Insulation removal in Reno NV - damaged insulation out, a clean attic to start over

Vermiculite is a loose, pebble-like fill that's usually gray-brown or silver-gold, poured between the joists instead of laid in rolls or blown in as fluff. The EPA says to treat it as if it contains asbestos, so if you see it, leave it in place and don't dig around in it to check. A trained professional can test it, but the EPA notes testing can be expensive, can give wrong results depending on the method, and isn't needed to take the right precautions.

Leaving it undisturbed is what the EPA recommends, because stirring it up can put asbestos fibers into the air you breathe. If you decide it should come out, the EPA says a trained, accredited asbestos abatement contractor should do it, one separate from whoever assessed the insulation. That isn't us, so we point you to the right people and our part goes ahead after they're finished.

If your house was built between the 1930s and the 1970s, EPA guidance says it's more likely to have building materials with asbestos in them. That guidance tells owners to think about the house's age before any renovation starts, which is why the build decade is one of the first things I ask. Tell me when you call, and I'll know what to look for when I'm up there.

Only an asbestos contractor licensed by the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration can do asbestos removal, according to Washoe County's asbestos guidance. We're fully licensed and insured for insulation work, but asbestos isn't ours to remove, so we stop and hand that part off. For commercial buildings and properties with five or more units, the owner has to get an acknowledgement of the asbestos assessment from the county's air quality office before the city will issue a building permit.

Start with whatever made it wet or unsafe: a roof leak, rotted rafters or joists, and kitchen, bathroom or dryer vents that blow damp air into the attic instead of outside. ENERGY STAR recommends a professional correct those, along with an attic that has little or no ventilation and old knob and tube wiring, the early cloth-covered kind, which can be a fire hazard where it touches insulation. Skip that, and the next insulation ends up just as ruined as the last.

I can't give you a fair number until I've seen the space, because the price turns on how much insulation is up there, how badly it's soaked or burned and how easy the attic or crawl space is to move around in. A tight attic with a small hatch takes more work, and anything that has to be fixed or tested first changes the plan. After I look, you get a written estimate with your own figure.