Attic Insulation Removal and Replacement in Des Moines
When old insulation has animals, water or mold in it, or it's covering leaks that need sealing, Abraham LaMark vacuums all of it out, seals the attic floor and blows in new cellulose to R-49.
- About a quarter of Des Moines homes were built in 1939 or earlier
- Roughly 7 in 10 predate 1980
Free estimate in Des Moines
- About a 10 to 15 minute visit
- Your bid, usually within 24 hours
- Abraham calls or texts back within one business day.
Estimates are free within a half-hour drive of Des Moines.
- Owner on site for every job
- Same crew for 16 years, no subcontractors
- Over 2,000 homes since 2008
- Insured up to $2 million
When does old attic insulation have to come out?
Old isn't the same as bad. Abraham vacuums insulation out of an attic for four reasons:
- Animals have been in it. Raccoons and other animals leave droppings and nesting behind, and insulation they've lived in comes out.
- Water has soaked it. A roof leak, or condensation from warm house air leaking up through the attic floor, can leave it wet, matted or stained.
- Mold is growing in it. Moldy insulation gets vacuumed out, not covered over.
- It's in the way. The leaks that matter sit on the attic floor, under the insulation, and sometimes the only way to seal them properly is to clear the floor first.
Free estimate in Des Moines
- About a 10 to 15 minute visit
- Your bid, usually within 24 hours
- Abraham calls or texts back within one business day.
Estimates are free within a half-hour drive of Des Moines.
A quarter of Des Moines homes date to 1939 or earlier
Des Moines has 97,604 homes, and about a quarter of them were built in 1939 or earlier. Roughly 7 in 10 went up before 1980. An attic that old has had a long time for animals, roof leaks and condensation to get at it.
Age alone isn't one of Abraham's reasons to pull insulation out, though. What decides it is what's in the old insulation and what's underneath it, and he'll tell you which applies once he has seen the attic.
Underneath means the leaks: around the soil pipe and flue pipe, along the tops of the walls, and in story-and-a-half and ranch houses, at the chaseways. When enough old insulation is piled over them, clearing the floor is how they get sealed properly.
About 1,000 pounds of raccoon droppings, from one attic
One attic Abraham worked in held roughly 1,000 pounds of raccoon droppings. That's an extreme case, but it shows why contaminated insulation comes out entirely instead of getting covered with fresh material.
Vacuum it out, seal the floor, blow new cellulose
- 1
Vacuum out all of it
Abraham vacuums out the old insulation, all of it.
- 2
Seal the bare attic floor
With the floor cleared, he can get at everything: the soil pipe, the flue pipe, the joints and seams along the tops of the walls, and any bulkheads. Those are the leaks that let humidity escape into the attic, where it condenses.
- 3
Open up the eaves
New baffles keep the soffit vents clear once the fresh cellulose is in.
- 4
Blow new cellulose to R-49
New cellulose goes in to R-49, the target for Des Moines attics, with settling accounted for in the depth. The new material carries a 20-year warranty from Insulate Iowa.
Get the old insulation out of your Des Moines attic
Estimates are free anywhere in the city's 88 square miles. Call or text Abraham at (515) 868-5400 and tell him what you've found up there, whether that's droppings, water stains or a musty smell.
Insulation removal questions from Des Moines
Should moldy insulation be removed?
Yes. Mold is one of the reasons Abraham vacuums insulation out rather than covering it. Sealing the attic floor afterward matters too, because condensation from air leaks there is a common problem he finds.
How do you remove blown insulation from an attic?
It's vacuumed out. Abraham takes out all of it, then seals the attic floor and blows in new cellulose.
If only one corner has droppings, does the whole attic have to be cleared?
When Abraham does a removal, he vacuums everything out. Whether your attic needs a removal at all is something he'll tell you after he sees it.
Will the replacement insulation be cellulose or fiberglass?
Cellulose. Abraham prefers it because fiberglass is porous enough to let air move through it, so the same R-value performs better in cellulose.
I own a Des Moines rental with animal mess in the attic. Can Abraham handle it?
Yes. Landlords and investors are among his customers, and the removal works the same way as in an owner-occupied house. Nobody needs to be home while it's done, and payment is the same too: 30% when you sign, the rest when the job is finished.
Get a free estimate in Des Moines
Tell us about the house and what's bothering you. Abraham calls or texts back within one business day.
Estimates are free within a half-hour drive of Des Moines.
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