Blown-in insulation in Sun Valley NV - an even attic layer with the eaves left open
Hot upstairs, cold floors or a power bill that keeps climbing? We seal the gaps, top up your attic and keep it breathing.
An honest answer on what's worth doing
I'm usually the one who comes out to look at the job and write the estimate. If your attic already has enough up there, or your money would do more somewhere else, I'll tell you that instead of selling you a job.
Licensed and fully insured on every job
We're licensed and fully insured. That matters up in an attic, where a crew is working over your ceiling and around your wiring, because if something goes wrong, you shouldn't be the one carrying the cost.
Started here in Sun Valley in 2023
I ran a small business of my own before this one, so I watch your budget the way I watched mine. I learned this trade on job sites beside experienced installers. Call (775) 447-1132 or use the form on this page to set up a visit.
Blown-in insulation for Sun Valley attics
Blown-in insulation is loose fill, usually fiberglass or cellulose, blown through a hose across your attic floor. Prime Sun Valley Spray Foam Insulation does it for drafty homes in Sun Valley, Reno, Sparks, Spanish Springs, Cold Springs, Carson City, Fernley and the cities around them.
Most calls start with a room that won't hold heat, like the one over the garage, or an upstairs that runs hot and a power bill to match. Loose fill is cheap, safe and quick to put in with the right gear, so it's usually the first fix I look at. It only works, though, when the gaps are sealed and anything wrong up there gets fixed before the new layer hides it.
The price turns on how big your attic is, how many inches are already up there, how much sealing it needs and whether the old layer can stay. The schedule turns on what has to happen first, like a roof leak fixed, old insulation pulled or a lab test, and on any permit the job calls for. I'll walk you through all of that on site, and the written estimate puts your own numbers on paper.
Blown-in insulation and the prep work around it
Building on the layer you have
When your old layer is dry and clean, we can usually blow new insulation right over it instead of tearing it out, and most jobs go that way. If it's wet, moldy, smells bad or has droppings in it, it comes out first through our insulation removal work, because fresh fill over a bad layer keeps the problem. Whatever soaked it, like a roof leak or a bath fan venting into the attic, gets fixed before anything new goes in.
Sealing the gaps before we blow
We seal the gaps in the attic floor first, around pipes, wires and the hatch, because it's much easier before the fill goes down and the new layer can't do its job with air pushing through it. Recessed can lights get a sheet metal or wire mesh barrier unless they're rated IC, for insulated ceiling. If a gas furnace or water heater lives up there, an HVAC contractor should run a combustion safety test after the sealing. In a house wired before 1930, knob and tube wiring can be a fire hazard where insulation touches it, so a pro fixes it first.
Even coverage with the eaves open
We set guides at the eaves, which some call baffles or rafter vents, so the vents along your roof edge stay open and the attic keeps breathing. Bury those vents and moisture ends up in the framing. We also carry the full depth out to the edges, where rushed jobs tend to run thin. If the attic is only part of the problem, say cold floors over a crawl space, our home insulation work looks at the rest of the house.
Get a written plan for your attic
We reply within one business day, then I come out, look at your attic and write you a free estimate with no obligation. Note where the hatch is and any can lights, gas appliances or vermiculite.
(775) 447-1132How a blown-in job goes with us
Walking the attic with you
You call or send a note, and I come out to look at the attic with you. I tell you right there what I'd fix first and what can wait, then follow up with a written estimate.
Setting the date and permit
Once you say go, we set the date and take care of any permit the work calls for. Anything that has to happen first, like old insulation coming out or a vermiculite test, gets lined up ahead of the install.
Install, cleanup and walk-through
Our install crew does the job with a lead installer on site, then cleans up before we walk through the attic together so you can see the coverage for yourself. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Blown-in insulation questions in Sun Valley
How do I know if my attic needs more insulation?
If your insulation sits level with or below the floor joists, the beams your attic floor rests on, your house probably needs more. A quick look through the attic hatch tells you whether an estimate is worth getting. If you can't tell, I'll check how many inches are up there when I come out.
How much does blown-in attic insulation cost around Reno?
Attic insulation in the Reno area usually costs about $1,500 to $4,900 per job. That's the general market range, a fair guide for a Sun Valley house, and not our price. Your written estimate gives you your own number after I've seen the attic.
Do I need a permit for attic insulation in Washoe County?
In Washoe County, a building permit is required for any project that isn't on the county's exempt list. Ask the county's Building Program at (775) 328-2020 or building@washoecounty.gov about your own project. Before work starts, we check whether the county or a city covers your address and take care of the permit when your job calls for one.
Can you blow insulation over vermiculite in my attic?
Not until an approved lab has tested it. Vermiculite is a lightweight, pea-size, flaky gray mineral that may contain asbestos, so it stays undisturbed until the test is done. If I spot it in your attic, the test comes first and the rest of the job waits on the result.