Upstairs rooms running hot or a power bill that keeps climbing? We blow an even layer across your attic floor, right out to the edges.
Blown-in insulation in Chico is loose cellulose or fiberglass that we blow through a hose across the floor of a vented attic, so your house holds its heat in winter and its cool air in summer. It's also the best time to seal the air leaks up there, because the attic floor is open and easy to reach.
Most people call us because the room over the garage runs hot, the upstairs never cools off at night, or the power bill keeps creeping up. Those usually point to an attic that's thin, settled or uneven, and blowing in more is often one of the simpler fixes that makes a real difference. I still need to look first, because the cause isn't always the insulation.
The price mostly comes down to how big the attic floor is, how many inches are already up there, how easy the attic is to reach and how much sealing and prep it needs before we blow anything. The schedule turns on that prep too, since a roof leak or a vent that needs another trade comes first. Your written estimate gives your price and lists anything that has to be fixed before we start.
Blowing insulation is the easy part. The prep decides whether it works, so our crew works through the same list in each attic, and anything that needs another trade gets done before we blow.
A roof leak that's soaked the old insulation, moldy or rotted framing, or a kitchen, bath or dryer fan that dumps moist air into the attic all need fixing before new insulation goes in. Covering them only hides the problem while the damp keeps working on the wood, so we note each one and get it sorted first.
Air slips up through gaps around pipes, wires and the attic hatch, and new insulation laid over a draft never does its full job. Sealing is much easier while the floor is still bare, so air sealing, closing those gaps with foam or caulk, comes before any loose fill goes in.
Houses from the 1930s and earlier can still have knob and tube wiring, which can be a fire hazard with insulation against it, so an electrician deals with it first. Older can lights that poke into the attic get a cover made for the job, sealed down. If a gas furnace or water heater sits up there, an HVAC contractor should run a combustion safety test, a check that it still burns and vents safely, after we seal.
From the first call to the final walk-through, here's who you'll deal with at each stage, so you know who's in your attic and what they're doing there.
Call (530) 399-1513 or send a message through the form. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out that works around your day.
I come out myself, go up into the attic, check how many inches are there and look for leaks, gaps and old wiring. You get a written estimate that lists anything that has to be fixed first.
Our crew lead and installers seal the gaps, set baffles at the eaves, chutes that keep the vents clear, and then blow the insulation. If another trade has to go first, we wait until that work is done.
Before we call it finished, I check the work myself. Then we walk you through what we did and anything we found along the way, so nothing up there is a surprise later.
We spread blown-in insulation as evenly as we can across the whole attic floor, all the way out to the top plate, the board where the roof sits on the outside wall. That edge matters because it's where coverage usually goes thin, and a deep pile in the middle with bare edges is backward. The baffles keep the eave vents open, so the attic still breathes and moisture doesn't collect in the framing.
When we're done, we mark the depth in a few spots so you can see it for yourself instead of taking our word for it. If the old material has to go before anything new goes in, that's insulation removal, and I'll explain why at the estimate. If the attic is only part of the problem, our home insulation work covers the rest of the house.
For most attics, I'd seal the gaps and blow loose fill over what's already there. It costs less than foam and does the job well when the attic is just a vented space over your ceiling.
Foam costs more, but it seals air while it insulates. When your ductwork lives in the attic, spray foam is usually worth the extra, and I'll tell you at the estimate if that's your house.
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation. I look over your attic, note anything that needs fixing first and write up your price.
(530) 399-1513The City of Chico requires a basic building permit for altering, repairing or improving any building in the city. Its list of examples names things like sheds, fences and painting and doesn't mention blown-in insulation, so the rule doesn't settle whether your job needs one. The city's Building Division can answer that for your address. If your job needs a permit, we handle the application and inspection and tell you which office covers you.
Around Chico we see every kind of attic, from older houses where the insulation has thinned and settled over the years to newer ones where the room over the garage still runs hot. We do the same work in Durham and Oroville, with the same prep list and the same even layer.
I grew up on a farm where you fixed things right the first time, learned insulation on other contractors' crews and started this business in Chico in 2020. I'm the one who comes out to look at your attic and write the estimate. If your house needs another trade before insulation, I'd rather tell you and wait than blow over a problem.
We're best known for careful attic and crawl space work where nothing gets skipped. We're licensed and insured. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job. When you're ready, call (530) 399-1513 or send us a message and we'll set up a time to look.
If cold floors and drafty rooms show up downstairs too, a look at the whole house finds where the heat is really getting out.
When the attic's old insulation is soaked, moldy or full of droppings, clearing it out gives the new layer a clean start.
We're based in Chico and work in the cities around it, including the ones listed below. If you don't see yours, give us a call and ask.
If the insulation is level with or below the tops of the floor joists, the boards your ceiling hangs from, your house probably needs more. A quick look through the attic hatch with a flashlight is usually enough to tell. When I come out, I measure the inches already up there and tell you whether adding more is worth it.
Usually not, because new insulation can go right on top of the old. The exceptions are old insulation that's wet, moldy, smelly or full of animal droppings, which has to come out first or the problem stays. I check for those at the estimate and tell you which case your attic is.
Leave it alone until an approved lab has tested it, because vermiculite may contain asbestos. It looks like light, pea-size, flaky gray bits. Your local health department can give you the name of an approved lab, and we leave it untouched and blow nothing over it until you have the results.
Your price comes in a written estimate after I've seen the attic, because it depends on that attic more than anything. The size of the floor and the prep it needs set most of it, as covered above. If the cheaper option is the right one for your house, I'll tell you so.
The blowing itself is usually the short part, and the schedule mostly depends on what has to happen first. Sealing the gaps comes before any insulation, and a roof leak, old wiring or a vent that needs another trade gets done before we start. Your estimate lays out that order, so you know what comes when.
A contractor applying with the city for the first time needs a valid Chico business license number and a California State Contractor's License number. That's what the city asks for before it takes an application. When your job needs a permit, we're the ones who apply, so that part sits with us.
Call (530) 399-1513 or use the form, and have the house's age, how you reach the attic and any roof leaks, can lights or gas appliances up there handy, so I know what to look for before I arrive.
