Retrofit insulation in Wildomar CA - an older house that stays cool upstairs
Hot upstairs and a high power bill in an older house? We add or replace insulation in your attic and walls, in the right order.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What is retrofit insulation, and does my Wildomar house need it?
Retrofit insulation means adding to or replacing the insulation in a house that's already built. In Wildomar that's usually the attic, the outside walls or both, so your rooms hold their temperature better through the summer and the winter.
A lot of the older houses I get into have little or no insulation in the attic, and what is up there has often settled flat or been pushed aside by other trades over the years. At Premium Wildomar Spray Foam Insulation, the price moves with the size of the attic, whether the old material can stay or has to come out, whether we're doing the walls too and how much sealing the attic leaks takes first. The schedule turns mostly on what has to be fixed before we start, like a roof leak or old wiring, and your estimate gives you the figure for your own house.
How do you know your older house needs more insulation?
Hot rooms upstairs
The bedrooms or the room over the garage run hot every summer afternoon, even with the AC on. That usually means the attic above has too little insulation or air leaking through the ceiling, and you pay for it on the power bill every month it goes on.
You can see the joists
If you pop the hatch and the tops of the ceiling joists are showing, the insulation has settled or was thin to start with. Adding more is a simple job now, and every summer it waits is another summer of heat coming straight through the ceiling.
Drafts and cold floors
A draft near the outlets and cold floors in winter usually mean air is moving through gaps in the walls, the ceiling or the crawl space. More insulation alone won't stop that, so the gaps get sealed first.
Damp or stained insulation
Dark, wet-looking or stained patches in the attic usually point to a roof leak, a vent dumping moist air up there or poor ventilation. If it sits, the framing underneath can rot, so it gets fixed before anything new goes in.
What our retrofit insulation work involves
I start by asking how old the house is and checking the wiring, because old knob and tube gets dealt with before any insulation goes near it. Then I look at what's up there now, how many inches, whether it's dry and whether it's worth keeping, since fresh material laid over insulation that's soaked or full of droppings just keeps the problem. Before anything new goes in, we do the air sealing, closing the gaps around can lights, pipes, wires and the hatch so the insulation isn't fighting a draft. Then we add to what's there or replace it, in the attic, the walls or both, and we keep it full at the edges and clear of the eave vents so the attic can still breathe.
Most older attics get loose fill blown over the floor, and our attic insulation work covers that part on its own when the walls don't need anything. Spray foam insulation costs more and seals air while it insulates, and I'll recommend it when the ductwork lives in the attic, but for most houses sealing the gaps and topping up loose fill does the job for less.
Top-up over sound insulation
When the old material is dry, clean and just thin, we seal the gaps and add blown-in insulation, loose fill blown through a hose, right over it. It's usually the least costly way to get an older attic where it should be.
Remove and replace
When the old insulation is damp, matted or full of droppings, it comes out first, and then we seal and put in new. It costs more, but anything else just buries the problem.
Spray foam where the ducts run
If your ducts run through a hot attic, foam on the underside of the roof brings that space closer to the temperature of the house. It's the pricier choice, so I only suggest it when the ducts make it worth it.
Filling the outside walls
When a room stays hot or cold after the attic is done, the outside walls are often empty or close to it. We can fill them without tearing out the drywall.
Get a free on-site look at your attic and walls
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. The estimate is free and on site, with no pressure and no obligation to go ahead.
- Based in
- Wildomar, CA 92595
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call about retrofit insulation in Wildomar?
Here's how a retrofit job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and who does what along the way.
Call or send the form
You call (951) 417-1017 or send the form, and we set up a time for me to come out to the house.
I look in the attic first
I come out myself and look at the attic, walls or crawl space. Before I leave, I tell you what I'd do, what has to be fixed first and what I'd skip, so the price you're weighing covers the whole job.
We seal, then we insulate
Once you say go, we take care of the permit step if there is one, seal the leaks and then insulate. Wildomar allows construction Monday through Saturday, 6:30 am to 7:00 pm, and not on Sundays or city observed holidays, so we work inside those hours.
Walk the finished space together
When we're done, we walk the space with you so you can see the sealed gaps, the full edges and the open eave vents. If anything looks off to you, that's the time to say so.
