Bats can find their way into the attic by way of damaged, cracked, or peeled roofing tiles or wood.
More often than not, the cost of bat removal from your attic is expensive. Furthermore, its rate can differ given many variables that have to be considered.
Let’s discuss all these in this detailed cost guide. This will help you determine roughly how much you need to spend for a professional bat removal service.
Why do bats fly to and stay in a person’s attic?
Bats, especially female ones, need a dark and warm place where they can raise their offspring.
Attics and walls inside a home are potential locations for this, so they swoop in if they see a small opening in the form of peeled, cracked, or open roofing or wall.
What is the typical cost of bat removal in the attic?
Usually, getting bats expertly removed from the attic costs from $500 to $1,500. The main facts that affect the cost are the number of bats and building type and size.
Keep in mind that bat removal is only one part of the entire job. This is because the bat has likely contaminated or damaged the roof, walls, and crawlspace of the property.
So besides bat removal, inspection, sealing, cleanup, and building restoration often need to be done to repair the house and prevent this inconvenient issue in the future.
Full Cost Breakdown of Bat Removal
Now here’s the full cost breakdown of bat removal in the attic. Note that a full bat removal service entails the following jobs which are done in this exact order:
- Inspection – $200 – $400
- Removal – $500 – $1,500
- Sealing – $150 – $500 for each hole
- Cleanup – $500 – $8,800+
- Repairs – $2,500 – $5,000
1) Inspection
Before any bat removal work is to be done, the specialist will need to inspect the attic to determine the problem, solution, and work duration, among other things.
The typical inspection cost for bat removal ranges from $200 to $400.
2) Removal
This is the critical step of removing the bat from the attic. Its cost is mainly dependent on the bat colony and building structure.
Basically, the larger the attic, the more open space, and the more bats that are present, the higher the overall cost.
As mentioned earlier, the cost of a single bat removal typically ranges from $500 to $1,500.
3) Sealing
Sealing of the bat entry points can also contribute largely to the final price. Each hole costs about $150 to $500 to seal to prevent it from being accessed by bats in the future.
Most bat removal pros include this in their removal price. But you can ask the company if you aren’t sure about this.
4) Cleanup
Similarly, the cleanup of toxic bat excrement or guano can make the price significantly high.
Whether or not there are bat feces after the infestation, cleaning the site must still be carried out to make the attic safe, hygienic, and comfortable for the occupants.
The price for guano cleanup for a single bat starts from $500. If there’s a large colony of bats and their guano, don’t be surprised if the price goes beyond $5,000.
5) Repairs
Most clients’ attics have been damaged as a result of a bat infestation. And sometimes the extent of damage is so bad that the entire drywall and insulation need to be replaced.
A full repair will restore the house’s aesthetic and functional value to give the family a warm and cozy place to live in.
Therefore, the total service price can understandably be higher. The attic repairs needed can cost $2,500 to $5,000.
What are the factors affecting bat removal costs?
The following can affect bat removal cost:
- Number of Bats
- Bat Entry Points
- Location Accessibility
- Degree of Damage
- Post-Removal Cleaning
1) Number of Bats
The number of bats in the attic will greatly dictate whether the whole removal service will be expensive or not.
More often than not, more than one bat will come into an attic. Having more bats raises the price because each entry point needs to be sealed shut.
An ultrasonic device may also be installed to keep the nocturnal creatures at bay.
How much does removing a certain number of bats cost?
Getting rid of 1 bat from the attic normally costs $200 to $500, doing the same for 2 to 50 bats costs $500 to $1,500, and for 50 to 200+ bats costs $1,500 to $8,000.
Let us summarize them in the table below for your reference:
2) Bat Entry Points
One bat means there’s only one entry point to seal, whereas, multiple bats will most certainly have more.
The more entry points, the more expensive the removal service.
3) Location Accessibility
Location also determines the total bat removal cost, though to a much smaller degree.
The reason is that hard-to-access areas such as rooftops require more work and safety, translating to a higher price.
Meanwhile, easy-to-access areas like the attic of a barn or two-story house are less expensive. This is because these places won’t make bat removal and cleaning as difficult.
It’s important to note that not all houses or buildings and bat infestations are alike, so an inspection needs to be conducted to accurately estimate the full cost of the work.
4) Degree of Damage
A bat infestation may damage your attic’s drywall and/or insulation.
If minor retouching or sealing work is needed, you’ll spend less money on a bat removal service.
In contrast, if the insulation, drywall, ceiling, or other components are severely damaged, replacement is the more practical option. Though it will incur a bigger expense, you can save more in the long run.
Anyway, restoring an attic to its original condition will usually cost homeowners from $3,050 to $8,800.
How much does attic repair cost?
Restoring an attic to its original condition may cost $3,050 to $8,800.
The following repair services may be needed after bat infestation in the attic.
