Cold, clammy basement walls and a room nobody wants to use? We sort out the water, then insulate with a material that handles moisture.
Basement insulation in Merced means adding insulation to the foundation walls, usually from the inside with spray foam or rigid foam boards, so the room holds its temperature and stays quieter. At Reliable Merced Spray Foam Insulation, we check those walls for water before anything goes up, because insulation over a damp wall just hides the problem.
The price mostly comes down to how many square feet of wall you have, which material you pick and what's on the walls now. Closed-cell foam costs more than other choices, and old paneling or soaked insulation that has to come out adds work. Insulating from the outside usually costs a lot more and tears up the yard, which is why most basements get done from the inside.
The schedule turns on the water, because the insulation waits until a damp wall has been fixed and dried. I also check whether your address falls under the city or the county, and if the job needs a permit we take care of it and set up the inspection. After I've seen the walls, you get a written estimate for your basement.
You'll deal with the same few people from the first call to the last walk-through. Here's who does what.
We call you back to set a time, and I come out to look over every basement wall, the floor line and any stains. I write down what I find before I put a number on anything, and that's what your written estimate comes from.
The crew that shows up works for us, not for whoever was free that week. We're licensed and insured, and we've been in business since 2017.
Our crew does the steps in the order they need to go, so nothing goes on a wall that isn't ready for it. I go over the finished walls before we pack up, and satisfaction is guaranteed on every job.
Water comes first. If a basement wall is damp, I want it fixed before anything goes on it, because insulation over a wet wall holds the water there and you end up paying to tear it out. If a wall isn't worth insulating yet, I'll tell you that. Once the walls are dry, we sit down with what I found and pick a material that handles moisture well for your walls, your budget and how you plan to use the room.
Most basement jobs come down to two kinds of foam. Closed-cell foam insulation is dense, blocks moisture and seals air as it goes on, so it's the one people lean toward when damp is the worry. Open-cell foam insulation is softer and costs less, but it lets moisture pass through, so it usually suits walls and rooflines above ground better than a wall against the dirt.
Each step waits on the one before it, so the order stays the same from house to house.
I go along each wall with a flashlight looking for stains, damp spots and white crust at the floor line, and I take photos so you can see what I saw. If something points to water getting in, you hear about it before you hear a price.
A leak gets fixed and the wall dries out before our crew comes back to insulate. We pull off old paneling or insulation that's been wet, since leaving it up keeps the problem in the wall.
We close the gaps first, then put up the material you picked, tight to the wall. Foam boards only control moisture when they're stuck fully to the wall with no air gap behind them and every seam sealed tight.
Spray foam can't be left bare, so it gets ignition-barrier paint or drywall, and you should plan on that as part of the job. Then we haul out the scraps and sweep up so the basement is clean when we leave.
Send the form with roughly how many square feet of wall you have, any signs of water and where the house is, or call (209) 308-1021. We reply within one business day to set up a visit, and I come out to look at the walls and write you a free on-site estimate with no obligation.
(209) 308-1021Yes, any water getting into the walls should be found and fixed before insulation goes up. Rain and runoff also need to be steered away from the foundation walls, so the gutters and the slope around the house matter as much as the wall itself.
Closed-cell spray foam gives the best moisture control of any insulation used on the inside of foundation walls, so it's the strongest pick if damp is your worry. Fiberglass batts and cellulose shouldn't touch a foundation wall at all, so if you're comparing quotes for those, ask each contractor how they keep it off the wall.
Insulating a basement usually runs about $4.40 to $6.40 per square foot across the US, and that's a national figure, not our price. Your own number depends on the wall area, the material and how much prep or water work comes first, and your written estimate spells it out for your walls.
Insulation inside a flooded basement has to come out completely, because it's contaminated and slows the walls from drying. We handle insulation removal, and new insulation goes back up once the walls are dry.
If your house sits in unincorporated Merced County, outside city limits, the county's Building and Safety Division issues building permits and inspects the work there. That's why I check which office covers your address before we start.
In California, the state licensing board licenses insulation contractors, and its exemption for small unlicensed jobs stops at $1,000 and doesn't cover work that needs a permit or anyone hired to help. So check the license of whoever insulates your basement. We're based in Merced and work in many cities around it, north toward Modesto and south toward Madera.
A look at what's actually on your basement walls tells you more than any quote over the phone, so call (209) 308-1021 or send us the form.
If you're not sure your basement is dry enough to insulate, give us a call and I'll come take a look.
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