Wet, rodent-soiled or century-old insulation does not get better with more on top. We take it out, seal what was leaking, and put the right material back.
Tell us what the Des Moines property is doing and we'll take a look.
Most attics can be topped up. Some cannot. Insulation that has been wet from a roof leak, an ice dam or a bath fan venting into the attic has lost its loft and may be growing mold in the sheathing above it. Insulation that raccoons, squirrels, bats or mice have lived in is contaminated with droppings and urine and should be handled and disposed of as such, not buried. Very old rock wool or cellulose that has settled to two or three inches is often so dirty from decades of air passing through it that the attic floor cannot be properly sealed without pulling it back anyway.
Crawl spaces are the other common removal: fiberglass batts that fell off the floor joists years ago and have been sitting on damp ground since. Those come out before the crawl is encapsulated. And when a house is being renovated, a lot of the old material comes out simply to give access to the framing.
Vermiculite insulation, a gray-brown granular material found in some attics of homes built before the 1990s, may contain asbestos. We do not disturb or remove vermiculite. If we find it, we stop and refer you to a licensed asbestos abatement contractor for testing, and we will not put new insulation over it.
For loose fill, a high-volume insulation vacuum sits outside with a hose run to the attic; the material is bagged at the truck, not carried through the house. Batts are bagged in the attic or crawl and carried out. The crew works in respirators and suits, and the attic access is sealed off from the living space with plastic during the job. Contaminated material is disposed of according to its type.
Once the attic floor or crawl space is bare, we can see it. Every top plate, chase, can light, hatch and duct penetration is visible and gets air sealed with foam and rigid materials. Rodent entry points into the attic are noted so you can have them closed, because new insulation with an open entry point is a new nest. If there is a bath fan dumping into the attic, it gets ducted out. If there is knob-and-tube wiring, an electrician evaluates it before anything goes back.
For an open attic floor: air sealing with spray foam at the penetrations, then blown cellulose or fiberglass to the Iowa code benchmark of R-49 where the framing allows, with eave baffles to protect soffit ventilation and an insulated, gasketed hatch. For a crawl space: a sealed ground vapor retarder, closed-cell foam on the walls and rim, vents sealed. For a cathedral ceiling or a finished attic roofline: closed-cell foam on the deck if the assembly is being converted to unvented.
The point of removal is the chance to do the air sealing right. In a house where the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey median year built is 1963 and a quarter of homes predate 1940, the attic floor has usually never been sealed at all. Getting it bare is the one time it can be done thoroughly.
Raccoons and bats in Des Moines attics are common enough that we see the aftermath regularly. Contaminated insulation is removed and bagged, the sheathing and framing are cleaned and treated with an appropriate sanitizer, and the entry points are documented with photos so a wildlife or roofing contractor can close them. We do not trap or exclude animals; that is a separate trade, and it needs to be finished before insulation goes back.
Bat guano in quantity can carry a fungal hazard, and the crew treats it accordingly with respirators and containment. If the accumulation is large, the scope will say so.
Questions
Not always. Clean, dry loose fill or batts can stay and be topped up after the floor is sealed around them. Wet, contaminated, moldy or vermiculite-suspect material is different. We will tell you which you have after looking.
The attic access is sealed with plastic and the vacuum hose runs to a machine outside, so the material never travels through your rooms. Crews use drop cloths at the access point and clean up when they leave.
No. Exclusion or removal of the animals has to be complete first, and the entry points should be closed. We will document the openings we see so your wildlife contractor can address them, then remove and replace the insulation.
We stop work in that area, do not disturb it, and refer you to a licensed asbestos abatement contractor for testing. Vermiculite from some sources contains asbestos and is not something an insulation crew should handle.
Tell us what the house is doing and we will come look at where the heat is going.
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