Insulation Contractor in Apple Valley, MN - Attics Sealed Before They're Filled
Apple Valley Insulation Company is an insulation contractor based in Apple Valley, MN. We find out why a room runs drafty or the power bill climbs, then seal and insulate attics, walls, crawl spaces and basements to fix it.
Apple Valley: rooms over garages, thin attics
Most of the Apple Valley calls I go out on are for ramblers, split-levels and two-stories with attached garages, built as the city filled in. We also hear from property managers with townhomes and from owners of small commercial buildings. The houses look a lot like what we see next door in Eagan and Burnsville, but each neighborhood was built a little differently, so I don't assume anything about an attic until I've had my head up in it.
Here the layout usually shapes the job more than anything else. A split-level often has a low, tight attic over part of the house, and the bedroom over the garage sits on a floor nobody heats from below. An attic that got one round of insulation decades ago has usually settled and been walked on since.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Insulation work we do in Apple Valley
Attic insulation
A lot of Apple Valley attics still hold the insulation that went in when the house was built, and by now it's usually settled thin near the eaves where the roof comes down low. We measure how many inches you have, make sure the old material is dry and clean, and top it up with blown-in fill, loose insulation blown through a hose, so the edges end up as well covered as the middle.
Attic air sealing
Drafty upstairs rooms here usually come from gaps around can lights, plumbing pipes and the attic hatch, not from a shortage of insulation. Air sealing, closing those gaps before any insulation goes down, is the first thing we do, because insulation laid over an open gap just lets the air keep moving through it.
Spray foam insulation
The bedroom over the garage is the coldest room in a lot of houses here, because its floor sits over space nobody heats and the gaps around it are hard to reach. That's a spot where spray foam insulation earns its cost, since it fills the gaps and the cavity in one pass, and I'll tell you plainly when a cheaper fix will do.
Insulation removal
Older attics here sometimes hold insulation that soaked up an old roof leak or filled with mouse droppings over the years. We take that out and clean up before anything new goes in, because new insulation laid over it just hides the problem.
Basement insulation
Split-levels and walkouts put a lot of living space partly below ground, and those lower rooms tend to have cold floors and a chill along the outside walls. We seal and insulate the rim joist, the wood band sitting on top of the foundation, where a lot of that cold air gets in, and then insulate the walls if they need it.
Wall insulation
Some of the older houses here have exterior walls with little or nothing inside them, which you feel as one cold wall in a room that's otherwise comfortable. We can fill those walls through small holes instead of tearing out drywall, and we check what's inside the wall first so no pocket is left empty.
What to know before insulation work in Apple Valley
Permits in Apple Valley come from the city's building inspections office, and its list covers building, mechanical and plumbing work without naming insulation by itself, so I check with them about your job before it goes on our calendar. If the city wants a permit, we file it through the city's online permit system, handle the paperwork and set up the inspections, and that step can move the start date more than the work itself does. If you're checking on a contractor, the city licenses only certain business activities, so general business licenses come from Dakota County or the state, and you can ask us for proof that we're licensed and insured.
Your own figure comes from the estimate I write at your house, because what moves the price here is mostly what I find up there. How many inches are already down, whether wet or dirty material has to come out first, how many gaps need sealing and how hard the attic is to reach all change it, and the schedule turns on the permit, if there is one, and on whether removal has to happen before anything new goes in. Being based right here means we're never far from your house, and we do the same work in neighboring Lakeville and Rosemount.
Get a free on-site insulation estimate in Apple Valley
Call (651) 268-6025 or send the form, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Apple Valley house myself, look through the attic, walls or crawl space with you and write the estimate, free and with no obligation. If you go ahead, our installers do the work and I look it over before we finish.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Insulation work for Apple Valley homes
Apple Valley insulation questions
How much does insulation cost in Apple Valley?
There's no honest number until I've been in your attic, because two Apple Valley houses the same size can need a simple top-up or a full tear-out and reseal. The biggest choice you control is material, and while foam costs more and seals air as it insulates, sealing the gaps and topping up blown-in fill gives most attics here more for the money, unless your ductwork runs through the attic, where foam usually earns its cost. Call (651) 268-6025 and I'll come take a look.
Do I need a permit to insulate my house in Apple Valley?
Don't assume your job is exempt, because Minnesota's rules list finish work like painting, tiling and carpeting as skipping a permit and insulation isn't named there. The state also lets ordinary repairs go ahead without an application, but not when the work opens walls or touches wiring, piping or mechanical systems, which is where wall insulation or moving a bath fan duct can end up. That's why I check with the city before we schedule anything.
How do I schedule an insulation inspection in Apple Valley?
Call the city's Inspections Division at (952) 953-2588 to schedule a building inspection. When we pull the permit for your job, we set up the inspections ourselves and let you know when the inspector is coming, so you just need someone home to let them in.
How long does attic insulation take, and do we have to leave the house?
With blown-in fill, most families stay home while we work, since the crew keeps to the attic and the path to it and covers the floors along the way. Spray foam is different, because the foam maker sets a re-entry time, how long everyone including kids and pets stays out after spraying, and we plan the day around it with you before we start. How long we're up there comes down to how much sealing and cleanup the attic needs, and I'll walk you through that at the estimate.
What building code applies to insulation work in Apple Valley?
Apple Valley follows the Minnesota State Building Codes, so the code an inspector checks your job against is the state's. When your job needs a permit, that's the standard we install to.
How do I know if my Apple Valley attic needs more insulation?
Look across the attic from the hatch, and if you can see the tops of the ceiling joists, the wood beams your ceiling hangs from, you probably don't have much up there. Hot upstairs rooms, a power bill that keeps climbing and dark, dirty patches in the insulation are other signs, and those dark patches usually mark air leaking up from the house below. Make a note of what you see and I'll go up with you at the estimate.