Racoons and Rat poop in the attic
My parents had a summer home that has been pretty much unused for the past two years. I came down to clean it out and get it rented and thus begins the journey.
Informed that there is racoon poop and rat poop in the attic. I'm being told it is throughout the attic space and all the insulation should go.
What is the typical price for this type of work?
The pest guy is telling me he can do it all, remove the old insulation and add the new...waiting on the price.
The HVAC guy is telling me he can do it to. $4.5 a square foot for 2500.
I saw some other post on this that talk about going through the insurance company. Concerned that since the house has been empty for most of the two years insurance is going to deny.
Any suggestions?
Anyone know companies in Virginia Beach area that does this kind of work?
David, that is a terrible situation to be in! I I live in Virginia Beach but not sure I can point you to anyone that would do what you’re looking for; however, you can probably make some phone calls based on Google reviews after searching for “attic insulation companies“ or something like that. Give the top five companies a phone call and see where that takes you!
I wish I had something better for your brother. Keep us posted on how it goes
@David B. You are correct in your thinking that. When a property is unoccupied for a period of time usually around 60 days your insurance carrier deems that as a vacant building and will lower the coverage on that building substantially. every carrier is different in how much and in what categories. the best thing to do would be go to your agent and pose the question to them. They can look at your homeowners policy to see what would or wouldn't be covered in your case.
As far as finding a contractor I would definitely get someone who is licensed and bonded to do the work, get a contract and don't pay for work that hasn't been done. and like @david doucet said google is amazing and read the reviews. you can even contact the people that left the review to gain more insight if needed.
I checked with our maintence supervisor and he said that quote sounds about right. Being in a coastal town, roof rats are an issue in attics and crawl spaces. The most important thing to do is make sure they are all out and that the access point has been sealed up so they can't enter again. Once you have that taken care of, you can do the remediation.
Did you see droppings in the rooms of the house? Did you hear anything in the walls?
If there are still rats in the house, any extermination company can take care of that. If there are racoons in the house, you will probably need a specialist like Zoo Pro. They will remove animals the exterminators will not.
Good luck! Holler if you need local help
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Real Estate Agent VA (#0225186139)
- 7574722547
- http://www.pmivirginia.com
No droppings in the room, but judging by the sound in the walls I'm pretty sure they have a dj and ladies are free before they 11.
Ok, for the South here... rats usually find access through a lower opening, like around the A/C supply lines hole in the outer wall. Then crawl up the walls into the attic etc. Raccoons usually gain access into the attic areas by an existing hole or Making a hole in the roof or eaves. like squirrels, they can sit on an eyebrow area and just continue to scratch at a spot until they make a hole. They don't know what they are scratching at, many times just making damage but not a hole into an attic space.
Down here, Critter Control companies trap/remove them, usually around $150-350 EACH, depending on what it is and what they have to do. You can research them in your area for costs, but also to see what they do with them once they have them. One locally here actually rehabs the racoons to be released back into sanctuaries or other protected spots.
Local handymen or Roofers, etc can hopefully find and repair the entry or access points, where they are all getting in. Do not accept just some screwed on screen to cover the holes and all (commonly done by the Critter Fixer co's), but a handy person can replace the wood/siding OR like we do in many places, actually make a metal "sleeve" to fit over the fascia board or areas needed, secure it, caulk/paint back to match and, you can hardly tell it is there! And the critters sure can't get back in "that" spot for sure.
Now, about Aaron above who said to get someone "licensed and bonded" ... really!? Licensed in "what" exactly!? (NOT talking about the insulation stuff... that also can be a simple job for an insulation company, to add on or yes remove and replace the insulation IF it is that bad.) And, you do know that Bonded basically means "theft insurance" right!? Many companies, like ours, is NOT Bonded. Simply because we are usually NOT inside a persons property (most times that a theft would happen) but also, all our staff have worked with us for a long long time and are very trusted. (thus they are still with us!)
Wish you luck on the project! (Jerry w/J's Roofing Richardson, TX)