All About Our Attic Restoration Services

When wildlife such as raccoons, rodents, bats, or squirrels invade your attic, the resulting damage can be extensive and stressful. These animals often cause significant destruction by building nests, raising their young, and using the attic space as a latrine. Their activities not only ruin insulation but can also damage critical structural elements, including electrical wiring, support beams, and duct work. The damage from wildlife can sometimes be hidden, making it difficult for homeowners to realize the full extent of the problem until significant issues, such as leaks, electrical shorts, or mold, have developed.

We understand that most homeowners rarely enter their attics and might be unsure how to evaluate the situation, creating further stress over unknown repair costs and potential health hazards. Our team is uniquely qualified to alleviate these concerns, expertly identifying and addressing hidden issues to bring you peace of mind.

With over 30 years of experience, Skedaddle specializes in comprehensive attic restoration and wildlife removal. Our trained technicians meticulously inspect your attic to identify issues such as improper ventilation, condensation, chewed electrical wires, mold, nesting materials, and droppings. Our thorough assessments provide a clear picture of the damage, enabling us to restore your attic to a safe, functional, and energy-efficient condition. Unlike general insulation or restoration companies, our expertise specifically addresses wildlife-related issues, allowing us to identify and repair damages more effectively. Our team understands the behavior patterns of wildlife, enabling us to anticipate potential hidden problems and address them proactively.

The Importance of a Healthy Attic

Maintaining a healthy attic is crucial for your home’s overall well-being and energy efficiency. While attic insulation is important, homeowners must also consider additional factors that contribute to a truly healthy attic environment, such as proper ventilation, vapor barriers, repairing or replacing damaged bathroom ducts, and ensuring attic hatches are properly sealed. Damaged insulation and improper venting can lead to poor temperature regulation, significantly increasing energy bills and promoting mold and odor issues. Skedaddle technicians provide detailed plans to address these issues, restoring your attic and insulation to a healthy, cost-efficient state.

Wildlife droppings and urine in your attic not only damage insulation but also pose serious health risks. Skedaddle prioritizes protecting your family and pets by safely removing these contaminants using a thorough, three-step restoration process that eliminates wildlife traces and prevents reentry. Health risks from wildlife droppings can include the spread of harmful diseases such as hantavirus, histoplasmosis, and leptospirosis. Thus, ensuring a thorough cleanup and restoration of the attic is not only a matter of comfort but also a critical step for maintaining the health of everyone in your home.

Our Attic Restoration Process

Skedaddle’s attic restoration services are specifically designed to address wildlife-related challenges by repairing damage, ensuring proper insulation, and sealing entry points. We restore your attic to its original condition, safeguarding your home from future infestations and improving its energy efficiency. Our restoration process is comprehensive, detailed, and designed with both immediate and long-term benefits in mind.

Step One: Specialized Assessment

Our restoration begins with a detailed inspection by Skedaddle technicians, who assess contamination, damage, and health hazards. Technicians use photos and videos to demonstrate the extent of damage. During this assessment, our team carefully determines whether a full attic restoration is necessary or if a targeted spot cleaning is sufficient. Factors influencing this decision include the type and amount of wildlife involved, the duration of the infestation, and the extent of insulation contamination. In some cases, wildlife droppings can simply be removed from the surface, but prolonged wildlife presence often disperses contaminants widely, especially with rodents like mice. Mice frequently tunnel through and beneath insulation, leaving droppings scattered and embedded, making it impossible to thoroughly clean without removing all affected insulation.

Providing a price for attic restoration without an in-person evaluation is not possible due to the numerous variables involved. Factors affecting the cost include the size and layout of the attic, the amount of insulation material needing removal, the type of insulation present, and how easily our team can maneuver within the attic space. Small, cramped attics often slow down work, requiring additional time and care. An in-person evaluation allows our technicians to provide an accurate assessment and customized plan tailored specifically to your attic’s condition and ensures that there are no surprises once work begins.

Step Two: Decontamination and Insulation Replacement

Using advanced equipment and specialized protective gear, our technicians thoroughly clean the attic by:

• Removing Contaminated Materials: Eliminating wildlife contamination.
• Installing Cellulose Insulation: Replacing damaged insulation with eco-friendly cellulose insulation, known for its superior thermal performance and low environmental impact.

Insulation Removal Without Cross-Contamination

Removing contaminated insulation presents significant challenges, primarily the risk of cross-contamination throughout the home. Skedaddle employs specialized techniques to prevent contaminants from spreading. Our team seeks to avoid removing contaminated building materials through the home’s interior, risking contamination, we use a unique method of removing insulation directly through the roof. This approach isolates contaminants, ensuring that your living spaces remain clean and safe during the entire restoration process.

