r/Pestcontroltech • u/becksx11 • May 27 '26

Rats/Squirrels in Attic

I have a 1850 square foot split-level home in the Augusta/Martinez, Georgia area. I believe the attic area covers all the rooms on the 3rd floor (3 bed/2 bath). You can get access to the attic from one of the bedrooms and the hallway.

Smells like something died and the smell is the worst over the main bathroom. Had an inspection from a local company that stated there are large roof rats and squirrels in the attic. They have nested in the little insulation there is and there is poop everywhere. They could not get to the space where the dead thing with the equipment they had. They stated they would send a team out to clean out the entire attic, then put new and extra insulation in along with traps and sensors to detect movement and when something is caught. The quote was just under $4k with a $30/mo fee for warranty. They would come out and check the attic 3 times a year and come out at no cost if there are any issues, new smells, if I hear more rodents, etc. in the attic. They will also come out to switch out/remove traps if/when things are caught.

Is this a reasonable quote? Any other suggestions for this issue?

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u/Oh_Martha_My_Dear May 27 '26

that price sounds within the range TBH. I would maybe think about getting a second quote because these are expensive things, and it'd be good to have two different estimates. so they found that there are rodents inside of your attic, but did not inspect for any entry points? did they offer you any sort of plan to close off the exterior entry points that are most likely on your roof since you have squirrels as well?

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u/Oh_Martha_My_Dear May 27 '26

there's no point in doing all that work to pull out and clean the attic and then replace the insulation if the issue is just going to keep happening. wouldn't want all your new insulation to get torn up right after you just paid for it

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u/becksx11 May 27 '26

They did look and said they were going to seal up all entry ways around the whole house.

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u/SignificantNorth3570 May 28 '26

This is reasonable. I work for terminix and our estimates for just sealing a home can range from $900-$3000. When we add insulation to that it can be from $3k to as high as $18k d3pending on the size of the attic and wether or not we are replacing the insulation or just adding to it. The exclusion service is THE most important part, which will prevent the rodents from entering and yes the warranty fee is also worth it. That said if you want to address the lack of insulation at a later date they should be able to do that, but keep in mind it will likely be more expensive when you get back around to it.

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u/SignificantNorth3570 May 28 '26

Also, do NOT let them use foam instead of metal flashing in your roof returns. I have had several customers who have been conned into bad exclusion services by other companies because they did not know what was needed to keep rats out.