Attic air sealing in Lafayette IN - upstairs rooms that hold their heat
Drafty bedrooms, a cold room over the garage or dust drifting down from the attic usually mean ceiling leaks we can close.
Why is my upstairs drafty even with insulation?
Attic air sealing closes the gaps and holes where wires, pipes, flues, lights and the attic hatch pass through your ceiling, so the air you pay to heat and cool in your Lafayette home stays in the rooms instead of leaking into the attic. In a lot of drafty houses, it's the step that got skipped when the insulation went in.
Most calls start the same way, with a bedroom that never warms up, a room over the garage that's cold underfoot, dust that keeps settling in the rooms under the attic or a power bill that climbs every winter. The price turns on how many gaps your ceiling has, how big they are and how much old insulation we have to move to reach them, and the schedule turns on whether anything has to be fixed first and whether your address needs a permit. On the estimate I walk the attic with you and write out what I'd do and why, and if the insulation itself is thin, I'll say so and we can plan attic insulation to follow the sealing. We're based in Lafayette and do this work across the cities around it, including West Lafayette, Frankfort and Monticello.
How we handle attic air sealing
I start in the attic looking for anything that has to be fixed before sealing, because covering a problem with new material only hides it. Once that's dealt with, our crew pulls back the insulation and seals the ceiling as its own step, and we match the fix to the size of each gap, using caulk on small cracks, foam on bigger ones and solid blocking over large holes and open soffits, with metal blocking and collars around hot flues and covers over can lights that aren't rated for insulation contact. We leave the soffit and ridge vents working, since the attic still needs to breathe. If you have a furnace, water heater or other appliance that burns fuel and vents on its own draft, we arrange a draft test before and after, because a tighter house can sometimes pull exhaust back inside.
Air sealing is often the first half of a bigger job. In older houses where the walls and floors are short on insulation too, retrofit insulation adds it to the finished house, and we plan the sealing so the two fit together. Where your ductwork runs through the attic, spray foam insulation on the roofline can seal and insulate in one pass.
Seal the gaps, then top up loose fill
This suits most attics with no ductwork up there, because sealing first and then adding blown-in insulation, loose fill blown through a hose, gets the job done for less than foam. It's usually what I recommend.
Spray foam when the ducts are upstairs
Foam costs more, but it seals air while it insulates, which matters when your furnace ducts run through the attic and you want them inside the sealed space. I'll tell you on the estimate whether that's worth the extra for your house.
Attic air sealing permits and houses in Lafayette
Inside Lafayette city limits, building permits come from the City Engineer's Office, and the city requires one for alterations, repairs or changes to existing buildings. I don't guess at whether a given sealing job falls under that, so before we schedule I look up which office covers your address, since that can be the city, the county or another office, and if the job needs a permit, we handle the paperwork and tell you what the office needs from you. City reviews of residential permits can take up to seven days, and that clock only starts once every required document is in, so we get the paperwork complete the first time.
Most attics we open around here tell a familiar story, with gaps around chimneys and plumbing stacks, can lights added in a remodel with nothing over them and a hatch with no seal at all. We see the same mix on jobs in West Lafayette and Frankfort, and the fix starts in the same place, finding every gap before anything gets covered.
Gaps, flues and attic hatches
Why call us for attic air sealing
I walk your attic myself
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate myself, then our install crew does the work and I check it over with you at the end. You deal with the same person before and after, so nothing gets lost between the estimate and the attic.
Commercial roots, own crew since 2017
I spent years spraying foam and blowing fill on warehouses, offices and new buildings before I started this business in 2017. Big jobs teach you that the prep decides whether the insulation works, and getting the prep right is what we're known for now.
Licensed, insured, bond questions welcome
We're licensed and insured, so you aren't carrying the risk for someone working in your attic. For permitted work in the City of Lafayette, general contractors may need a $5,000 bond, and it's fair to ask anyone you hire whether that bond is in place.
This job only works when the steps go in order, so get in touch and I'll start by finding what needs fixing first.
(765) 250-8263Get a written plan for sealing your attic
Send the form and I'll get back to you within one business day to set a time to come out. The estimate is free, done at your house and comes with no obligation, and I'll walk the attic with you and write out what I'd do and why.
Attic air sealing questions from Lafayette
How do I know if my attic needs air sealing?
Drafty rooms, rooms that run hotter or colder than the rest of the house, high heating or cooling bills, ice dams in winter and dust in the rooms under the attic are the usual signs. Any one of those makes your house worth a look. I can confirm it on the estimate by checking the ceiling from the attic side.
Will adding more insulation stop the drafts in my Lafayette house?
No, more insulation alone won't stop drafts, because fibrous insulation like fiberglass or cellulose isn't an air barrier and air moves right through it. The leaks stay open underneath until they're sealed. That's why we seal the ceiling first and add insulation after, if you need it.
What has to be fixed before an attic can be air sealed?
A roof leak, bath fans that vent into the attic, live knob and tube wiring, the old cloth-covered kind, or vermiculite insulation all have to be dealt with before sealing starts. An unvented kerosene heater or gas fireplace in the house gets planned for first too. Some of those mean calling another trade, and I'd rather tell you that up front than seal over a problem.
How long does attic air sealing take?
A federal guide on this work puts it at one to two days for a contractor and one to three for a homeowner, and rates it difficult for do-it-yourselfers. The size of your attic, how much insulation has to be moved and how many gaps there are decide where your job lands. I'll tell you what to expect once I've seen it.
How much does attic air sealing cost in Lafayette?
The price comes down to how many gaps your ceiling has, how big they are and how much old insulation has to be moved to reach them. Blocking around flues, covers for can lights, a tight attic to crawl through and any testing add to it, so ask whether a blower door test, where a fan measures how tight the house is, comes with the price. I write every item out on the estimate.
Is there help paying to weatherize a house in Indiana?
There can be, through the state's Weatherization Program run by IHCDA. It can serve households with incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty level or that qualify for the Energy Assistance Program, and the house has to be safe to weatherize. If money is tight, check whether you qualify before you book.
Seal and insulate your Lafayette attic in order
Note your drafty rooms, attic hatch and any gas or oil appliances before you call (765) 250-8263, so I know what to check.
