Blown-in insulation in Reno NV - an attic that keeps the house warm in winter
If the upstairs runs hot and the floors run cold, we top up your attic so the whole house holds a steady temperature.
- Service
- Blown-in insulation
- Call
- (775) 447-1048
How can you tell your attic needs more insulation?
Upstairs runs hot all summer
When the bedrooms upstairs feel like an oven by late afternoon and the downstairs is fine, the attic is usually short on insulation or it has settled thin over the years. Each summer it stays that way, the air conditioner runs longer and those rooms still don't cool off at night.
One room never warms up
If the room over the garage or a back bedroom always has cold floors, there's usually a thin spot in the attic or gaps where air slips through around lights and pipes. Leave it, and you end up heating the rest of the house harder just to make that one room bearable.
Power bill keeps climbing
When the winter bill jumps and nothing else in the house has changed, heat is often escaping straight up through the ceiling. It won't fix itself, and every month it goes on, you're paying to heat the attic instead of the house.
Does my Reno attic need more blown-in insulation?
Blown-in insulation is loose cellulose, fiberglass or mineral wool blown through a hose across your attic floor, and in Reno it's usually the simplest way to bring a thin or settled attic back up so the house holds its temperature. It fits unfinished attic floors and other spots that are hard to reach, and in an existing attic it goes in after the gaps in the ceiling are sealed.
Most people who call us have an attic that was insulated when the house was built and hasn't been touched since, so the material has packed down, been walked on or gotten wet somewhere along the way. The price mostly turns on how big the attic is, how much is already up there and whether any of it has to come out first through insulation removal. The schedule depends on what has to happen before we start, like a roof repair, a wiring check or a permit, and the written estimate I send after looking lays that out for your house.
Details to note before an estimate
- Rough square footage of the house
- Depth of insulation already in the attic
- Rooms that run too hot or cold
- Water stains on ceilings or attic wood
- Age of the house and its wiring
How we do blown-in insulation
I start by measuring how deep the old insulation is and checking that the vents at the roof edge will stay open once the new material is in, because a buried vent lets moisture build up in the framing. If something needs fixing first, like a roof leak, you hear about it before we price the rest. On install day the crew and I seal the gaps around can lights, pipes and the attic hatch so the insulation isn't fighting a draft, set guides at the eaves to hold the vents clear, then blow the insulation evenly all the way out to the top of the outside walls, since the edges are where it usually ends up thin. Every attic we finish is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
If the old insulation is soaked, moldy or full of droppings, we don't cover it up. We take it out first with insulation removal so the problem doesn't stay. When the attic is only part of why the house feels off, like cold floors over a crawl space or drafty walls, I'll look at the whole house as part of home insulation. People ask whether spray foam would be better up there, and it does seal air while it insulates, but it costs more, so for most Reno attics sealing the gaps and topping up with loose fill gets you more for your money unless your ductwork runs through the attic.
Work that often goes with a top-up
Insulation removal
When the old material got wet from a roof leak or has mice nesting in it, clearing it out gives the new insulation a clean, dry start.
Home insulation
If cold is coming through the walls, floors or crawl space too, a whole-house look shows where your money does the most good.
What happens after you call about your attic
Call or send the form
Call (775) 447-1048 or send the form, and we get back to you to set a time for me to come out. It helps to tell us roughly how old the house is.
I look at the attic myself
I check the depth, the vents at the roof edge, the wiring and any signs of leaks, then walk you through what I found and what I'd do first. You get a written estimate after that, so you see the cost before you decide anything.
We handle permits, then install
Once you say yes, we settle the permit question with the office that covers your address and apply when the job needs one. Then the crew and I do the work together, so I'm in the attic while it goes in.
We go over it together
When we're done, I show you the finished attic, how deep the insulation is now and the vents left open at the eaves. We clean up before we go, and you'll know what's up there and why.
Questions before you book blown-in insulation
How much does blown-in attic insulation cost in Reno?
Attic insulation in the Reno-Sparks area usually costs about $1,500 to $4,900 per job, and that's the going range around here, not a quote. Where yours lands depends mostly on the attic's size, how much insulation is already there and whether anything has to be removed or repaired first. I'll give you your own number in a written estimate once I've seen the attic.
How do I know if my attic needs more insulation?
If the insulation sits level with or below the tops of the floor joists, the wood beams running across the attic floor, you probably need more. A quick look with a flashlight from the hatch usually tells you whether an estimate is worth asking for. If you can, measure how deep it is in a couple of spots.
What needs to be fixed before blown-in insulation goes in?
Damp insulation from a leaky roof, mold or rot, an attic with little ventilation, and knob and tube wiring, the old cloth-covered wires strung on porcelain knobs, should be corrected by a professional before any insulation goes in. Those point to moisture trouble or, with the old wiring, a fire hazard, so it pays to plan and budget for them first. I'd rather tell you the insulation should wait than bury a problem under it.
What should I do if I find vermiculite in my attic?
Leave it alone until an approved lab tests it for asbestos. Vermiculite looks like light, pea-size, flaky gray pebbles, and the test comes before any blown-in work starts. If you're not sure what you're looking at, mention it when you call.
Does Reno require a permit for construction work?
Yes, the City of Reno issues building permits and says most construction and building projects need one, and new blown insulation should meet or exceed the city's current building codes. Before we start, we check which city or county office covers your address and apply for the permit when the job needs one. We're fully licensed and insured, and a Nevada contractor's license also sets the largest contract a contractor can take on for one client on one site.
How do I keep attic vents open when adding blown-in insulation?
Use baffles, guides set at the roof edge that keep the eave vents open and stop insulation from spilling into them. It's a good question to ask any contractor, because the eaves are where a rushed job usually goes wrong. If your home falls under Washoe County's code for houses near wildland, the soffit, eave and overhang vents have to be approved venting devices, which matters if a vent needs replacing.
Get a written estimate for your attic insulation
We respond within 1 business day, and the in-person estimate is free with no pressure to book. Once you send the form, we reach out to set a time, I come out to look at the attic myself, and you get a written estimate. We work across Reno, Sparks and the cities around them, so if you're not sure we cover your address, just ask.
Explore our services and areas
Services
- Spray foam insulation
- Attic insulation
- Home insulation
- Insulation removal
- Crawl space insulation
- Wall insulation
- Air sealing services
- Basement insulation
- Closed-cell foam insulation
- Open-cell foam insulation
- Commercial insulation
- Crawl space vapor barrier
- Vapor barrier installation
- Attic air sealing
- Retrofit insulation
Get your attic checked before winter
Call (775) 447-1048 or send the form with the depth you measured and any sign of vermiculite or old wiring, and I'll know what to look at first.