Blown-In Insulation in Charleston, WV
Blown-In Insulation Contractors Serving Charleston, WV
If your house in the Kanawha Valley is drafty in January and stuffy in July, blown-in insulation is often the least disruptive fix. A hose and blower push loose-fill material into attic floors, closed wall cavities and cramped corners, and the fluffy material wraps around joists, wires and pipes rather than stopping short of them. Plaster, drywall and siding usually stay right where they are.
Reed’s Home Solutions has been Charleston’s trusted foundation repair and insulation company since 1989, so people who want blown-in insulation Charleston WV wide tend to find us. A visit starts with a look at what is already in your house. Then we tell you what we would do and what it costs, and only then does any work get scheduled. Both the inspection and the estimate are free and carry no obligation.
Loose-fill is a strong match for attics that have thinned out and for older walls that never got a proper fill. Crews typically wrap up an attic, a set of walls or a garage in one day.
Cellulose and Fiberglass: Two Kinds of Loose-Fill Insulation
Two materials do the job well. We pick between them based on the house in front of us.
Cellulose
Ground-up recycled paper with a borate treatment. It is heavy for loose-fill, so it packs into irregular gaps well and sees plenty of use in both attics and walls. Expect R-3.2 to 3.8 for each inch of depth.
Fiberglass Loose-Fill
Spun glass fibers, light and fluffy. It shrugs off water better than paper does, which makes it a natural for open attic floors. The rating also falls between R-3.2 and 3.8 per inch.
Where Loose-Fill Insulation Goes in a Charleston House
Anywhere there is a reachable cavity or a flat open floor, blown-in can go to work.
Attics
Laid across the attic floor to lift a thin layer toward today’s targets. If what is up there now is dry and sound, we can usually add to it instead of pulling it out.
Existing Walls
Packed tight through holes roughly one to two inches wide, drilled from the inside or the outside and filled in afterward. Nobody has to tear into your drywall.
Floors and Ceilings
Fills sealed joist bays and ceiling cavities, like the floor of a room over a garage, a cantilevered bump-out or a ceiling below a section of attic nobody can squeeze into.
Why Kanawha Valley Homeowners Pick Blown-In Insulation
People around Charleston and the river towns keep telling us the same handful of things.
- Nothing gets demolished. We close up the small holes once the work is complete.
- It reaches the awkward spots. Loose-fill pours around joists, cables, pipes and blocking where a batt would stop short.
- Smaller utility bills. More insulation can trim heating and cooling costs by as much as 15%, a real help through humid summers and cold winters.
- Short disruption. An attic often takes three to six hours of crew time.
- Calmer rooms, with fewer hot and cold spots and less outside noise.
- Fair on the wallet. Few options deliver this much insulation for the money.
Blown-In vs. Spray Foam vs. Batt: Which Insulation Fits
A side-by-side look at the three most common choices for a Charleston project.
Blown-in
Spray foam
Batt
Rating per inch
Blown-in
R-3.2 to 3.8
Spray foam
R-3.5 to 3.6 open-cell, R-6 to 7 closed-cell
Batt
R-3.0 to 4.3
Stops air leaks
Blown-in
Only a little
Spray foam
Very well
Batt
Only a little
Closed, finished walls
Blown-in
Yes, by dense-packing
Spray foam
No, framing must be open
Batt
No, framing must be open
Strongest use
Blown-in
Attic floors and walls already built
Spray foam
Leaky or damp-prone areas
Batt
Exposed framing in new work
What to Expect From Our Blown-In Insulation Installation
The process is the same from the first phone call to the final walk-through.
Inspect
A technician checks the attic or wall cavities, notes how much insulation is up there now and hunts for moisture and drafts.
Prepare
Floors and furniture get covered, the machine is set up and any leak worth fixing first gets sealed.
Blow
Material goes in to the depth and density on your estimate, or is packed into wall cavities through small drilled holes.
Wrap up
Holes get patched, debris gets hauled off and we review the result with you before we leave.
Blown-In Insulation for Charleston Attics
For most homes, the attic is where loose-fill pays off first. We blow it over the attic floor to a planned depth, and since it flows like a blanket of snow, it lands around joists, ducts, wiring and the corners where a batt would never quite fit. You end up with one unbroken layer instead of a patchwork of seams. For the whole picture on that space, read our attic insulation page.
