Insulation Contractor in Edina, MN - Warmer Rooms in Older Homes
Apple Valley Insulation Company is an insulation contractor based in Apple Valley, MN that works in Edina homes. We find the drafts, wet spots and thin coverage in attics, walls and basements, then seal and insulate so rooms hold their heat.
Edina: older homes next to big rebuilds
Most of our Edina calls come from two kinds of houses. The older ones, mostly postwar ramblers and story-and-a-halfs, often have a few inches of settled insulation in the attic, knee walls with little behind them and outside walls that were never filled. Then there are the large newer houses that went up where older ones came down, and those tend to have long, broken-up rooflines and a bedroom over the garage that never feels right in January.
It's a lot like what we see in Bloomington and Eden Prairie, but the gap between old and new is wider here. In the older houses the job turns on what's already up there and whether it's dry, and in the newer ones it turns on reaching tight attic corners and the room over the garage.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Insulation work we do in Edina homes
Attic air sealing
In older Edina houses, warm air slips into the attic around can lights, plumbing pipes, the chimney and the hatch, which is why the upstairs feels drafty even with insulation up there. We close those gaps first, because insulation laid over an open gap just has a draft running through it.
Attic insulation
A lot of attics here still have whatever went in when the house was built, packed down over the years and thinnest out at the edges. We top them up evenly all the way to the eaves, since the edges are where heat gets out first and where crews most often skimp.
Insulation removal
When old insulation is soaked, moldy or full of droppings, blowing new material over it only hides the problem. We pull it out, clean up and deal with the cause before anything new goes in.
Basement insulation
Plenty of Edina basements get finished, and a damp foundation wall behind new drywall is a problem you won't see until it smells. Before we do any basement insulation, I look for water marks and wet spots, and we insulate the rim joist, the wood band sitting on top of the foundation, where a lot of cold air gets in.
Wall insulation
Many older houses here have outside walls with nothing in them, so a room can feel cold even with the heat turned up. We can usually fill those walls by blowing loose fill through small holes from inside or out, then patch the holes when we're done.
Spray foam insulation
The bedroom over the garage is the cold room we hear about most in Edina's newer, larger houses, because its floor sits right over an unheated space. Spray foam seals the air and insulates in one pass there, so it earns its higher cost in that spot even though we usually go with sealing and loose fill elsewhere.
Working in Edina: permits, licenses and what moves the price
Building permits in Edina come from the city's building inspections office, which you can reach at 952-927-8861. Its permit rule covers alterations and repairs under the state building code and names jobs like siding, roofing and windows, but it doesn't settle insulation one way or the other, so we check with the office before we schedule. If the city asks for a permit, we handle the paperwork and set up the inspections, and the start date then waits on the permit. The city only issues permits to homeowners who live in the house or to contractors licensed by the State of Minnesota, so ask anyone you're thinking of hiring which state license they hold.
Price and timing usually come down to what I find once I'm in the attic or basement: how much old insulation is there, whether it's clean and dry, how many gaps need sealing and how easy it is to get around up there. Your own figure comes from the estimate I write after that look. Part of West 64th Street is closed through early summer 2027 while a pedestrian bridge goes in at Rosland Park, so if you live near there we plan the truck's route ahead of time. We're based in Apple Valley and do this same work all over the metro, from Woodbury to Burnsville.
Get a free on-site insulation estimate for your Edina home
Send the form or give us a call, and we'll reply within one business day. I come out to your Edina house myself, look over the attic, walls or basement with you and write the estimate, which is free and comes 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 Edina homes
Insulation questions from Edina homeowners
How much does it cost to insulate an attic in Edina?
After the cleanup and sealing, the material you pick moves the price of an Edina attic job most. Spray foam costs more and seals air while it insulates, but for most attics here, sealing the gaps and topping up with blown-in loose fill is the better buy, unless your ductwork runs through the attic. I'll give you the number for your house in the free estimate after I've been up there.
Does my insulation contractor need a state license in Minnesota?
A contractor working directly for you on a one- to four-unit house needs a state residential building contractor or remodeler license when the job takes more than one special skill. A specialty contractor who does only one skill, like a single trade, doesn't need a state license unless they're a roofer, so it matters most when your insulation job pulls in other work too. We're licensed and insured, and I'll go over what your job involves before you decide anything.
How long does attic insulation take, and do we have to leave the house?
For sealing and blown-in loose fill you can usually stay home, and how long our crew spends in your attic depends on its size, what has to come out first and how many gaps need sealing. Spray foam is different, because everyone, kids and pets included, leaves while it goes on and comes back only after the re-entry time, the wait the foam's maker sets before it's safe to return. I'll tell you which one applies to your house when I write the estimate.
Should I insulate my basement in Edina if it's been wet before?
Yes, once the water is dealt with, because insulation over a damp wall just hides the problem until it shows up as a smell or a stain. The city reports several 100-year rainfall events in this area over the last 30 years, storms with a 1% chance of happening in any given year, so I look for water lines and damp spots before we cover anything. Edina takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, so anyone living in the city can buy a flood policy through it, which is worth knowing before you finish a basement.
How do I know if my attic in Edina needs more insulation?
Look in from the hatch, and if you can see the tops of the ceiling joists or the insulation thins out toward the edges, it usually needs more. A hot upstairs in summer, cold floors in winter and icicles building along the eaves point the same way. I'm glad to go up with you on the estimate and show you how many inches are there and what shape they're in.
What causes frost or mold in an Edina attic after new insulation?
Usually it's warm, wet air getting into an attic that can't dry out, either because the vents at the roof's edge got buried or a bath fan blows straight into the attic. We keep a clear path at each eave vent and seal the gaps around lights, pipes and the hatch before any insulation goes down. If a bath fan has to be run outside, Edina requires a mechanical permit to alter ventilation or exhaust systems, so that part goes through the city.