Stained, damp or droppings-filled attic insulation? We check what really has to come out, fix the cause and leave you a clean attic.
Insulation removal in Lubbock is for insulation that's been soaked by a roof leak or fouled by mice and rats, and at Airlock Lubbock Spray Foam Insulation we take out only what's ruined so new insulation goes onto a clean, dry attic.
Most people call after they spot a water stain on the ceiling, catch a smell in the room over the garage, or look through the hatch and find droppings. Wet insulation usually means the roof is leaking, so I'd rather you get the leak fixed first than have us cover it with fresh material that will soak the same way.
The price turns on how much of the attic is ruined, how many inches are already up there, how easy the space is to crawl through and what goes back in once it's clear. The schedule mostly waits on the cause, because a roof leak or a rodent problem has to be dealt with before we start, and the written estimate I send after looking gives you the figure for your house.
You talk to us, I come out to look, and our own crew does the work. Here's who does what along the way.
After you call or send a message and we get back to you, I come out myself, look at the attic, walls or crawl space in person and talk through what I find. Then I send you a written estimate, and you decide from there.
I learned this trade as a helper on a crew around Lubbock and opened this business in 2021. Our own crew does the work in your house. We're licensed and insured.
When the crew is done, I walk the job with you so you can see what came out, what we sealed and what went back in. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
A lot of dirty insulation can stay right where it is, so before I quote any removal I check whether yours really has to come out. When some does, we find what ruined it first, whether that's a roof leak you'll need a roofer for, old wiring that needs an electrician or a rodent problem, and then our crew takes out only the soaked or fouled sections. Before anything new goes in, we seal the gaps around can lights, pipes and the attic hatch so the insulation isn't fighting a draft, keep the eave vents clear so the attic can breathe, and lay the new material as deep at the edges as in the middle. If I see anything that looks like vermiculite, we leave it alone and point you to a firm that handles that kind of work.
What goes back in depends on your attic, and foam costs more because it seals air while it insulates, but sealing the gaps and topping up with blown-in loose fill, the kind sent through a hose, usually wins unless your ductwork runs through the attic. Removal is often the first step of a bigger fix, so if cold floors are part of why you called we can follow with crawl space insulation, and if rooms stay hot upstairs we can look at wall insulation. I'll tell you on the estimate which of those are worth doing and which aren't.
Most removal jobs follow the same order, and the order matters because new insulation over an unsolved problem just puts the problem back.
A soaked attic usually means a roof leak, and droppings mean mice or rats that may still be around, so those get handled before we touch the insulation. I'll tell you plainly when that part is someone else's job and not ours.
It helps to move anything stored under the attic hatch before the crew arrives, so we're not working around boxes in your hallway or garage. We'll go over where we'll be working when we set the day.
Our crew removes the damaged insulation and seals the leaks it was hiding, so the attic is clean and tight before anything new goes in. Anything sound stays put.
We insulate the cleared space with the eave vents left open and the coverage even from edge to edge. That's the part you'll see on the walk-through.
Call (806) 370-4846 or send the form, and if you can, have a few photos ready of the insulation and any water stains, droppings or gray pebbly material you've seen. We respond within 1 business day to set a time, then I come out for a free on-site estimate, look at the space and send you a written estimate afterward. There's no pressure to book.
(806) 370-4846No, insulation that's only dirty is still okay to use, and there's no need to tear it out and replace it. Dirty patches usually mark where air is leaking through, so once those gaps are sealed the insulation can be pushed back into place and the job becomes sealing instead of removal. What does have to come out is insulation that's soaked or full of rodent urine and droppings, and moldy or rotted rafters or joists tell us there's a moisture problem to correct first.
Leave it alone, because the EPA says to assume vermiculite may contain asbestos and recommends leaving it undisturbed. It looks like light, pea-size, flaky gray pebbles, and finding it is a reason to plan the job with the right firm, not a reason to panic. An older ENERGY STAR guide from 2016 said to have it tested by an approved lab first, and your local health department can name one, but the EPA's current advice is to treat it as if it contains asbestos.
The EPA says a trained and accredited asbestos abatement contractor should remove it, and that firm should be separate from whoever assessed the insulation, so the company that finds the problem isn't the one paid to take it out. We don't do that work, so if I see vermiculite I'll point you to a firm that does. EPA guidance recommends removal when a remodel will disturb the material or it's badly damaged, and material that can be repaired by covering, enclosing or sealing it may be fixed in place instead.
We're based in Lubbock and work across the city and the cities around it, including Wolfforth, Slaton, Levelland, Plainview, Littlefield and Brownfield. The City of Lubbock takes permit applications through its online permit portal, where you register an account to apply, and when a job needs a permit we get it from the city where the house sits and handle the paperwork. If we aren't sure a job needs one, we call that city's building office and ask before we start.
If vermiculite turns up, the state asbestos rules usually don't reach your house, since they leave out a single private home and an apartment building with four units or fewer, unless the building falls under NESHAP, a separate set of asbestos rules. When a job does fall under those rules, the Texas Department of State Health Services is notified at least 10 working days before any work that disturbs asbestos starts, so the start date gets planned around that notice. For a public building, the firm doing the asbestos work has to be licensed or registered with the department, which matters to business owners who call us about their buildings.
Pulling old insulation yourself can stir up droppings or gray pebbly material you'd rather leave alone, so call (806) 370-4846 or send the form and let me look first.
If you're still not sure whether your insulation has to come out, send a message and I'll talk it through with you as many times as you need.
Tell us about your project
