Attic insulation in Mandan ND - an attic that keeps the heat in the house
Cold rooms upstairs and a winter heating bill that keeps climbing usually start in the attic. We seal it, then fill it evenly to the edges.
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Why is it so cold upstairs, and will attic insulation fix it?
Attic insulation in Mandan means sealing the gaps in your attic floor and then adding loose fill or rigid board until there's enough depth to keep your heat down in the house, where you paid for it.
Most people call us after a winter of a drafty upstairs, cold floors in the room over the garage, or a power bill that jumps every January, and most of the time the attic is short on insulation, leaking air, or both. The price moves with the size of the attic, how many inches are already up there, whether old material has to come out first, how many gaps need sealing, and whether you want rigid board so you can still store things. The schedule turns on how easy it is to get into the attic and whether something has to be fixed before we insulate, and I'll lay all of that out when I come look and write the estimate.
How we do attic insulation
The first thing I ask is how you use the attic, because boxes up there change what we put down. Then we look over what's already there, and anything soaked or full of mouse droppings comes out instead of getting buried under new material. In a house built before 1930, I check for knob and tube wiring, since it can be a fire hazard when insulation touches it. Next comes air sealing, closing the gaps around can lights, pipes, wires and the hatch before any insulation goes in, because insulation laid over a draft spends the whole winter fighting it. We set baffles, short channels at the eaves that hold insulation back from the vents, so outside air still moves along the underside of the roof up to the ridge. Then we fill it to full depth all the way out to the edges, where a lot of attics go thin, check the depth, and clean up so the house is as clean as we found it.
If what's up there is thin but dry and clean, we usually top it up with blown-in insulation, loose fill blown through a hose, because it's the quickest way to get even depth across the whole floor. If the attic is just one of several cold spots, it's worth looking at home insulation for the walls and floors too, and I'll tell you on the estimate if I don't think the attic alone will fix it.
Permits, snow and attic insulation in Mandan
Inside Mandan and out to 2 miles past the city limits, the city requires a permit to alter or repair a building, and the Mandan Building Department handles the residential ones. Whether insulating your attic counts is the department's call, and they take questions at 701-667-3230. Morton County also asks owners to apply to its building official and get the required permit before altering or repairing a building. When a job needs a permit, we pull it and set up the inspections, and if you're not sure about yours, ask and I'll find out.
We're based in Mandan and do a lot of work in Bismarck, along with plenty of other cities around them, and we see the same older houses with thin, uneven insulation and an unsealed hatch on jobs in Mandan and in Bismarck. Snow sits on these roofs for months, and ice dams build at the eaves when that snow meets an attic that leaks heat and a night that freezes it back. The attic is the only one of those you can change, which is why we seal it and keep the vents open instead of just piling on more.
What a finished attic looks like
Get a free on-site attic insulation estimate
We'll get back to you within one business day to set a time, then I come out, look at the attic myself and write up the estimate. It's free, and there's no pressure to book.
(701) 299-5063Attic insulation questions from Mandan homeowners
How much does attic insulation cost in Mandan and Bismarck?
Attic insulation in the Bismarck area usually costs about $1,400 to $4,700 per job. Where yours lands depends on what I find up there, and I'll put your number in writing on the estimate.
How many inches of insulation does my attic need in North Dakota?
About 16 to 20 inches of loose-fill cellulose or fiberglass, which is what NDSU's extension guide recommends for an attic. That gives you something simple to check, so stick a ruler in it when we're done. If what's up there now is dry and clean, we add to it instead of tearing it out.
What should I do if my attic has vermiculite insulation?
Leave it alone, because the EPA says to assume vermiculite may contain asbestos and recommends leaving it undisturbed. If you decide to have it removed, the EPA says to hire a trained, accredited asbestos abatement contractor that's separate from whoever assessed it. If I find it on an estimate, I'll tell you, and we won't touch it.
Do we have to leave the house while you insulate the attic?
Usually not for loose fill or rigid board, since the work stays up in the attic and you can go about your day below it. Spray foam is different, and if that's the plan, I'll tell you at the estimate what the re-entry time is, meaning when the kids and pets can come back in.
What causes wet insulation in an attic?
Wet or damp insulation usually means the roof is leaking, and moldy or rotted rafters or joists point to a moisture problem that's been going on a while. Bathroom, kitchen or dryer vents that blow into the attic instead of outside are another common cause. I'll tell you what has to be fixed first, because new insulation over a wet attic just hides the problem.
How do I get ready for an attic insulation estimate?
Tell us whether you store things in the attic and roughly when the house was built, especially if it's older than 1930. Mention a hatch that's hard to reach or a tight attic too, since access changes how we plan the job.
Book an attic estimate in Mandan
The phone's open until 11 PM on weeknights and 10 PM on weekends, so call (701) 299-5063 after supper or send the form whenever it suits you.