Old attic insulation that's wet, matted or full of rodent mess comes out, so the new layer can actually do its job.
Insulation removal in West Lafayette means we take the old insulation out of your attic and haul it away. When it was fouled by leaks or rodents, we treat the attic floor before anything new goes down.
Most people call because an upstairs room runs cold, the power bill jumped, or they looked through the hatch and found flat, stained or mouse-chewed insulation. Some of that can stay and some has to go, and that difference is most of the price. The size of the attic and how hard it is to get into matter too. Clean or fouled matters most, because fouled insulation gets bagged, hauled off as contaminated waste and followed by a cleanup of the attic floor. The schedule turns on the same things, plus whatever we find once we're up there, like a roof leak that has to be fixed first. I'll come out, look at your attic and give you your own number on site, and if the old layer is sound, you might only need attic insulation on top.
I come out for the estimate myself, look at what's actually up there and show you what I find. Then I work alongside our crew on the job, so the person who told you what needs to come out is there when it does.
I started this business in 2023 after learning the trade on another contractor's crew. If your old insulation is dry and sound, I'll say so, because I'd rather lose a removal job than sell you one you don't need.
We're fully licensed and insured. Removal means ladders, bags and foot traffic moving through your house, so we lay down coverings from the door to the hatch and clean up the path before we leave.
That's our promise, in plain words. If you want to know what your attic needs before you spend anything, call (765) 250-8264 or send us the form below, and I'll come take a look.
We reply within one business day to set a time. Then I come out, check your attic and give you an estimate right there, free and with no obligation. If you can, tell us roughly how big the attic is, what kind of insulation is up there and whether you've seen leaks or signs of mice.
The city's own pages don't settle whether an insulation removal needs a permit, so we check before we start. The West Lafayette Building Department issues permits for home projects inside city limits and requires one for any alterations, repairs or changes to existing buildings. The city's Building Permits page names new construction, structural changes and electrical work, and it asks owners who aren't sure to contact its office. When a permit is needed, the city typically finishes its review within 10 business days after it has all the required materials. If your house sits outside city limits, the City of Lafayette or the Tippecanoe County Building Commission handles it instead. City lines change who you deal with, so I check which office covers your address, and we handle the permit side with that office when your job calls for one.
We're based in West Lafayette and work across the cities around it, including Lafayette, Crawfordsville, Frankfort and Monticello. Around here we open plenty of attics in older houses where the blown-in has settled thin, mice found a way in over the winter, or an old roof leak left a matted, stained patch near the eaves. The order is the same in every city. Fix the cause, pull the bad material, then put in the new.
Usually yes, if the old layer is dry and clean with no mold or pests, and adding on top skips the removal cost entirely. One guide says removal is only required when insulation is wet, moldy, rodent-contaminated, holds asbestos or vermiculite, or has packed down to less than half its original thickness. I check how many inches are up there and how they look before I suggest pulling anything.
Removing clean blown-in or fouled attic insulation usually costs about $1 to $4 per square foot across the US. Fouled jobs land higher for the bagging and cleanup mentioned above. Quotes often differ on waste hauling, air sealing and treating the attic floor, so ask every contractor to price those as separate lines. I'll give you your own number once I've seen your attic.
Leave it alone. The EPA says disturbing vermiculite can release asbestos fibers you might breathe in, and it advises treating it as if it contains asbestos. Vermiculite is a pebble-like loose fill, usually gray-brown or silver-gold, and you can look at it as long as you don't dig into it. If you decide to remove it, the EPA says a trained, accredited asbestos abatement contractor should do the work, and that company should be separate from the one that assessed it. Indiana licenses asbestos contractors, and you can check their status free with the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency.
Don't sweep or vacuum it yourself, because the CDC warns that stirring up rodent urine, droppings or nesting material can put tiny droplets carrying viruses into the air. On a rodent-fouled attic, ask each contractor exactly how they'll clear the droppings and nests before you hire anyone. I'll walk you through how we'd handle yours when I'm up there.
One guide says a crew can clear an attic under 1,000 square feet in one day and a larger attic in two. Your schedule also depends on what I find on the first look, since a roof leak or pest problem has to be fixed before new insulation goes in.
The attic should be inspected first, and you should get a list of the repairs it needs. One attic checklist calls for checking for water leaks, moisture, structural damage and pests before any attic work begins, then giving the homeowner a list of every needed repair. Ask whoever you hire for that list, so problems get fixed before money goes into new insulation.
