The cats had crawled into every crevice and piece of HVAC duct work they could find to mark their territories...

New ductwork in the attic.

After I had 2 mold companies I learned that I not only had to replace drywall and insulation but I would need to replace the studs, not just to a "bleach spray" replace all the ductwork in the house run an air scrubber for 3 days, replace carpeting etc.... both mold bids were very high and I backed out of that deal.

Glad I dodged the bullet on that one, then inspector came back with roof problem, needed new ac and duct work to combat mold issues....

You can usually find a route to put in duct work or perhaps build runs on ceiling or walls that look nice and hide the ducts.

Has a fair amount of sheetrock, plumbing and other stuff needed, yard is shot, trees growing into the fascia, some bad siding, central A/C doesn't work, etc, etc.I estimated about 12 piers for the slab ($6K) a fair amount of sheetrock repairs ($2.5K including interior paint), exterior work and paint ($600), probably have to replace the central A/C ($2500-$3K including ductwork), termite treatment another $1,000 or so.

Foundation depending on severity can be around $5k, new 20 yr simple roof for about $5k and a new AC unit with brand new duct work from $4-5k.

Yes, I know what they can be, want insulation in that 9'6" space above you, room for duct work, plumbing, electrical chase, it will close in quickly......but yes, it can be done.

If any one of them arent we usually add $4-7k for a roof, $7-9k for hvac (not including duct work) and $10k for most foundation adjustments.

Brush up on building code requirements: in basements you're looking for egress windows that are 5.7 sq feet or more openable (3ft by 3ft casement style windows work best), and ceiling heights 6ft 8 inches or greater (as little as 6 ft 4 inches is ok under ductwork and beams though)3.