Hot upstairs rooms and a high power bill often start in a thin attic. We seal the gaps, then blow it full and even.
Blown-in insulation is loose fiberglass, rock wool or cellulose that we blow through a hose across your attic floor. In Aliso Viejo it's usually the most direct way to cool a hot upstairs, because the loose fill works into the gaps and tight corners that batts can't reach and leaves one even layer.
Most people call us because a bedroom upstairs or the room over the garage stays hot well into the evening. When I get up there, I usually find a few inches of old material, thin at the edges, with gaps around pipes, wires and the hatch letting attic air straight into the house.
The price mostly comes down to the size of the attic, how much is already up there and how many gaps need sealing before the fill goes in. Old insulation that's wet or full of droppings has to come out first, and that adds cost and time, as does storage decking or a tight hatch. The estimate I write after looking at your attic lists each of those steps, so you know what has to happen first.
Here's how it goes from the first call to the finished attic, and who you'll see at each step.
I've been doing this since I opened the business in 2013, and I still go up into most attics myself instead of sending a salesperson. I check how many inches are up there, what shape they're in and where air is getting through.
I write down what I find and list each step in order, starting with anything that has to be fixed before new insulation goes in. If your attic doesn't need more, I'll tell you that instead of selling you a job.
Our own crew does the work, in the order the estimate lists. We're licensed and fully insured. Aliso Viejo's Building & Safety office posts construction hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays, with no work on Sundays or federal holidays, so we book your day inside those hours.
Loose fill only works if it goes in full and firm, so the whole job is built around that. First I check what's already up there, and anything soaked or full of droppings comes out, because new fill over a bad layer keeps the problem. Next we do the air sealing, closing the gaps that let attic air into the house, and we make sure the eave vents stay open so the attic keeps breathing and moisture doesn't collect in the framing. Then we blow the fill to an even depth with the edges as deep as the middle, pack it to hold up against settling, and check for thin spots and voids before we pack up.
When the old layer has to come out, that's our insulation removal work, done before any new fill goes in. If the problem goes past the attic, like cold floors or drafty walls, I'll look at the rest of the house under home insulation. Some people ask about foam, which costs more and seals air while it insulates, but sealing the gaps and topping up loose fill usually wins unless your ductwork runs through the attic.
Blowing the fill is the part you'll notice, but most of the care goes into what comes before and after it.
We lay drop cloths from your door to the attic access, because loose fill and attic dust travel. The blowing machine stays outside on the truck, so only the hose comes through the house.
Anything the estimate put first, like pulling out bad material or sealing gaps, gets done before the hose goes up. Covering a problem with fresh fill just hides it.
One of us feeds the machine outside while another works the hose across the attic floor, so the fill comes in at a steady rate. We work from the far corners back toward the hatch, so nobody has to crawl over fresh fill.
I go over the attic before we call the job finished, and our crew vacuums the path and picks up the cloths. If you want to see the work, I'll show you from the hatch.
Tell us a little about the house and what's bothering you, whether it's a hot upstairs or the power bill, or call (949) 619-8040. We respond within 1 business day to set up a visit, and quotes are free on site with no pressure to book. I come out, look over the attic and write down each step, including anything that has to be fixed first.
(949) 619-8040Across the US, blown-in attic insulation usually costs about $4 to $7.75 per square foot installed, and that's the market's range, not our price. Blowing loose fill usually costs less than batts and covers better, though installation costs vary, and since the two insulate about the same, the easier, more even fill is the real reason to pick it. Your own figure comes from what I find in your attic.
Yes, because most insulation doesn't stop air moving, so the leaks between your attic and the rooms below get sealed as part of the job. The usual spots are dropped ceilings, the holes around wiring and plumbing, light fixtures and bathroom fans, and the hatch usually gets weatherstripping and an insulated cover too. Insulation over an open gap just ends up fighting a draft.
It can, and when it settles it leaves holes and voids, so how densely it goes in on install day decides how complete the layer stays. Loose fill has to fill the space with no gaps and go in dense enough to resist settling, which is why we pack it firm and check for thin spots, as I described above.
Only if the lights are IC-rated, because those are the ones built airtight and safe to cover with insulation. It's worth asking about yours, and I'll check from the attic side during the estimate. Flues, chimneys and exhaust fans also need clearance, which is usually kept with blocking such as metal flashing.
Most single-family homes in California have vented attics, and on a hot day a typical one runs hotter than it is outside, a lot hotter when the venting is poor. Plenty of houses around here are two-story with bedrooms right under that heat, which is why most of our calls are about hot upstairs rooms and high bills, and why keeping the eave vents open matters. A lot of people call once the first hot week shows up, and booking earlier leaves more open days inside the city's work hours.
We're based in Aliso Viejo and work in cities across Orange County, including Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills, plus plenty more nearby. The attics change a little from one city to the next, but the order of the work stays the same.
Have the attic's rough square footage, the hatch location and notes on storage and recessed lights ready when you call (949) 619-8040 or fill out the form, so I come out knowing what to look for.
If you're not sure your attic needs more, ask us, and I'll tell you plainly if it isn't worth doing.
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