpet Cleaning continues to thrive 26 years later. They are a full service carpet cleaning company as well as water,soot,and mold restoration. They also do duct cleaning,sand less floor refinishing and tile and grout cleaning. Don attributes the success of Catamount to timing,tenacity,professional education and the support of his wife an family. 

All it takes is a pin hole to freeze pipes

Hello everyone, This winter has been crazy with water damage and mold remediation. This job is in a mansion located on top of a mountain in Vermont. We were called in several years ago for the same problem. There is a missing bit of insulation in the outside wall that lets in a small stream of frigid air. The water lines are located over the dining room. Unfortunately, the owners left the water pump on and when it froze and thawed it ran the well dry and burned out the pump. the flooring is a specialty hardwood and very expensive to replace. To compound the job the driveway is about a half mile long and very steep. We had a major snowstorm last night and will probably not get back to check equipment for at least 48 hours. The owners have decided to use spray foam insulation this time and my guess it will take care of the issue. Folks, it only takes a small opening to let in enough cold air to freeze pipes. When leaving shut off the water pump and leave the heat on at least 55 degrees. The heat was on 65 degrees in this home but the break was in the ceiling where it didn’t matter. You must have someone checking your vacation home on a weekly basis. This is cheap insurance and could save you thousands of dollars in damages. That’s it for now, enjoy the rest of the winter and stay warm and dry.

Are you poisoning mice in your home?

Hello everyone, I wanted to show what happens when you poison mice in your home instead of trapping them. If you start smelling what seems like dead animals decaying in your home it is because they are. The poison says on the box that the rodents will seek water and leave the house to die. What they do is bring the bait back to the nest and feed it to their young. They all die in the wall cavity and if their is a water intrusion into the home, the adults stay there and die as well. I have seen where the damage that is created can costs thousands of dollars to fix. If you see yellow discoloration spots on a drywall ceiling it is probably a dead mouse decaying and leaching through. We pulled down a ceiling in  a home that had more than thirty dead mice in the ceiling alone. When you walked into the home the smell of death was overpowering. So trap and don’t poison. Another thing to be aware of when redoing a bathroom with drywall. Don’t put in standard drywall. Use a moisture resistant drywall. See attached photos of what happens over time with the mold growth in a wet environment. Those are some tips to save you a lot of aggravation and money. have a great day until the next time. So long.

water damage with blown in insulation

Hello all, We received a water damage call for a flooded home in the country. It was a broken plastic flex fitting in a water line that ran above the 5/8 drywall ceiling. What a mess when we discovered two feet thick blown in cellulistic insulation. Not only is this  a project but the builder put up the drywall ceiling, then put split logs for beams that attach themselves in such a way that you can’t get the wet sheetrock from under the beam. I don’t know how they will get new drywall ceilings under the beams to install. This will be a challenging job.

Plenty busy now with duct cleaning,mold remediation,carpet cleaning and water damage.  That’s it for now. Going to bed because morning comes really early around here. Peace Don

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Are you prepared for winter?

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Hello everyone, The temperature is 22 degrees this morning. Is your heat on at least 55 degrees? Is your water pump still on. Did you leave a window open when you went back to the city? These are some things you need to think about as the cold weather approaches. In the past twenty-five years we have restored and dried out hundreds of homes in southern Vermont that had been flooded due to broken pipes that were caused by the before mentioned conditions. It is also cheap insurance to contract with someone local to check your home once a week during the winter season for any problems.This past summer we have been extremely busy cleaning up mold infested homes. There doesn’t seem to be any shortage of these related claims in the northeast. If you have a basement,finished or not,chances are you have a high humidity problem. Old school thought was to open up basement vent windows and let the air blow through during the summer and close them in the winter. Hey folks, you are letting all the damp.humid air into your house. The rule today is to install a dehumidifier that is capable of drying the basement down to at least 50 % r/h. The dehumidifiers I sell work down to 45 degrees and are available with a pump out kit. No more dumping buckets. So, close the windows and control the indoor enviroment with a dehumidifier. This will eliminate your mold issues. Of course if you have a water intrusion problem that is another matter. Any mold questions can be answered at www.catamountcarpet.com  If you have air quality issues in your home that has a hot forced air heating system, you need to have it cleaned and disinfected by a professional cleaning company. Not some fly by night operation. You can find out the right answers to ask at www.catamountcarpet.com  Many  people experience running noses,difficult breathing and itchy eyes during the heating season. It is because when the blower kicks on it circulates all the pollen,mold,etc that is in your duct work through out your home. Get the system cleaned and it will make a world of difference.

