Hot upstairs, a drafty hall or a power bill that keeps climbing? We seal the gaps, then add insulation so rooms stay closer to where you set them.
Retrofit insulation in Merced, CA is insulation added to a house that's already built. In most older homes that means sealing the gaps in the attic floor and blowing new fill across it, so the rooms below stay closer to the temperature you set.
Most calls start the same way. It's hot upstairs, the room over the garage never feels right, and when I put a flashlight on the attic floor there's a few inches of flat, tired fill and gaps nobody ever closed. We're based in Merced and work in many cities around it, north toward Modesto and south toward Madera. Sometimes the honest answer is that adding more isn't worth the money yet, and I'll tell you that.
The price mostly comes down to how big the attic is, how much is already up there, whether old insulation has to come out first and how many gaps need sealing. The schedule turns on what has to happen before we start, like a roof leak or old wiring, and your written estimate lays out what your house needs and what it costs.
You deal with me and our own crew from the first visit to the last check. Here's who does what.
I learned insulation on another crew around Merced, started this business in 2017, and I still come out to every job. I go up with a flashlight and take photos, so you see what's in your attic instead of taking my word for it.
Before I quote anything, I write down what I find, like roof leaks, damp spots, damaged framing or signs of pests, and those go on the estimate as repairs to handle first. If topping up your attic isn't worth doing, the estimate says that too.
California's contractor licensing board has a license class just for insulation work, so it's fair to ask anyone you hire about theirs. We're licensed and insured, and our own crew does the work. I check it over before we call it finished, and satisfaction is guaranteed on every job.
Adding insulation to an older attic is the right time to seal it too, so we plan both as one job. We start with whatever has to be fixed or pulled out, seal the openings in the attic floor, keep the eave vents open, then blow in new fill and clean up after ourselves. When we finish, we leave you a record of what material went in.
Foam is the main alternative, and it isn't always the better buy. If your ductwork runs through the attic, spray foam insulation can be worth its higher cost because it seals air while it insulates. Otherwise, sealing the gaps and topping up loose fill usually wins, and our attic insulation page covers that work on its own.
Insulation laid over a leak or a problem is money wasted, so each step waits on the one before it.
When old insulation is soaked or full of droppings, it comes out before anything new goes in, because fresh fill over it just keeps the problem. Any repairs on your estimate get handled first too, so nothing gets buried.
Our crew does the air sealing next, closing the gaps around can lights, pipes, wiring and the hatch. Insulation over an open gap ends up fighting a draft all year.
We set baffles, short chutes that hold insulation back from the vents, at the eaves so outside air still moves through. A buried vent stops the attic from breathing, and the moisture shows up later in the framing.
Blown-in insulation, loose fill sent through a hose, goes across the whole attic floor out to where it meets the outside walls, not deep in the middle and thin at the edges. I check the coverage myself, and the crew cleans up before we leave.
Send the form or call (209) 308-1021, and we'll reply within one business day to set up a visit. I'll come out, look over the attic and give you a free written estimate with no obligation. If you have questions about walls or floors too, put them in the form.
(209) 308-1021It usually means sealing the openings through the attic floor, then spreading blown cellulose or fiberglass across it so your vented attic slows heat moving in and out of the house. Federal guidance for existing attics seals those openings before any insulation goes in, since many older homes have little or no insulation and plenty of gaps.
Yes. Federal attic guidance holds new insulation until active knob and tube wiring, an older wiring type, is replaced or properly boxed, and it stops work if the old insulation is vermiculite, which may contain asbestos. If I see either one, it goes on your estimate as something to handle first, and it can change when the job happens.
The cellulose makers' trade group says properly installed cellulose can work well for decades, and careful installation is part of what gets it there. The same group strongly recommends contractors hand over a completed manufacturer's certification statement, because it's often needed to back the product warranty or claim a tax credit, so ask for one.
Some households can. California's Energy Savings Assistance program provides weatherization, including attic insulation, at no cost to households that meet the CARE or FERA income limits.
California's Energy Code sets several of its efficiency standards, including the ones for a home's outer shell, by the climate zone the house sits in. The same attic can face different standards in different parts of the state, so the address matters.
Around Merced we're in a lot of older houses where the attic has a thin, matted layer of fill, a hatch that was never sealed and eave vents covered over. We see the same attics in Atwater, Livingston, Turlock and Chowchilla, and we do the same work there.
If you've noticed leak stains, droppings, old cloth-wrapped wiring or gray, pebbly insulation in the attic, mention it when you call so I know what to check first.
If you'd like to talk through your attic before booking anything, give us a call or send the form.
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