If I have bats in my attic, how much does it cost to get rid of them?
The cost of a bat colony removal is in direct relation to the amount of work it takes to do it. A single one way door might be around 350.00 to install it. The problem with bats is that they can get into very small crevices, so often you have to seal many gaps on a house to ensure that once they have exited, they cannot get back in somewhere else which would defeat the purpose of trying to exclude them in the first place.
Things that affect the cost are the height and the difficulty of the rooftop access. This means that a single story house will often be less expensive than a two or three story house. Having to move a ladder many times can also increase costs, especially if it is a 2 story house.
Other things that can affect the cost are the materials that are used to seal the house. You probably do not want the cheapest materials, however, I do not mean something like the difference between the cost of caulking, although a good caulking is usually more expensive, I am referring to things like roof closures for a metal roof.
There are two common types of closures for a metal roof, vented or non-vented. Vented closures allow the ridge cap to breathe and hot air to escape, whereas non-vented closures are exactly that. Non-vented closures would basically be a preformed fitted piece of foam that fits directly into the void of the metal roofing material. A vented closure does the same thing except it has holes in it to allow air to pass through easily. Vented closures are much more expensive per linear foot.
Sometimes, a technician needs a man-lift and this, of course, increases the cost but by working in a lift the workman will be able to concentrate on his work without having to fear for his life during the process.
So as you can see there are many things that can affect the cost. I run a company in the New Orleans, LA area and for me, my average bat job is 1200-2650 for a simple single story home but I have done many for just 350 where all they needed was a single one-way door and it was very simple once set up correctly.
It is important to note that all we are talking about (and lightly) is the actual bat removal and not remediation – that is when you are talking about cleanup. Remediation is an altogether different project and costs associated with that can be much more, especially if the attic space is tight or difficult to work in. In an attic or crawlspace, there are generally 2 types of spaces, regular space and confined space with confined space being more costly.
When you get quotes from wildlife removal companies or even remediation companies be sure to study what it is they are quoting you. One company might quote you on insulation removal which can be quite different than actually removing the insulation AND clean the attic space. I have seen many times where people get a quote from an insulation company that is much cheaper however when they are done there is a lot of guano, dust, and debris left over, essentially leaving you with an attic space that might have the insulation removed but the attic is NOT clean and still poses a threat to your health. If they reinsulate on top of the filth you might not realize that the health hazard is still present and still up there!
The main thing to remember about the cost of bat removal is the amount of work invovled, and the time it takes to do it right. I tell people all the time that I am not using magic and anyone can use a caulk gun to seal a crevice. It is the years of experience I have that makes me better able to completely get rid of the bats and to make it look like I was never there. In other words the repairs should not look like repairs, they should look as though the house was intended to be that way.
Here is an example of a really terrible job that cost the owner more because they still had bats, it looked terrible and in the end, they had to hire me to fix it.
Note the terrible use of foam! Also note the staple marks and yes this was the completed project – what a mess!
I hate to see work like this, so if your looking into the cost of a bat removal you might want to have a look at some of their completed work. If they whip out a can of foam from home depot and start going to town on your roofline you might want to fire them on the spot. Don’t get me wrong, foam does work well for certain things but one thing it is not is a finish. You shouldn’t pay for this type of work! Hire a pro!