Well, those are some tips for you to get prepared for winter, hope we don’t see you for emergency services but if you need us we will be there. Stay warm ,enjoy the snow and I will talk to you later. Peace Don

Finally getting busy again

Hello everyone, The phones stopped ringing in January and let me tell you it was a very uncertain winter. We had very little snow in Vermont and not much cold weather. Our water damage restoration as well as our carpet cleaning fell off dramatically. A lot of businesses in our area are failing because of the devastation of hurricane Irene and the bad winter. We are more fortunate than most. I had laid off several employees in May , which is traditionally one of our busiest months for cleaning, after mud season. We were finding that nobody has any money in the area. The inns and resturants are barely surving and the seasonal rental market was way off this past winter. The phones are ringing and we have been booking jobs like crazy recently. It looks like we are over the hump. Jane and I spent six weeks in St. Maarten in April and May, so we are definitely recharged and giving it 100%. I heard from many of my peers in the restoration field and they to had a slow winter. We are continuing to do all the necessary marketing and it is paying off. Thats all for now . We are cleaning all the carpet in a local college this week end. Halalujeh!

Spring has Sprung

Hello everyone, Well spring has come early to the northeast this year. Just about all the snow is gone from our property. Usually we still have about five feet or more this time of year. The lack of cold weather has put our business in a slow preiod but now it is picking up nicely. People are looking to get thier carpets cleaned and hopefully mud season will be over soon. We are doing some mold related work for some clients and we have a tentative fire restoration project coming up. If that goes through we will have five people working for about five weeks.Jane  and I are off to St. Martin for six weeks. We are going to see if it is doable and if so we will arrange to go to the islands for the entire winter season next year. The pussy willows are blooming and the ice is off our pond. The crayfish are starting to come out of the mud. Global warming? I hope everyone has had a successful season. We are running our childrens camps this year. You can check it out at www.magicalearthretreats.com for more info. If you have a child that would like to be a part of this amazing experience please contact us. We are looking forward to a rewarding summer season. Thats about it for now. Also if you are looking for some inspirational short videos to start your day, you can go to Wisdom with the Wizard on Facebook. Peace Don

Words of Wisdom with the Wizard

Getting things done

Winter has finally arrived

Hello everyone, We had been sucked into a false sense of belief that perhaps we would not have a snowy winter this year. Our only snowfall was in the end of October and we received 15 inches. The contractors in the area that rely on snow were definitely hurting. The lack of snow and cold weather has affected our business as well. Well, that all changed last night when we received about 8 inches of fresh snow and colder temperatures. We also had a mix of freezing rain and high winds. Everyone is happy today, so much of the local economy depends on snow here in southern Vermont.  People are still recovering  from the devastation from Hurricane Irene . It will take a long time for things to get back to normal. We had been extremely busy doing mold remediation work that appeared after the hurricane. Now that winter is here, be sure to take care of your property to prevent serious water damage . If you have a second home , the cheapest insurance , in my opinion, is to have someone check your home on a weekly schedule. There are low temperature alarm systems available to contact you in case the power goes out in your home. I suggest keeping the heat on 55 degrees minimum to prevent freeze ups. Shut off the water pump and drain the pipes by opening all the faucets. This will prevent thousands of gallons of water flowing like a river through your home.

If  a disaster does befall your property, call a plumber immediately and then a certified water damage company like our’s to start drying out your home. Time is of the essence in preventing further damage. we offer a 24 hr/ 7 day a week response for emergencies. You can go to www.catamountcarpet.com to see other steps you must take to protect your home and contents.  One other note that most homeowners are not aware of. Some insurance adjusters or companies try to steer the companies that they have contracted with to do the restoration job. It is not unlike the automobile body shop industry. In most cases the company with the relationship with the insurance company has the interest of the insurance company as its main focus. we,at Catamount Carpet and Restoration, always have the best interest of the homeowner as our main focus. Do your due  diligence and check references and

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testimonials from past and existing clients before agreeing to have any company do the restoration. I hope this helps and let it snow. Peace Don Jones