Insulation Contractor in Glendale, CA - Sealed Attics for Older Homes
A&S Alhambra Spray Foam Insulation is an insulation contractor working in Glendale, CA. We seal attic leaks, then add blown-in or spray foam insulation to attics, walls and crawl spaces in houses with hot upstairs rooms.
What we find in Glendale homes
Glendale is a big city with a lot of variety. The houses we're called to range from hillside homes up toward the San Gabriel foothills in the north to smaller houses and apartment buildings on the flatter streets closer to downtown. Many of the calls come from older single-family houses, including whole streets of Period Revival homes in Spanish Colonial, Tudor and French-inspired styles. We also work next door in Pasadena, where the older houses raise many of the same questions.
Those styles decide a good deal of the attic work. A Spanish Colonial house often has a low roof and a tight attic where the crew works on hands and knees. A Tudor usually puts its upstairs rooms right under a steep roof, so the insulation has to wrap the sloped ceilings and the knee walls, the short walls between the room and the roof, instead of lying flat across a floor.
Working in Glendale: permits, licenses and what moves the price
Permits in Glendale go through the city's Development Services division. Its simple online permits cover work such as re-roofs, water heater replacement and HVAC change outs. Insulation isn't on that list, so before work begins we check with Development Services about whether your job needs one. When it does, we pull the permit and keep you informed through the inspections, and any inspection becomes part of the schedule. You can also check any contractor in two ways. The state license comes from the Contractors State License Board. The city expects a business located in Glendale to keep a Business Registration Certificate, and a contractor based elsewhere, as we are in Alhambra, applies for the city's Contractor's License instead.
The price turns mostly on what we find once the attic is open. It depends on how much old insulation has to come out, how many gaps around lights, pipes and the hatch need air sealing before anything new goes down, how hard the attic is to reach, and whether foam or loose fill suits the house. The schedule turns on the same things, on any permit, and on whether something like a roof leak has to be fixed first, because I would rather wait for that than cover it up. At the estimate I explain what I'd recommend for your house and why, the same way we do for homeowners in San Gabriel and the other cities around Alhambra.
What we see in older Glendale attics
Most of the older attics I look at here have only a few inches of insulation left. It has settled over the years, and it's usually deepest in the middle and thin along the edges, which is backward because the edges over the outside walls need it just as much. We bring the edges up to full depth without burying the eave vents, so the attic keeps breathing and moisture doesn't collect in the framing.
The usual complaints are the room over the garage and the upstairs rooms of two-story houses, and the choice of material often comes down to where the ductwork runs. Foam costs more and seals air while it insulates, so it earns its price when the ducts are in the attic. For most attics, sealing the gaps and topping up with blown-in loose fill, which goes in through a hose, is the better buy.
Request a free attic estimate in Glendale
We reply to every request within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your Glendale house. I look over the attic, crawl space or walls myself and then explain what I'd recommend. The estimate is free, done on site and carries no obligation.
(626) 525-0036How it works when you call us about a Glendale house
Call or send a request
Call (626) 525-0036 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time to visit. It helps to know roughly how old the house is and where the attic hatch is.
I look over the house
I come out myself and check the attic, crawl space or walls for anything that has to be handled first, such as a roof leak or buried eave vents. Please clear a path to the hatch, which is often in a hallway or closet ceiling.
Go over the recommendation together
I explain what I'd recommend and why in a free estimate, including whether any old material should come out. If a repair or a test should come first, I'll tell you so rather than sell you a job that doesn't suit the house.
Our crew does the work
Our crew seals the gaps around lights, pipes and the hatch first and then lays the insulation, and I work alongside them. Before we finish, we clean up the attic and the path we used through your house.
Walk the finished job together
Before we leave, I walk through the finished job with you and show you the sealed gaps and the new depth. You'll see what was done, and you're welcome to ask anything you like.
Attic and foam insulation work
Insulation questions from Glendale homeowners
How do I check if an insulation contractor in Glendale is licensed?
Look the contractor up with the Contractors State License Board, which licenses anyone who builds or alters buildings in California. A state license is required whenever the job needs a building permit, uses any workers, or totals $1,000 or more in labor and materials, so it applies to almost any insulation job. A bigger job also can't be split into smaller pieces to stay under that $1,000 line.
Which building code applies to insulation work in Glendale?
Work submitted to the city now has to meet the current California Building Standards Code along with Glendale's own local changes, which together make up the Glendale Building and Safety Code. We check with the city before work begins, so your job is planned to the code that applies to it.
How much does attic insulation cost in Glendale?
The cost depends mostly on what's already in your attic and what has to happen before new insulation goes in. Removing damaged material, sealing a lot of gaps and working in a low, tight attic all add to it, and foam costs more than blown-in loose fill. I give you a free estimate after looking at the attic, so the number fits your house.
How long does attic insulation take, and when can we go back inside?
How long the crew is in your attic depends on its size, how hard it is to reach and whether old insulation comes out first, and I'll tell you what to plan for at the estimate. With spray foam, you, the kids and the pets stay out until the re-entry time, the wait before it's safe to come back, which the foam maker sets.
What causes upstairs rooms to stay hot in older Glendale houses?
Usually it's air leaking through gaps around can lights, pipes and the attic hatch, along with insulation that's thin or settled at the edges. New insulation laid over those gaps still fights a draft, which is why our crew seals them first. Rooms under a Tudor's steep roof also need the sloped ceilings and knee walls covered, as described above.
Should old attic insulation in my Glendale house be removed before adding new?
It should come out when it has been soaked by a leak or fouled with rodent droppings, because new material over it leaves the problem in place. If the old insulation is dry and clean, we usually leave it and add to it, which keeps the job simpler.
Plan your Glendale attic work with us
If a reroof or remodel is coming up, call (626) 525-0036 or send a request before it starts, so we can seal and insulate the attic while it's easy to reach.