Drafty rooms, a hot upstairs or a power bill that keeps climbing? We check the attic first, seal the gaps, then insulate where it helps.
Home insulation in Chico means sealing the air leaks in your house, then adding insulation to the attic, the floors, the crawl space and the rim joists, the framing where the house sits on the foundation, so your rooms stay comfortable and your heating and cooling don't have to work as hard.
Most calls start with something you can feel. A bedroom that's always drafty, an upstairs that gets too hot, cold floors over the crawl space or a power bill that keeps going up. In an older house there's often a thin, tired layer in the attic and not much under the floor, and some of the trouble is air leaking through gaps, not just missing insulation.
The price moves with how much of the house needs work, how hard the attic is to get into, how many inches are already up there and whether any of it has to come out first. The schedule moves with repairs and permits, because a roof leak or bad wiring gets fixed before we insulate. My estimate notes anything that has to be fixed first.
Most insulation that doesn't do its job was put in out of order or in a hurry. These are the spots we look at first, and why each one matters for your house.
Before anything new goes in, we measure how many inches you have and look at what shape it's in. If it's been soaked or it's full of droppings, laying fresh insulation on top just buries the problem, so that layer comes out first. If it's dry and clean, it stays and we build on it.
Air sealing, closing the gaps before insulating, matters because insulation slows heat but won't stop a draft. Air pushes up through gaps around can lights, pipes, wiring and the attic hatch, so we close those first. Skip that step and the new layer spends its life fighting moving air.
Loose fill pushed into the eaves can bury the vents there, and an attic that can't breathe starts showing moisture in the framing, so we keep those vents clear. We also bring the edges over the outside walls to full depth, because the middle is easy to fill and the edges are where attics usually come up short.
The job runs in a set order, with me looking at your house before anything gets quoted and checking the work before we're done. Here's who does what along the way.
Call (530) 399-1513 or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps to mention how you get into the attic, how old the house is and whether you've seen damp insulation or vermiculite.
I come out myself and look over the attic, walls or crawl space. I note anything that has to be fixed first, then write up an estimate so you can see what the job covers before you decide.
Our crew lead and installers seal the gaps first, then put the insulation in. If another trade has to fix something before we start, we wait for that rather than cover it up.
I check the work before we call it finished. Then we walk you through what we did and where, so you know what's in your attic and under your floors now.
On a whole-house job I start with the attic, then look at the floors, the crawl space and the rim joists, so your money goes where it helps most. The attic usually comes first because it's the easiest place to make a real difference, and everything after it gets weighed against what it'll cost you.
When an old attic layer has to go, our insulation removal crew clears it out before anything new goes in. Under the house, cold floors usually trace back to batts that have sagged or dropped out from between the joists, and crawl space insulation puts that right so the rooms above stop feeling cold underfoot.
Sometimes the attic only needs the gaps sealed and a few more inches on top, and the floors are fine as they are. When that's the case I'll say so and write it up that way. I'd rather you spend less and have it done right than pay for work your house doesn't need.
For most attics, sealing the gaps and topping up with blown-in insulation, loose fill blown through a hose, gets you the most for the money. It can go over what's already there when that layer is dry and clean.
Spray foam costs more, but it seals air while it insulates. If your ductwork runs through the attic, foaming the underside of the roof keeps those ducts inside the insulated space, and that's when I'd pick it.
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out, look over your attic, walls and crawl space, note anything that has to be fixed first, and write up a free estimate on site. There's no obligation.
(530) 399-1513Chico's building code calls for a permit to alter or improve any building, apart from a list of exceptions, and the city takes applications online. If your job needs a permit, we handle the application and inspection with the city or county office that covers your address, and we'll tell you which office that is.
A contractor applying online for a Chico permit for the first time needs both a city business license number and a California contractor's license number, so whoever pulls the permit for your job has to have both. The state licensing board also has a classification of its own for insulation contractors.
Around Chico, a lot of our calls are older houses with a thin, uneven attic layer and a crawl space where the batts have dropped, plus rooms over the garage that never feel right. We see the same things in Durham and Oroville, and we do the same work there.
I grew up on my family's farm, where if something broke you fixed it yourself and you fixed it right the first time. I learned insulation on other contractors' crews and started this business in Chico in 2020, so we've been at it six years. We're best known for careful attic and crawl space work where nothing gets skipped.
I'm the one who comes out to look at your house and write the estimate. Our crew lead and installers do the work, and I check it before we call it finished, which is the same order I'd want in my own house. We're licensed and insured. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
If something in your house needs another trade first, I'll tell you and wait rather than insulate over it, because covering up a problem just means paying for it twice. When you're ready, call (530) 399-1513 or send us a message and tell us what's bothering you about the house.
Clear out insulation that's wet, moldy or full of droppings so the new layer starts on a clean attic floor.
Warm up cold floors from below by getting insulation back up between the floor joists where it belongs.
We're based in Chico and do home insulation in the cities around it, including the ones listed below. If you don't see your city, give us a call and ask.
Yes, the standard advice is to have a professional fix wet insulation from a roof leak, mold, rot or an attic with little ventilation before new insulation goes in. Knob and tube wiring from before 1930 is another, since it can be a fire hazard when insulation touches it. Those repairs come first, so they belong in the plan and the budget, and I note any I find on the estimate.
The guidance is to leave vermiculite undisturbed and treat it as if it may contain asbestos, since disturbing it can put fibers in the air. If you choose to have it removed, a trained, accredited asbestos abatement contractor does that work, separate from whoever assessed it. We don't disturb it, and I'll tell you if I spot it.
When loose fill goes in, the contractor should staple rulers in several spots around the attic to show it reached the right depth and spread evenly. You can ask to see those rulers when the work is done, and the walkthrough at the end is a good time to look.
Attic insulation across the US usually runs about $1,700 to $2,500 per job, a national figure for the attic alone, not a quote for your house. The Community Action Agency of Butte County offers free weatherization to county residents who meet its income guidelines, renters included with the owner's permission, and most qualifying homes can get attic insulation. If you might fit, I'll point you there.
Usually not for air sealing and blown-in work, since the crew stays in the attic or under the floor. Spray foam has a re-entry time, a wait before people and pets come back inside, and we'll tell you what it is before we start. To get ready, clear a path to the attic hatch and move what's stored under it.
Call (530) 399-1513 or use the form, and if you can see into the attic, a rough guess at how many inches are up there helps me plan the visit.
