Bats

[David P. OKeefe]

I just got off the phone with my cousin. He just bought a house and is in the process of moving in. He has bats in his soffit. He described it as a 3-4 inch gap under the eve of his 2 story home. No access to the attic.There was no mention of the gap in the HI report. He got an estiment of $1500 to remove the bats. He's asking me what he can do. I think if the gap is as big as he said than it should of been in the report,but I don't think the inspector could of known if there were bats up there unless one flew out during the inspection. Has anyone been in a situation like this? What can he do. Thanks for any help.

[Larry D. Kage]

Originally Posted by dokeefe

I just got off the phone with my cousin. He just bought a house and is in the process of moving in. He has bats in his soffit. He described it as a 3-4 inch gap under the eve of his 2 story home. No access to the attic.There was no mention of the gap in the HI report. He got an estiment of $1500 to remove the bats. He's asking me what he can do. I think if the gap is as big as he said than it should of been in the report,but I don't think the inspector could of known if there were bats up there unless one flew out during the inspection. Has anyone been in a situation like this? What can he do. Thanks for any help.

I'd get an access hole cut to the attic to assess the condition but be careful of bat guano

Google How to get rid of bats in the attic ,for instance, as a start.

Bat excluders seem to work so that they can get out of the attic but not get back in.

[David P. OKeefe]

I talked to my cousin again and he said that there isn't much of an attic to get into. The second floor was the attic. Dormers were put on. I think I'll take a ride over there and take a look for myself. Thanks for the info.

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

Originally Posted by dokeefe

I talked to my cousin again and he said that there isn't much of an attic to get into. The second floor was the attic. Dormers were put on. I think I'll take a ride over there and take a look for myself. Thanks for the info.

Make sure you wear your PPE!!! Bat guano can be/become toxic!!! If the bats are in the walls, do not let him move in until the bats are extracted, entry is eliminated (they only need a hole the size of a dime) and the walls are cleared of built up guano and the mold that results. Bad, bad news!!! $1500 is a reasonable price, as long as they stand behind their work for two years. I have seen similar around here for $2000 - $2500 (not including clean-up).