Insulation contractor in Lakeville, MN - even heat from basement to bonus room
Apple Valley Insulation Company insulates attics, walls, basements and rooms over garages in Lakeville, MN. We find the drafts and cold spots first, seal the gaps, then add the insulation your house actually needs.
Lakeville: new subdivisions around an older core
Most of our Lakeville calls come from two kinds of houses, and we drive down from our base in Apple Valley for both. In the older part of town, the attics were insulated long ago and have settled thin. Farther out are the newer subdivisions of two-story homes with finished basements and bonus rooms over the garage.
The older houses usually need the attic looked over before anyone talks about adding more, because what's up there now may have to come out. The newer ones tend to be comfortable overall, except for one room that runs hot in summer and cold in winter. We see much the same mix next door in Farmington, and it's why I'd rather spend the first visit looking than pitching a material.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Insulation work we do in Lakeville
Home insulation
A lot of Lakeville houses have one or two problem spots rather than too little insulation everywhere, so our home insulation visits start with a walk from the basement to the attic. I'd rather show you where the heat is going than sell you a material before either of us knows.
Attic air sealing
Older Lakeville houses usually leak warm air into the attic around light fixtures, pipes and the hatch, which is a big part of why the upstairs feels drafty. We close those gaps before any insulation goes on, because insulation laid over a draft has air moving through it all winter.
Blown-in insulation
Most attics here have room for more on top of what's already down, and blown-in insulation, loose fill sent up through a hose, is usually the simplest way to add it. We keep the eave vents clear so the attic can still breathe, and we carry the depth out to the edges, where attics tend to come up thin.
Closed-cell foam insulation
The bonus room over the garage is the complaint we hear most in the newer subdivisions. Closed-cell foam, a dense foam that also blocks moisture, seals and insulates the floor and cold walls of that room in one pass, which is why it's often worth the higher price in that one spot.
Basement insulation
Many Lakeville basements were finished after the house was built, sometimes with the walls insulated and sometimes not. We check what's behind the finish where we can get at it, and we insulate the bare walls and the rim joists, the band of framing sitting on the foundation, that let cold into the floor above.
Insulation removal
When old attic insulation is soaked, matted or full of droppings, new material on top just buries the problem. We pull it out, find whatever caused it, and fix that before anything new goes in.
Working in Lakeville: permits, licenses and what sets the price
Permits here come from the City of Lakeville's Building Inspections department, and whether your job needs one is the city's call, so I check with that office before we set a start date. If it does, we handle the paperwork and set up the inspections, and the schedule then waits on the city's approval rather than on our crew. Minnesota's Department of Labor and Industry requires a state license from a contractor who works directly for homeowners in more than one skill area, and Lakeville licenses only certain kinds of businesses and leaves the rest to the state, so the state license is the one worth looking up. We're licensed and insured.
Price follows what's up there now. The size of the attic, how easy it is to get into, how many inches are already down and whether anything has to come out first move it most, and the schedule turns on the same things plus the permit, so the estimate I write at your house is where you get your own figure. Lakeville sits at the south end of the area we cover, which runs up through Burnsville to Saint Paul, and we're down here often enough to know the houses.
Get a free on-site insulation estimate in Lakeville
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 Lakeville house myself, look at the attic, walls or crawl space, 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.
Attic and foam insulation for Lakeville homes
Lakeville insulation questions
How do I find out if I need a permit to insulate my attic in Lakeville?
Ask the city before work starts, or let us ask for you, because insulation isn't on Lakeville's list of projects that need no permit. That list covers things like replacing cabinets, carpet or wallpaper and redecorating without structural change, while the city issues permits to alter or repair a building. You can read the list on the city's building inspections FAQ page.
Who should apply for the building permit for insulation work in Lakeville, me or the contractor?
Your contractor should. Lakeville checks contractor licensing on every building permit application, and the city says that when a contractor asks the homeowner to apply, chances are they aren't licensed. When one of our jobs needs a permit, we apply for it.
Does insulation have to stay uncovered until the Lakeville inspector sees it?
Yes, if your job has a permit. State rule says permitted work has to stay accessible and exposed until the building official approves it, so we don't close a wall or cover a floor before the inspection. That wait shows up on the calendar, which is why a permitted job can take longer than the work itself.
How much does it cost to insulate an attic in Lakeville?
There's no single figure, because the price depends on what's already in your attic, and you get yours from the estimate I write at your house. Foam costs more than loose fill because it seals air while it insulates, but for most attics here sealing the gaps and topping up with blown-in is the better buy, unless your ductwork runs up there. Old material that has to come out first adds to it too.
What causes the room over the garage to be so cold in a newer Lakeville house?
Usually it's the floor and the low walls around the room. The room sits over a garage that isn't heated, and the insulation under it is often thin, gapped or pulled away from the subfloor, so cold air moves right under your feet. We open up a spot to see what's there before we suggest foam or anything else.
Do we have to leave the house while you insulate?
For blown-in insulation and air sealing, usually not, and most people stay home while we work. With spray foam you'll be out of the house for a while, and before the job starts we give you the re-entry time, when it's safe to come back, from the foam maker's instructions so you can plan for the kids and pets.