Sealing a hole through which the bat entered the attic can cost $150 to $500 each, whereas, installing new drywall costs $1,000 to $3,000. Ceiling replacement costs $1,000 to $3,000, and adding new insulation costs $1,000 to $2,300.
5) Post-Removal Cleaning
Bat droppings contaminate the attic, can seriously affect the health of the family and their guests, and are also hard to clean up.
If the bats have stayed for a long time in the attic before you got a professional to remove them, the cleanup work will most certainly be extensive.
There would be a need to clean up the structure or space where the bats roosted, came through, and defecated in the attic or other parts of the house.
So the cleaning work will depend on the bat colony size and extent of cleanup, usually costing $500 or more.
How much does guano cleanup cost?
Guano cleanup for a single-story house typically costs from $500 to $3,000, for a two-story house $1,400 to $5,500, and for a three-story house $1,400 to $8,500.
Helpful Tips for Guano Cleanup
Here are some handy tips regarding bat guano cleanup:
- Ensure no bats are left in the attic – Cleaning up guano will only be a waste of time and effort if there are still one or more bats staying in your attic.
It’s ideal to wait for the professional to exclude a bat from your house and seal all entry points before cleaning up lest the bats return soon.
- Talk to the professional – Guano cleanup is more often than not expensive, so before commencing work, talk to the professional regarding the bat infestation and their waste and how much it will cost to remove and clean up.
If you agree with and can afford the price, then you can start getting them to clean up all the mess.
- Wear protective gear – You should not pick up bat guano without proper protective gear, as they may contain diseases and parasites.
Rather, wear a respirator or gas mask and gloves before you collect and dispose of the toxic bat excrement should you decide to do the work alone.
Will the cost vary for interior or external bat removal?
The overall cost will often be the same whether you need to remove a bat from inside or outside of the house. But chances are you’ll spend slightly less if you need to remove a bat outside of your house.
That is because there can be way fewer repair jobs, bat droppings, and stress to deal with outside. Plus, you might not need to hire an epidemiologist to check the area for diseases left by bats, which include rabies and a fungal infection known as histoplasmosis.
Why is bat removal very expensive?
Just like other specialized work, such as plumbing and electricals, bat removal is very expensive since it is challenging work often done in high and unsafe environments using a ladder or scaffolding.
The tradesman also needs to study and train for this line of work and obtain permits and licenses. They also need special electronic or acoustic devices to lure out the bat, set up a trap, and seal structural holes without killing it.
Is bat removal damage covered by insurance?
Generally, bat removal and all its aspects aren’t covered by homeowner’s insurance. In the first place, bats have found shelter inside your attic due to the small holes or gaps in walls and shingles that you failed to repair or replace.
But if you want your house to be protected against bat infestations, you could suggest this to your home insurance agent who can include it in the T & C’s of your policy when it starts.
Should I remove or exterminate a bat?
If you discovered bats are dwelling in your house, you should get someone to remove them alive, not kill them, since it can violate the law in your state.
Bats are also beneficial to the ecosystem, as they feed on insects and keep the insect population in control.
How long does a bat removal service take?
Normally, a bat removal service takes 2 to 4 days to complete from inspection to attic restoration.
Having said that, when bats hibernate in the winter, the removal will take much longer to finish. And after all, most specialists don’t exclude bats from homes during this season.
Worry not, though, so long as your windows and attic stairs are retracted and closed, the bats can’t harm you. Also, it’s safe since the pro bat remover won’t use chemical bat pesticides but only natural and safe methods to get them out of the house.
Is it safe to remove attic bats myself?
It isn’t safe to confront a bat and send them flying out of the house, especially if you’re not a professional. These mammals do bite and scratch humans, plus they can harbor diseases and can cause more damage to your house.
How can I prevent bats from staying in my house?
There are a few ways you can keep bats from staying in your attic. Among them are switching on a bright lantern or light and putting reflective items, like mirrors, CDs, and aluminum foil strips, in the room.
Besides that, you can place eucalyptus and cinnamon on the table or diffuse their oils in the area. Also, putting mothballs in dark and warm places that are potential homes for bats can work.
Do bats like to stay in a man-made bat house?
Man-made bat houses give bats a safe spot to roost and shelter, so they may like the structures.
Bat houses are usually made of wood with perching recesses and a gable roof. They’re set up at a height by your house or a tree to provide the bats with an alternative habitat.
You can usually build a bat house yourself if you’re a handy person or just get one from the store, which costs from $200 to $3,000 depending on its material, style, and size.
Who do I contact to get rid of bats?
To get rid of bats from your home, you should call a qualified and experienced bat removal professional.
Do not just dial for any ordinary pest control service that will work to eliminate the bat because this is unethical and against the law.
Good bat removal pros will assess the place, set up a device, open an exit point for the bat or bat colony to go out safely and unharmed, repair holes and cracks, and perform cleanup before leaving.
Lists of Pest Control Services
You may find pest control services that specialize in bat removal below:
