Hot upstairs rooms, a drafty hall or a power bill that keeps climbing? We find the gaps and thin spots, then fix them in order.
Attic insulation in Carson City is usually two jobs done in order. First comes air sealing, which closes the gaps where house air slips up into the attic, and then an even layer of insulation goes over the top, so the rooms below hold their heat and the upstairs stops running hot.
Most folks call us because of something they feel, like an upstairs bedroom that's hot by late afternoon, a cold room over the garage or a hallway that's drafty with every door shut. The cause is usually up in the attic, where warm air finds its way out around lights and pipes and the insulation isn't doing as much as you'd think.
The price turns on how big your attic is and how easy it is to get into, how many inches are up there now and whether any of it has to come out, how much sealing the gaps need, and which material makes sense. The schedule mostly depends on whether a roof leak, old wiring or a fan venting into the attic has to be fixed first and whether your address needs a permit, since attic work itself can usually happen any time of year. The estimate is where you get your own number for your house.
Here's how it goes from the first call to the last walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
I spent years behind a desk before I traded it for a flashlight and an attic, and I've run this business since 2017, so when you call, I'm the one who comes out. I'll look at the attic with you, check how many inches are up there and point out anything that has to be fixed first.
I tell you what I see and put the estimate together from that, including the things your attic doesn't need. You'll know what we'd do and in what order before you decide anything.
Our installers do the work with a lead installer in charge, and they prep the space and clean up after themselves before I walk you through what we did. We're fully licensed and insured. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
First I check what's already up there, looking for thin spots out at the edges, where loose fill tends to run short, and for batts, the precut blanket pieces, that got squashed or pushed aside around wiring and recessed lights. Then we plan the new layer around what we find, deciding what stays, what has to come out, which gaps get sealed and how deep the new material goes. The sealing goes in before the insulation, because a fresh blanket laid over an open gap just sits there fighting a draft.
Spray foam costs more and seals air while it insulates, so it can be the right call when your ductwork runs through the attic. For most attics, though, sealing the gaps and topping up with blown-in insulation, which is loose fill blown through a hose, gets you there for less, and I'll tell you so even with foam in our name. If the drafts aren't just upstairs, our home insulation work looks at the walls, floors and crawl space along with the attic.
Once you've given us the go-ahead, the job runs in the same order, because each step sets up the next one.
Our crew lays down covers from your door to the attic hatch, so the dust that comes down the ladder lands on a drop cloth and not your carpet. If the hatch is in a closet, we'll clear a spot with you before anything gets moved.
If the plan calls for pulling old material, that comes out first, and then we close the gaps around wires, pipes, light housings and the hatch frame. Doing it in that order means the sealing goes onto clean framing and nothing gets covered up that shouldn't be.
We set guards at the eaves so outside air can still move through the attic, because buried eave vents trap moisture that ends up showing in the framing. Only then does the new insulation go in.
We work the hose from the far corners back toward the hatch and check the depth as we go, so the edges get the same coverage as the middle. Thin edges are the most common miss we find in attics, so we don't leave them for last.
Send the form or call (775) 227-5588, and we'll get back to you within one business day, most of the time with me on the other end of the phone, to set up a free visit with no obligation. If you can, jot down any roof leaks, wiring you've seen in the attic, where your bath and dryer fans vent and whether you've spotted vermiculite, so I know what to look at first.
(775) 227-5588Usually, yes. Blown loose fill, whether it's fiberglass, rock wool or cellulose, usually costs less to install than batts and covers better, because it settles in around wires and framing that batts have to be cut to fit, though install costs vary from house to house. When you're comparing quotes, it's worth asking about blown-in first.
A leaking roof, live knob-and-tube wiring and any exhaust fan that dumps into the attic all need fixing before sealing and insulating start. Knob-and-tube is the old wiring strung on little ceramic posts, and it needs replacing, while bath, kitchen and dryer fans need venting outdoors, because otherwise you're trapping moisture under new insulation or packing it around a fire risk. Once those are handled, we can get to work.
Leave it alone, because federal guidance is to treat vermiculite as possibly containing asbestos and not disturb it. If you decide to have it removed, that's work for a trained, accredited asbestos abatement contractor, a separate company from whoever assessed it. We won't stir it up to work around it, so if I spot that pebbly gray-brown fill on a visit, we stop and talk through your options.
Only the property owner, someone the owner authorizes or a licensed contractor can legally sign and submit one. When your attic job needs a permit, we take care of that paperwork with the city, so it's one less thing for you to chase.
Carson City's Building Division issues building permits, and its permit list names new homes, changes to an existing home and commercial construction but doesn't name attic insulation on its own, so that list alone doesn't settle whether your job needs one. The rules also differ between Carson City, the counties and the cities around us, so we check with the office that covers your address, and if your job needs a permit, we handle the paperwork with them. When a permit is involved, the division runs plan review and inspection as part of it.
If you'd rather do the work yourself on a home you live in, Nevada's contractor law exempts an owner improving their own home to live in, not to sell or rent out, and you apply to the Nevada State Contractors Board for that exemption. We're based in Carson City and work across the cities around it, from Reno and Sparks down to Gardnerville and up to Incline Village, plus plenty of places in between.
A lot of attics only need their gaps sealed and a top-up, and one look up the hatch is the quickest way to know if yours is one of them, so call (775) 227-5588 or send the form.
If you're not sure your attic needs anything at all, give us a call and I'll give you a straight answer.
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