Wall Insulation in California

Licensed & insured Every company we put you through to holds current licensing and insurance.
Know what to ask You are told what actually decides the price, so you can judge a quote.
Someone local You are put through to a technician who works your area, not a call center three states away.
Calls answered 7 days Someone picks up seven days a week, weekends included.

Is it urgent?

Can wait

Not urgent. It is worth doing when the attic is already done, because the attic is cheaper per unit of benefit and doing walls first is spending the expensive money before the cheap money.

Two things override everything on this page. If anyone has symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure — headache, nausea or dizziness that improves outdoors — leave the building and call the gas utility or the fire service, not a duct company. And if you can smell burning while the dryer is running, unplug it and leave it.

Signs to look for

A pre-1980 house where nobody has ever confirmed what is in the walls
Exterior walls that are noticeably cold or hot to the touch compared with interior ones
Rooms on the west or south elevation that overheat while the rest of the house is comfortable
Noticeable outside noise coming through the walls
Thermal imaging or a borescope showing empty or partly settled cavities

How the work is done

Confirming what is in the cavity first, with a borescope through a small hole or with thermal imaging — not assuming from the build year
Dense-packing to the density that resists settling, rather than simply filling the visible void
Working from the exterior where the siding allows it, and patching and matching where it does not
Checking for knob-and-tube wiring and for any moisture path before filling anything

In California specifically

California's Mediterranean on the coast, hot and dry inland climate and its housing stock — stucco ranch and bungalow, tile or composition roofs, slab in the south and raised crawlspace through the Bay Area and the north — decide what is worth doing first. California is also the one state where duct leakage is routinely tested: Title 24 requires a HERS-verified duct test on most furnace or air-conditioner changeouts, so a duct problem here often surfaces as a failed test rather than as a complaint.

Before the technician arrives

Four things worth doing — and the first one is usually the thing people get wrong.

Have the cavity checked before you buy the job. Some California walls are already insulated and some are balloon-framed with no fire blocking, and both change the answer.
Ask how the holes will be patched and matched, and get it in writing. On stucco that is the part most likely to disappoint.
Mention knob-and-tube wiring if the house is old enough to have it.
Do the attic first if it has not been done. Better value per dollar, and less disruptive.

What the work looks like

Photographs of wall insulation being carried out, so you know what to expect on the day.

How it works

Three steps, and you decide at the end of them.

1
You call and describe the problem

Tell us what you have noticed and where — the room, the smell, the noise, how long it has been going on. Give us your ZIP code and we will match you to a licensed company covering your area. There is no form to fill in.
2
A local company takes it from there

They discuss the problem with you directly, arrange a time to inspect, and agree the work and the price with you before anything starts. That conversation is between you and them.
3
You decide whether to go ahead

You are under no obligation. If the quote or the approach is not what you wanted, you are free to say no and call someone else.

Wall Insulation — FAQs

Do I actually need Wall Insulation done?

Not urgent. It is worth doing when the attic is already done, because the attic is cheaper per unit of benefit and doing walls first is spending the expensive money before the cheap money.

What does Wall Insulation involve?

Dense-packing an existing wall cavity through small access holes, which is the only practical way to insulate a finished wall without opening it up.

What makes this different in California?

California's Mediterranean on the coast, hot and dry inland climate and its housing stock — stucco ranch and bungalow, tile or composition roofs, slab in the south and raised crawlspace through the Bay Area and the north — decide what is worth doing first. California is also the one state where duct leakage is routinely tested: Title 24 requires a HERS-verified duct test on most furnace or air-conditioner changeouts, so a duct problem here often surfaces as a failed test rather than as a complaint.

Are the companies licensed and insured?

Yes. We only pass calls to licensed, insured operators working in California, and you are welcome to ask to see a license number on arrival.

What does Wall Insulation cost?

It depends on the property, the size of the system and what the inspection finds, so we do not publish a price — a figure quoted on a web page is not one the attending company has agreed to. You get a price before any work starts.

Wall Insulation near you

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Call about Wall Insulation

What happens when you call

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