Insulation Removal & Replacement in Pensacola, FL

Insulation removal and replacement in Pensacola usually starts with one of three things: a storm, a pest problem or a home inspection. Hurricanes Ivan, Dennis and Sally all damaged roofs across the area, and rain that came through a damaged roof often soaked the attic insulation below. Rodents and other pests nest in attic fill and leave droppings and urine behind. Inspectors flag thin, matted or moldy insulation during home sales. In all three cases, adding new insulation over the old does not solve the problem; the old material has to come out first.

Wet insulation after a storm

Fiberglass that gets soaked loses much of its insulating value until it dries, and in a humid attic it may not dry well. Cellulose that gets wet clumps, settles and can hold water against the ceiling drywall. Either can grow mold. When the roof is repaired, we vacuum out the wet material, let the framing dry, check for damage, then seal and insulate again. If your insurance claim covers the attic, a written scope with square footage and materials helps, and that is part of our quote.

Pests in the attic

Attics give rats, mice, squirrels and other animals shelter from the heat and rain. Their nests, tunnels and droppings ruin insulation and carry odors and health risks. We remove the fouled material with a high-powered vacuum, bag it for disposal and clean the attic floor. Sealing entry points is a job for a wildlife or pest control company, and we recommend that be done before new insulation goes in, so the problem does not start again.

Under the floor

In older raised houses, fiberglass batts under the floor often sag or fall out after years of humid summers. They hold moisture against the subfloor and give pests cover. We pull them out, bag them and then either spray closed-cell foam to the subfloor or move to a full crawl space encapsulation, depending on what you choose.

Things we do not remove

Some old attics hold vermiculite, a pebbly gray-brown loose fill. Some vermiculite contains asbestos, and it should be tested and handled by an abatement contractor, not vacuumed out by an insulation crew. HomeAdvisor lists asbestos removal at $1,190 to $3,255. If we see it, we stop and tell you. The same goes for old spray foam over a leak that has rotted the deck: the roof gets fixed first.

Removing old spray foam

Foam can be removed, but it is slow work: it is cut and scraped off framing by hand. Fixr lists foam removal at $1.50 to $3 per square foot and up to about $5 when it has to be hand-chipped. It is usually done when foam was installed over a leak, applied poorly or needs to come off for remodel or repair work.

Replacement done right

Once the old insulation is out, it is the right time to seal the attic floor, fix duct problems and set up the attic or crawl space the way it should have been done. The quote shows removal and replacement as separate lines so you know where the money goes.

Tell us what happened, a storm, pests or an inspection, and we will look and send a written plan. Get a free estimate