I got a quote from a guy today to blow in insullation in my attic in the house I just bought...it was built in the 60's and practically has NO insulation. He told me for 1250 sq ft, 12" blown in would be $700 Is 12" really standard? And does that seem too high? I'm clueless on this one and haven't gotten a call back from anyone else yet to schedure more quotes. Thanks!

My bungalow basement floor was tiled by the previous owners (I'm guessing some time in the late 50' or 60's). At some time, they also had flooding problems. Today, there are no flooding problems and the tile has all been removed. However, their remains a red dust that I cannot clean. If exposed to water, it creates a river of blood-like water that stains everything it contacts (a permanent stain, as well as I can determine). It can't be swept clean, it can't be mopped. I've tried painting over the floor, but the red product bled through and still stains everything in contact. I even tried priming the floor with Kilz first, and the red bled through that too. I've tried washing the floors with wet vacs, but there seems to be an endless supply of red. There is still dried mastic on part of the floor and I'm sure the red dust has something to do with the old tile because the areas of the basment that were never tiled are not a problem. Please help! I'm at my wit's end as my basement is essentially unusable. Does anyone have any ideas about 1) what the red is (none of the tile was red) and 2) how it can be removed? Thanks.