Completed project · San Marino, CA 91108 · August 2026
It started with a free attic inspection. 2,025 sq ft of San Marino attic, taken back to bare joists and rebuilt. New R-38 16in Fiberglass Batts added over the existing layer. 2-4 indicator traps left behind to confirm the space stays clear.
Seeing the same signs in your attic? The inspection is free.
The challenge
Moderate rodent activity, and open ways back in
The inspection found moderate rodent activity in the San Marino attic — droppings and nesting material, worked into the insulation itself — along with unsealed gaps around fixtures, piping and vents.
Once contamination is inside the insulation layer, cleaning around it does not fix the problem: the material holds the waste, the odor and the scent trail that brings the next rodent back. That set the order of work — clear the layer, treat what is underneath, close the entry points, and only then insulate. The layer covered 2,025 sq ft.
The service
What the crew did, in order
Prep and containment
Protective floor and dust barriers set through the work path before anything was opened, so the work stayed inside the attic and out of the rest of the home.
Remove the old insulation
The existing insulation layer taken out with a heavy-duty vacuum across 2,025 sq ft, leaving bare joists and a clear view of the deck.
Clean and sanitize
Rodent waste, droppings and nesting material vacuumed out, then the surfaces treated with OdoBan sanitation to clear odor, bacteria and the scent trails that draw rodents back.
Seal and rodent-proof
Entry points sealed with wire mesh, polyurethane foam and cement, with two to four indicator traps set to confirm the space stays clear. Gaps around fixtures, piping, wiring and vents air-sealed in the same pass — the openings that leak conditioned air are usually the ones rodents use.
Air ducts
2 duct runs replaced with new flexible R6 ducts, installed to code at matching diameters.
New insulation
New R-38 16in Fiberglass Batts installed across 2,025 sq ft, bringing the attic to current California code on a clean, sealed deck rather than on top of the old layer.
The result
2,025 sq ft, cleared, sealed and re-insulated
The attic went from an active rodent problem to a code-level space in a single visit – cleared, sanitized, closed against re-entry, and rebuilt in R-38 16in Fiberglass Batts.
More from this job
A few more shots from the crew
Around the neighborhood
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One of 850+ completed projects across California — see all projects.
Questions homeowners ask
Attic work in San Marino, answered
Does old attic insulation have to be removed, or can new insulation go on top?
It depends what the inspection finds. Where the existing layer is clean and intact, Atticare USA can add over it. On this San Marino project the crew found moderate rodent activity in the insulation itself, so the whole layer came out and the space was sanitized before new insulation went in — why the order of operations decides whether it holds. More on the choice: cleaning versus full replacement.
What does rodent proofing include in San Marino?
Rodent proofing is exclusion work: sealing the gaps and openings rodents use to get in, with wire mesh, polyurethane foam and cement, then setting two to four indicator traps to confirm the space stays clear. Live removal, where it is needed, is handled by a licensed pest control provider. Atticare USA has written up the entry points rodents actually use and the 5-step restoration process that follows. Worth reading before you compare quotes: how to compare rodent-proofing warranties.
How do I know when air ducts need replacing rather than cleaning?
Flexible ducting has a service life. Once the inner liner has torn or the insulation around a run has broken down, cleaning does not restore it — conditioned air keeps escaping into the attic. At that point replacing the run is the fix. More: air duct questions answered.
Start the same way this job did.
A free attic and crawl space inspection in San Marino tells you what is actually up there — what it would take to put right, and what it would not.
