Retrofit insulation in Reno NV - an older house that finally holds its heat
Drafty rooms, a hot upstairs or a power bill that keeps climbing? We seal the gaps and add insulation where it actually helps.
- Service
- Retrofit insulation
- Call
- (775) 447-1048
How can you tell an older house needs more insulation?
One room never feels right
The room over the garage or an upstairs bedroom runs hot in summer and cold in winter, while the rest of the house is fine. That usually means the ceiling or walls around it are thin on insulation or leaking air, and every season you wait, the furnace and AC work harder to make up for it.
Flat, thin fill in the attic
Pop the hatch and you see old insulation packed down, with the tops of the ceiling joists showing through. Older fill settles and often wasn't deep to begin with, so the power bill keeps paying for heat that drifts straight up and out.
Cold air at outlets and floors
You feel a draft at outlets and baseboards on outside walls, and the floors stay cold no matter where the thermostat sits. Walls in older houses are often empty or barely filled, and the longer it goes, the more you pay to heat air that leaks right back out.
Can you add insulation to an older house without tearing it apart?
Retrofit insulation adds blown-in insulation, loose fill blown through a hose, to the attic or closed walls of a Reno house you already live in, so the rooms hold heat in winter and keep it out in summer without opening up ceilings or walls.
We're based in Reno and work across Reno, Sparks and the cities around them, and most of the retrofit calls we get are from people in older houses who are tired of drafts and a power bill that doesn't match how the place feels. The price moves with the size of the attic, what's already up there, whether old material has to come out and how many gaps need sealing, while the schedule mostly turns on anything that has to be fixed first, like a roof leak or old wiring. The written estimate I send after looking at your house lays out what I found and what I'd do first, so you see the order before you see the bill. We're fully licensed and insured, and since the state contractors board licenses contractors by the kind of work they do, it's worth checking that anyone you hire is licensed for insulation. Building permits here come from the City of Reno, and when your job needs one, we apply for it.
Details to note before an estimate
- Rough age of the house
- Rooms that run hot or cold
- Attic, walls or both
- Known old wiring or vermiculite
How we handle retrofit insulation on an older house
I look the house over before anything gets added. On an older house that means the wiring, the old insulation and the attic itself for leaks or pest damage, and you get a list of what needs doing before we add anything, because insulation laid over a wet or chewed-up attic just hides the problem. If the old fill was soaked or full of droppings, it comes out first. Then the crew and I air seal, closing the gaps around can lights, pipes, wires and the attic hatch, so the new insulation isn't fighting a draft. We keep the eave vents clear so the attic can still breathe, and we blow the fill in evenly right out to the edges, where it usually ends up thin. If you're planning new siding, I'll suggest timing the wall work with it.
Sometimes the attic is the whole story, and then it's really an attic insulation job, done the same way. Foam costs more than loose fill and seals air while it insulates, so I usually come down on the side of sealing the gaps and topping up the loose fill, unless your ductwork runs through the attic, where spray foam insulation can earn its price.
Work that often goes with it
Spray foam insulation
Worth a look when ducts run through the attic and you want the air sealed and the space insulated in one pass.
Attic insulation
For houses where the walls are fine and the attic is where most of your heat is getting out.
What happens when you call about retrofit insulation in Reno?
Call or send us a message
Reach us at (775) 447-1048 or through the form and tell us which rooms bother you. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I look at your house
I come out myself, look at the attic and walls, and walk you through what I found and what I'd do first. Then you get a written estimate with the work laid out in order, so nothing on the bill is a surprise.
We settle the permit question
Once you say yes, we check which office covers your address and apply for a permit when the job needs one. Any repair on your list that has to come first gets handled before insulation goes in.
We install and walk through it
The crew and I seal, insulate and clean up, then go over the finished work with you. You'll know what went where and why the house should feel different.
What people ask about retrofit insulation
How much does attic insulation cost in the Reno area?
Attic insulation in the Reno-Sparks area usually costs about $1,500 to $4,900 per job, and that's what the market runs, not a quote from us. Old material coming out, extra sealing and repairs that have to come first push a job toward the high end, and the estimate I write after seeing your attic gives you your own figure. The work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
What is the best way to add insulation to an older attic?
Seal the air leaks first, then add the insulation. Money spent on insulation can go to waste when holes and gaps in the ceilings, walls and foundation stay open, which is why blown insulation goes in after the attic floor is air sealed. That's also why both show up on one estimate from us, since they're really one job.
How do I insulate walls without tearing them open?
Drill and fill is the usual answer, and it's fairly easy on the house. Each wall cavity gets filled with blown-in insulation through small holes near the top of the wall, drilled from inside or outside, and new siding is the best time to do it from outside, as I mentioned above. In a house built before 1980, lead safety rules can apply depending on how much of the wall gets disturbed, so I check the age of the house first.
What checks happen before attic insulation goes in?
Recommended practice is to check the attic for water leaks, moisture, structural or pest damage and enough ventilation, such as ridge or soffit vents, the openings at the peak and under the eaves, and to fix those first. If a furnace or water heater burns fuel and vents without a fan, a combustion safety test checks that exhaust isn't flowing back into the house, and any problem gets fixed before attic work starts. You can ask to see the repair list and any test results before we begin.
Can you put insulation over knob-and-tube wiring or vermiculite?
No, not until it's dealt with. The electrical code bars insulation on or around knob-and-tube wiring, an early style of house wiring, so if it's still live in your attic it has to be replaced or properly boxed in first. Vermiculite, a pebbly gray-brown fill, may contain asbestos, and federal guidance stops the job until that's addressed, so tell us if you know it's up there before we book.
Do we have to leave the house while retrofit insulation goes in?
Usually not for blown-in work, since the crew stays in the attic or at the walls and the house stays livable. Spray foam is different, because the foam maker sets a re-entry time, the wait before people and pets come back inside, and I'll tell you what it is for your job before we schedule. Either way, you'll know the plan for the kids and pets before the crew shows up.
Get a written plan for your attic and walls
We respond within one business day and set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free and done in person, with no pressure to book. After I've looked things over and walked you through it, you get a written estimate showing what I'd do first.
Explore our services and areas
Services
- Spray foam insulation
- Attic insulation
- Blown-in 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
Find out what your attic needs first
Call (775) 447-1048 any day of the week, from morning until 11 at night, or send the form if that's easier.