Step Three: Protection and Prevention

After restoration, we ensure your attic remains wildlife-free by securing all entry points using high-quality materials. Additional attic repairs and upgrades may include:

• Improved Ventilation: A healthy attic needs to breathe. Trapped air leads to excessive heat buildup during summer and condensation during colder months. These problems can be prevented by ensuring fresh air is allowed to enter the attic via the soffits and is allowed to escape through roof vents.
• Duct Repairs: A damaged fan duct in the attic could prevent warm moist air from showers and cooking from making its way outdoors. Over time that could lead to mold problems inside your attic that could be harmful to your family and cause structure weakness.
• Air Sealing Attic Hatches: The attic hatch, often overlooked, is a significant source of heat loss or gain due to its location inside the home’s conditioned space. If not properly sealed, warm air can escape in winter and hot air can infiltrate in summer. Properly sealing the attic hatch ensures maximum insulation performance, improved energy efficiency, and consistent indoor comfort.

Spot Cleaning Services

Not every homeowner that finds themselves in the unfortunate position of dealing with a wildlife infestation requires full attic restoration. If your unwanted wildlife guests have had a brief stay there’s a good chance that the damage and contamination is localized to specific attic areas, our spot cleaning services provide a targeted, cost-effective solution in those cases. Steps include:

• Localized Cleaning: Addressing specific contaminated areas.
• Focused Repairs: Repairing wildlife damage in affected spots.
• Health Checks: Identifying mold growth and inspecting electrical wires.
• Prevention: Securing the roof against future wildlife entry.

Why Choose Cellulose Insulation?

Protecting your family and reducing energy bills are paramount. Skedaddle uses environmentally friendly cellulose insulation, ensuring safety without releasing harmful chemicals into your home. Our technicians assess your insulation against local building code recommendations for energy efficiency level (R-Value) during restoration. Cellulose insulation offers additional benefits such as improved sound insulation, fire resistance, and better air quality, making it an ideal choice for a healthier home.

Unique Insulation Removal and Reinstallation Strategy

• Cost Savings: Damaged insulation can drastically increase your cost to heat your home during winter and keep it cool during summer.
• Environmentally Conscious: Made with 87% recycled content, cellulose insulation is the greenest option available, outperforming fiberglass by better regulating temperatures, thereby saving energy.
• Family Safety: Cellulose insulation is safe, free from harmful pollutants, and naturally resistant to mold, mildew, pests, and fire, ensuring a healthier home environment.

Ready to restore your attic to its optimal condition? Contact Skedaddle today to schedule your comprehensive attic assessment. Our experienced technicians are here to guide you every step of the way, ensuring your home remains safe, healthy, and energy-efficient for years to come. Don’t wait—protect your home and family now!

Attic Restoration FAQs

Why can’t I get an attic restoration quote over the phone or online?

Every attic is different and what will be required to restore it to a healthy condition will vary significantly from home to home. Once our team has had the opportunity to inspect your attic we will provide you with options and an itemized quote for the service.

How long does a typical attic restoration take?

The length of time a project may take complete will depend on its size and complexity. Smaller scale spot clean ups and repairs can often be performed in just a few short hours while full restorations may take several days to complete.

Is attic restoration covered by homeowner’s insurance?

Home insurance policies vary, it’s best to consult your insurance agent or provider to learn more about your coverage.

What makes Skedaddle different from general insulation or disaster recovery companies?

What sets us apart is our knowledge and experience restoring attics that have been damaged and contaminated by wildlife. With over 30 years of experience, we understand the unique challenges that can result from wildlife activity inside an attic. We have developed procedures to address those challenges specifically to ensure we return to your attic to a healthy and functional state.

Can I just clean wildlife droppings myself?

Cleaning wildlife droppings yourself is not recommended due to the potential health risks. Many droppings, especially from rodents, bats, and raccoons, can carry harmful pathogens like hantavirus, histoplasmosis, and leptospirosis, which can become airborne when disturbed. Proper removal requires specialized protective gear, HEPA-filtered vacuums, and professional-grade disinfectants to ensure thorough decontamination and prevent exposure.

Why is cellulose insulation better than fiberglass insulation?

Cellulose insulation outperforms fiberglass due to its higher density, superior air-sealing properties, and better thermal retention, leading to improved energy efficiency. It resists moisture, mold, fire, and pests thanks to its borate treatment, while also providing better soundproofing.

Do you guarantee that wildlife won’t return after restoration?

Wildlife-proofing your home is the best way to protect the investment you have made in restoring it. Skedaddle specializes in protecting homes against future wildlife entry and we offer a lifetime warranty on our workmanship and materials.