Why Wildomar homeowners call Premium Wildomar Spray Foam Insulation for older houses
The owner plans every job
I'm the one who looks at your house and plans the work, and I work alongside the small crew that does the install. Nothing gets lost between the person who told you what's needed and the people doing it.
Fixing the cause comes first
If the roof leaks or a wire is bad, I'll tell you to fix that before we insulate, even if it means we don't take the job today. Insulation laid over a leak just hides it until it shows up in the framing.
Working in attics since 2013
I grew up following my dad through attics and crawl spaces on his insulation jobs, and I started this business in 2013. I know buried vents, thin edges and soaked old fill when I see them.
Licensed and insured in California
California's state licensing board has a license class just for contractors who install insulation, so it's fair to ask any crew about theirs. We're licensed and insured.
On an older house the order of the work matters more than the material, so the first step is letting me see it. Set up a visit or call (951) 417-1017.
Retrofit insulation and permits in Wildomar
The City of Wildomar Building and Safety Department issues construction permits, and its permit list names building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work but not insulation, so that list alone doesn't settle whether your retrofit needs one. We check the permit step with the building office for your address, whether that's the city or the county, and when one is needed we file it and keep you posted. The city's Building Permit Team takes applications by email only, with no counter, and answers calls at 951-677-7751 if you'd like to ask about your address yourself.
On the jobs we do here, summer heat collects in the attic right over the bedrooms, and in a lot of houses the ducts run through that same attic, so I look at the ductwork before we pick a material. We see the same setup on jobs in Lake Elsinore and Murrieta.
Questions about retrofit insulation in Wildomar
How do I add insulation to an existing attic in Wildomar?
In a vented attic, the usual way is to air seal the ceiling first, then blow loose-fill insulation evenly over the whole attic floor, with baffles holding it back from the eaves so the vents stay open. Since you're already up there, it makes sense to plan the sealing and the insulation as one job, and that's the order we work in.
Can existing walls be insulated without tearing them open?
Yes, existing outside walls can usually be filled with a method called drill and fill, where small holes near the top of each wall cavity take blown-in insulation. The holes can go in from inside or outside, so you get to choose which side of the wall is opened and patched.
How much does retrofit insulation cost around Riverside?
Insulation work of any kind in the Riverside area usually costs about $1,500 to $5,000 per job. That's the going range for the area, not our price, and where your job lands depends on the size of the attic, whether old material comes out, whether the walls are included and how much sealing comes first. Your estimate gives you the number for your house.
What should I do if my attic has vermiculite insulation?
Leave it undisturbed and assume it may contain asbestos, which is what the EPA says to do, because disturbing it can release fibers that are a health risk when breathed in. The EPA says removal should be done by a trained and accredited asbestos abatement contractor that's separate from the company that assessed it, so ask who assessed it and who will remove it. We won't blow new insulation over it until that's settled.
What attic problems need to be fixed before adding insulation?
Wet or damp insulation, moldy or rotted framing, vents blowing moist air into the attic and an attic with little or no ventilation all need a professional fix first, according to ENERGY STAR. If you have gas appliances that vent on their own, like an older water heater or furnace, ENERGY STAR also suggests having them tested before and after sealing, since a tighter house can push exhaust back indoors. I'll point out anything like this when I'm up there.
How long do we have to stay out of the house after insulation is installed?
With blown-in insulation in the attic, most families stay home the whole time, since the work happens up there and through the hatch. Spray foam is different, because you're out of the house while it's sprayed and until the foam maker's re-entry time, the wait before it's safe to come back in, has passed. I'll tell you which one applies to your job before we book it.
Related insulation work for older houses
Spray foam insulation
Worth a look when your ducts sit in a hot attic, or when a tight spot won't hold loose fill, because foam fills and seals the gaps itself.
Attic insulation
If the walls are fine and the problem is just a thin attic floor, a straight attic job is the simpler, cheaper place to start.
Service areas for retrofit insulation near Wildomar
Premium Wildomar Spray Foam Insulation is based in Wildomar, CA, and we do retrofit work in the cities around it, including Menifee and Temecula. The 12 areas below each have their own page, and we work in other nearby cities too.
Find out what's in your attic first
Note where your attic access is, how old the house is and any damp insulation or old wiring you've seen, so the visit gets straight to the answer.