Wall insulation in Apple Valley MN - warmer rooms along your outside walls
Cold rooms and drafts along the outside walls usually mean empty cavities. We check what's in there, fix what's weak and fill them.
What does it take to insulate the walls of an existing house?
At Apple Valley Insulation Company, wall insulation means filling the hollow spaces inside your outside walls. For closed walls in Apple Valley, we usually drill small holes and pack in dense-pack cellulose, loose fiber blown in tight, so the walls hold heat and stop drafts.
If the rooms along your outside walls run cold all winter, or you feel a draft by the outlets, the walls are worth a look, especially because Minnesota houses built before 1960 generally have no wall insulation or too little by today's standards. What moves the price is how much wall we're filling, what's already in it, whether we work from inside or through the siding, and how much patching the finish needs. The schedule mostly turns on any repairs that have to come first and whether your city asks for a permit. At the estimate I'll tell you what I found, what I'd do first and what it costs.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What wall insulation work looks like
How we handle wall insulation
First I find out what's in your walls now and whether there's a leak, a wet spot or cracking in the finish to repair, because packing insulation tight into a weak wall can make the damage worse. Repairs come first, so we're not covering up a problem. When the cavities are empty, our crew drills small holes, from inside or outside depending on your house, and packs each cavity tight with cellulose, which insulates and seals air at the same time. We talk with you up front about patching those holes, since getting a patch to blend in is the hard part on some exterior finishes, and we clean up before we call the job done.
Packed walls stop a lot of drafts, but gaps around windows, outlets and the attic hatch still let air through, which is where our air sealing services come in, closing those gaps so the new insulation isn't fighting a draft. If a remodel is already opening up your outside walls, that's the easy, affordable time to add insulation and seal the air leaks together. Down below, basement insulation takes care of the foundation walls under the framed ones we fill.
Why Apple Valley homeowners call us about their walls
I write every estimate myself
I come out, look at your walls with you and write the estimate myself, and our installers do the work. I'd rather answer the same question three times than have you agree to work you don't really understand.
In business since 2021
We're based in Apple Valley and work in Minneapolis, Saint Paul and many of the cities around them, so if yours isn't on our list, just ask. Most of our calls come from homeowners in older houses who want a straight answer before anything gets covered up.
Licensed and insured, with a guarantee
Minnesota requires a license for residential contractors and remodelers who take on work for a homeowner involving more than one special skill. We're licensed and insured, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
On a wall job, what matters most is knowing what's behind the drywall before anything gets drilled or filled. Call (651) 268-6025, email info@applevalleyinsulationcompany.com or send us a message with the year your house was built and what you saw behind an outlet, and I'll come take a look.
Find out what's in your walls before you decide
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out for a free on-site estimate, look at your walls with you and tell you what I'd do first, with no obligation.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What happens after you call about your walls?
Call or send a message
Call (651) 268-6025 or use the form, and we'll set up a time for me to come out. It helps to have the year your house was built and what you saw if you checked behind an outlet.
Walk your walls with me
I look over your walls with you, check what's in them and look for damage or cracks that need fixing first. You get what I found, what I'd do first and a price for the work, so you know the cost before anyone drills a hole.
Our crew fills, then I check
Once you decide, our installers handle any agreed repairs, fill the walls and patch the holes the way we talked about. I look the job over before we call it finished.
Wall insulation questions we hear
How do I know if my walls need insulation?
Your walls are usually worth insulating if the cavities hold less than an inch of insulation, or if infrared imaging shows big gaps or empty spots. Most walls have room for about 3½ inches, so even a thin layer leaves space to add more. For a quick look, turn off the power, take the cover off an outlet on an outside wall and shine a flashlight behind the box, which only tells you whether anything is in there at all.
How much does wall insulation cost in Apple Valley, MN?
Wall insulation in the Minneapolis area usually costs about $1 to $4 per square foot. That's the going range across the metro, not our quote, and where your job falls depends on what I find in your walls. I'll give you a price for your house at the estimate.
What is the best way to insulate walls that have no insulation?
Dense-pack cellulose blown in through holes drilled from inside or outside is often the most cost-effective way to insulate an empty wall. Spray foam is typically the most expensive option for an existing wall, so for a closed wall I'll usually point you to dense-pack.
Who issues permits for insulation work in Apple Valley?
Apple Valley's Building Inspections Division issues permits and inspects work under the state building code and city ordinance. Its permit list names other kinds of work and doesn't mention wall insulation, so the division is the place to ask about your job. If the city asks for a permit, we check with its building office, handle the paperwork and set up the inspections.
How do I insulate walls from the outside of the house?
From outside, siding comes off where needed so the holes can be drilled into the wall, and how much depends on the type of cladding. Many types, such as vinyl, aluminum and steel, can be loosened with a siding tool instead of being torn off. I'll tell you at the estimate whether inside or outside makes more sense for your house.
Will insulating my walls from inside make a mess?
It makes some dust, which is why work from inside calls for covering the floor below the wall and closing off the area so dust and debris don't spread. We clean up before we leave, and I'll go over where we'll be working before we start.
Work that goes with wall insulation
Air sealing services
Closing the small leaks around outlets, windows and the attic hatch keeps drafts from slipping around freshly filled walls.
Basement insulation
Cold floors and a chilly lower level can come from bare foundation walls, which take a different approach than framed walls.