Small houses, close quarters
Platt Park, south of Washington Park and centered on the shops and restaurants of Old South Pearl Street, has a lot of compact older homes: small brick cottages, bungalows and modest houses on narrow lots, many with additions built off the back over the years. Rear additions frequently sit over a shallow crawlspace rather than a full basement, and the joint between the original house and the addition is a common place for gaps.
In a small house, there is not much distance between the spray zone and the living space. A skunk under a front stoop is a few feet from the living room; one under a rear addition is directly beneath the kitchen or a bedroom. Odor reaches every room quickly, and closets and soft furnishings fill with it. On the other hand, a small house is also faster to treat once the source is found.
Blocks near the commercial street have alleys shared with restaurant and shop dumpsters. Those draw skunks, which then den under nearby residential stoops, sheds and garages.
Platt Park at a glance, for this topic
- Common house types
- Small older cottages and bungalows, many with rear additions
- Typical den sites
- Front stoops, rear-addition crawlspaces, sheds and alley garages
- Local draw
- Commercial alleys with dumpsters near Old South Pearl Street
- Odor behavior
- Spreads fast through small floor plans; also clears faster once treated
- Permits and building questions
- City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development
Platt Park checklist
- Check the seam where a rear addition meets the original foundation for gaps or digging
- Look under concrete front stoops for a hollow space with soil pushed out
- Inspect the crawlspace vent or access under any addition
- On blocks near the commercial street, watch the alley side at dusk for foraging activity
- Keep shed bases closed; small yards often put the shed close to the house
- Air closets and launder soft furnishings once the source is treated; small houses spread odor into everything
Where to look first in a Platt Park house
- IfThe smell is strongest in the kitchen or a back bedroomCheck under the rear addition first.
- IfThe front room smells and the stoop is hollowLook for an opening under the stoop.
- IfThe smell is mostly in the yard and alley at nightThe skunk may be foraging along the commercial alley and passing through; focus on closing openings and removing attractants.
- IfEvery room smells equallyThe air system may be involved; check the furnace and ducts.
General information for Washington Park, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.