Imagine buying a properly and finding it infested with as many as 10,000 snakes. Well, the nearly impossible dream became a reality for US couple Tyler Bouldin and his wife, Lauren when they purchased an abandoned 1830s stone home in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, in 2020. But little did they know that besides the ruined interiors and overgrown shrubs, they would have to deal with a litter of snakes, slithering anytime inside the centuries-old property. However, instead of ruing about the decision, Tyler and Lauren decided to renovate the 196-year-old house from scratch.

A house overrun by snakes

According to a report by People magazine, Tyler and Lauren bought the property at an auction, impressed by its ancient, historic features, surrounded by trees and a picturesque creek. But inside, the condition was deplorable — no floors, crooked staircases and a ruined kitchen with piles of debris everywhere.

Due to years of negligence, wildlife like rodents, rabbits and frogs, thrived throughout the area - from the woods and pond to the overgrown landscape surrounding the house. This in turn made the property ‘an excellent hunting ground for black snakes, water snakes and copperheads’ revealed Tyler. The couple, who were expecting their second chid back then, initially tried to co-exist with the black snakes, deeming that they helped control the rodent population and kept venomous, but non-poisonous copperheads at bay.

But soon, they realised they had been mistaken. Tyler once spotted the black snakes sharing the same space as the copperheads near their abandoned pool and even beneath a rock by the front door, indicating that the former were in fact not driving away the latter. But instead of eliminating the reptiles completely, the couple opted for a kinder approach, aka changing the property itself.

Turning danger into a dream home

Tyler and Lauren worked together clearing the lawn, stone walls, gardens and woodland filled with debris, trash and overgrown shrubs. They removed the dangerous in-ground pool, restored the pond and installed filters and fountains, before sealing all of the holes in the house and barn, which created homes for mice, etc. The pair even planted mint around the structures to naturally deter the snakes. Their biggest and most ‘dangerous’ makeover was the pool which was eventually replaced with a beautiful garden.

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Slowly, the once inhabitable property turned into a safe space for Tyler and Lauren, where the family could spend time together outdoors without fearing the snakes. Their efforts to eliminate the conditions that attracted the reptiles also paid off. Finally after 5 years since buying the house, the couple revealed that although snakes were still a part of the Pennsylvania woods, the encounters are far less frequent than they once were.