Insulation Contractor in Minneapolis, MN - Fewer Drafts in Older Houses
Apple Valley Insulation Company is an insulation contractor based in Apple Valley, MN, and working in Minneapolis. We find where older houses lose heat and leak air, then seal the gaps and insulate attics, walls, basements and crawl spaces.
Minneapolis: older houses, layered insulation
Most of the Minneapolis houses we get called to are older. They have plaster walls, an attic hatch tucked into a closet ceiling and insulation that different owners added in layers over the decades. A lot of them are story-and-a-half houses with sloped ceilings and knee walls upstairs, and the city has plenty of duplexes and small rental buildings too, so some of our calls here come from property managers as well as homeowners. The houses look a lot like the older streets of Saint Paul, and their attics usually hold the same mix of old fill, patched gaps and buried vents.
That history shapes the job more than the size of the house does. I'd rather spend extra time looking at what's up there, and why, than pick a material from the driveway, because in an older house the cause of a cold room is often somewhere you wouldn't guess.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Insulation work we do in Minneapolis
Attic air sealing
Older Minneapolis attics usually have open gaps around the chimney, plumbing pipes, can lights and the hatch, and warm air from the rooms below rides straight up through them. We seal those gaps before any insulation goes down, because insulation laid over a draft just gets air pushed through it.
Blown-in insulation
A lot of attics here have a few inches of old fill that's settled, and it's often deep in the middle and thin at the edges, which is backward. We blow in loose fill through a hose, carry it all the way out to the edges and keep the eave vents clear so the attic can still breathe.
Insulation removal
Some attics in the city have had insulation added three or four times, and the bottom layer is sometimes the one that's wet or nested in. When that's the case, we vacuum the old material out, clean the attic floor and start fresh instead of burying the problem.
Wall insulation
Plenty of older houses here have little or nothing in the outside walls, which is why one room can stay drafty no matter where the thermostat sits. We can usually fill those walls through small holes and patch them, so the plaster stays where it is.
Crawl space insulation
Sunporches, back additions and some kitchens in Minneapolis sit over a shallow crawl space, and that's usually where cold floors come from. Our crawl space insulation work seals and insulates the walls and rim down there so the room above isn't sitting over open, drafty space.
Basement insulation
In a lot of basements here the rim joist, the band of wood where the house sits on the foundation, is bare and leaks air all along the top of the wall. We seal and insulate it, often with closed-cell foam, a dense foam that also blocks moisture, because it fills the uneven bays between the joists.
What working in Minneapolis means for your job
In Minneapolis, building permits go through the city's Development Review office, and the city says almost all projects need one before work starts. Building officials have to approve the plans before the city issues a permit, so if your job needs one, that review sets the start date more than our calendar does. The city also issues certificates of competency for contractors working in certain trades. We're licensed and insured, and when the city asks for a permit, we check with its building office, handle the paperwork and set up the inspections. The price moves with how much insulation is up there now, whether any of it has to come out, how many gaps need sealing and how hard the attic is to reach, and the estimate I write after looking gives you the figure for your house.
Getting to the house matters here too. A section of Minnehaha Parkway is closed through fall 2027 while the city rehabilitates the Nicollet Avenue bridge over Minnehaha Creek, so for houses near it we plan our route around the closure. Many houses here have a detached garage off an alley, and that's often the easiest place to park the truck and run the hose. We come up from Apple Valley, and we also work in Bloomington on the way up and in Rosemount east of us.
A free on-site insulation estimate for your Minneapolis house
Send the form or call (651) 268-6025 and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Minneapolis house myself, look at the attic, walls or crawl space and write the estimate on site, and it's free 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 Minneapolis homes
Minneapolis insulation questions
How much does it cost to insulate an attic in an older Minneapolis house?
Beyond the attic's condition and access I mentioned above, the biggest choice that moves the cost is foam versus loose fill. Spray foam costs more and seals air while it insulates, but sealing the gaps by hand and topping up with loose fill usually wins in these houses, unless your ductwork runs through the attic. I'll tell you which one fits your attic and why, and the estimate gives you the actual figure.
What causes the upstairs to be so hot in an older Minneapolis house?
Usually it's a thin, uneven layer of attic insulation plus open gaps around the chimney, lights and hatch that let air move between the rooms and the attic. Story-and-a-half houses add sloped ceilings and knee walls with very little room for insulation, and a bedroom over the garage has its own weak spots. When I come out, I measure how many inches are already up there and find the gaps before we talk about material.
How do I know if the old insulation in my attic needs to come out?
It needs to come out if it's been soaked, is full of droppings or smells, because new insulation on top keeps that problem in place. Insulation that's just thin or settled can usually stay with more added over it. I check that in person before we cover anything, since a wet spot is a lot harder to find once it's buried.
How long does it take to insulate an attic in Minneapolis, and do we have to leave?
The time on site mostly comes down to whether old material has to come out and how many gaps need sealing, plus any wait for the city's permit review before we start. With loose fill you can usually stay home while we work. With spray foam, the foam maker sets a re-entry time, how long before people and pets can come back inside, and we go over that with you before the job starts.
Does the city of Minneapolis inspect insulation work?
When a job is under a building permit, the city inspects on site after work begins to check it against the code and the approved plans. Since we handle the permit, getting the inspection scheduled is on our list, not yours. I also look the work over myself before we call the job done.
Can a dumpster or work truck park on a Minneapolis parkway during an insulation job?
Not without a permit, because the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board requires one for special use of its parkways, including dumpsters and trucks. That rule covers the board's parkways, not city streets or your own property. If your house fronts a parkway, tell us when you call so we can plan where the truck and any removal bags go.