In climate zone 4, which includes Charleston, ENERGY STAR calls for R-60 over an uninsulated attic and R-49 when 3 to 4 inches are already in place. The West Virginia energy code points to R-49 for attics and ceilings in the same zone. During the inspection we measure your current depth and show you how it compares. Plenty of hillside and river-valley homes sit well short, and loose-fill closes that distance faster than anything else.
Ahead of installation we check for drafts, dampness and ventilation trouble, and we keep the new layer from smothering the attic’s airflow. Anything wet, moldy or contaminated is removed first. Dry insulation in decent condition can stay, with the fresh layer on top. For the numbers behind all this, see the ENERGY STAR insulation guide.
Dense-Pack Wall Insulation Without Opening Up Your Walls
A lot of older homes around Charleston have thin or empty wall cavities. Demolishing plaster or drywall just to fix that would cost more than it is worth, so we do the work from the outside in a different way: dense-packing.
A crew member drills a hole about one to two inches wide into each cavity, working from inside the room or from the siding side, whichever causes less fuss at your address. Insulation is then blown in under pressure until the space is tightly and evenly filled. It wraps around wires, water lines and fire blocking, which are the exact spots where batts leave voids. The holes are patched afterward.
Walls and garages usually take a single day. A finished garage, or a bedroom perched above one, gets the same treatment. Our wall and garage insulation page has more on that.
Choosing Between Cellulose and Fiberglass Loose-Fill
Because both materials fall near R-3.2 to 3.8 per inch, the rating seldom decides things. Density does. Cellulose, which is recycled paper with borate added, is heavier and tends to fill odd corners and wall cavities snugly. Fiberglass loose-fill is lighter and a common pick for wide-open attic floors.
We weigh the space, what is in it today and your priorities, then name a favorite. Whichever we choose appears on your estimate, and if you want the reasoning, just ask.
Should stopping air leaks or controlling dampness matter more than adding thickness, spray foam insulation may suit you better. For bare framing in a new build or remodel, fiberglass batt insulation is often the thrifty route.
Clues Your Charleston Home Is Short on Insulation
Here is what usually prompts a call about insulation Charleston WV homeowners could be missing out on.
- Joists you can see sticking up out of the attic floor.
- Heating and cooling bills that seem steep for the square footage.
- Bedrooms that bake in summer or chill in winter, particularly on the top floor.
- Exterior walls that feel icy or warm to the touch.
- A house from an earlier era whose wall cavities were left empty.
- Old insulation that has packed down or thinned out.
- Chilly floors above a garage, porch or cantilever.
Proven by Results, Recognized for Excellence
Request a Free Blown-In Insulation Estimate in Charleston
A Reed’s technician goes through your attic and walls, walks you through the findings and quotes a price before leaving.
Charleston Blown-In Insulation: Your Questions Answered
What does blown-in insulation cost in Charleston?
The insulation cost varies with the material, how large the area is and how much is already installed. After a free inspection you get a firm price in writing.
Cellulose or fiberglass: which blown-in type is better?
Neither wins across the board. Each rates between R-3.2 and 3.8 an inch. Cellulose is borate-treated recycled paper and runs denser, while fiberglass loose-fill is lighter. We match one to your house.
Is it possible to insulate walls that are already finished?
Yes. A few small holes go in, the cavity is packed solid and the openings are patched when we finish.
Can new loose-fill be added on top of old insulation?
Frequently, provided the older material is dry and still in decent shape.
What is the timeline for a blown-in job?
A standard attic runs about three to six hours. Attics, walls and garages commonly wrap up inside a day.
Do I save money on energy bills with loose-fill?
Often. Added insulation can shave heating and cooling bills by as much as 15%.
Is financing available?
It is. Ask about our flexible options during your free estimate, or look over our financing page.
Will loose-fill sink or compress as the years pass?
Some settling is normal in an open attic. We blow to a depth that accounts for it, then measure the final thickness. Wall cavities are packed firmly, so they stay where they are put.
Can this help the upstairs rooms that run hot?
Usually. A deeper layer over the ceiling below slows heat drifting into those rooms. If leaks from the attic or a finished area under the roofline are driving the problem, spray foam may be our suggestion.
Must the existing attic material come out before you start?
Only when it is soaked, moldy or contaminated. Material that is dry and sound normally stays, and the new layer rests on it.
What about fire and pests with cellulose?
The cellulose we install carries a borate treatment. We are glad to go into detail about the product while we are at your house for the estimate.
Areas We Serve
Blown-in insulation from Reed’s Home Solutions is available in Charleston and all across the Kanawha Valley.