I have a small older house with about 12" of blown in attic insulation. This is great for the heating bill, but presents some problems. I would like to remove and replace the insulation for the following reasons:
1. Soffits are buried in insulation.
2. All light fixtures including recessed lights are buried in insulation.
3. All wiring in attic is old knob & tube.
4. The rafters have 2x4's bracing them from the joists. Most of these 2x4's are no longer attached to the rafters and the roof is sagging in those locations. I really would like to correct this, but the joists are buried in 12" of insulation.

So I would like to remove this insulation. Fix the problems I listed above and install new bat insulation while keeping the soffits clear and keeping the proper distances from electical fixtures, etc, etc.

Any suggestions on how to remove this blown-in insulation? Or do I just need to bring up about 50 garbage sacks and start bagging it up? Thanks.