Attic air sealing in Redding CA - a sealed attic floor before new insulation
Upstairs rooms that won't hold their temperature usually trace back to gaps in the attic floor. We find and seal them, keeping the vents open.
Should I seal my attic before I add insulation?
Attic air sealing in Redding closes the holes in your attic floor, the gaps between the attic and the rooms you heat and cool, so less of that air slips out. It saves energy and helps keep moisture problems out of the attic, and if new insulation is coming, the sealing goes first.
Most calls start with a room upstairs that runs hot, a room over the garage that never matches the rest of the house or a hallway that feels drafty, and the leak is usually in the attic floor above it. The price mostly turns on how many openings there are and what has to be fixed first, and those same repairs decide how soon we can start, so I look at all of it before you get a written estimate. If the old insulation up there is soaked or full of droppings, insulation removal comes before any sealing, because new work laid over a mess just keeps the problem.
What our attic air sealing work involves
I start by looking for anything that needs fixing before it gets sealed over, which I go through in the questions below, because sealing in a problem only makes it harder to reach later. Then our installers pull the insulation back along the attic floor and seal around wiring, plumbing and flue openings, usually with caulk on the small gaps and foam on the bigger ones, and with heat-safe material anywhere near a flue or anything else that runs hot. Recessed lights that can't be covered get sorted out with you before we start, so nobody is making that call alone in the attic. We leave the soffit, ridge and gable vents and any combustion air ducts open because those openings are there to move air, and we finish by weatherstripping the hatch so the door into the attic stops leaking too.
Sealing the attic floor is the first step of insulating an attic that's already vented, so if you're planning retrofit insulation, we book the sealing as the opening part of that same job. Spray foam insulation seals air while it insulates, but it costs more, so in most attics I'd rather seal the gaps and top up the loose fill unless your ductwork runs through the attic, which is when foam usually earns its price.
Hiring for attic air sealing in Redding
California's rule on who can take a job is worth knowing before you let anyone into your attic. Someone without a state contractor's license can only take a job up to $1,000, and only when the work needs no permit and nobody is working for them on it, so anyone who brings a helper or quotes you more than that should be licensed. If the plan changes once the insulation is pulled back, state law says the change to a home improvement contract has to be in writing, easy to understand and clear about your right to cancel.
On older houses around Redding we usually find the same leaks, open plumbing chases, wiring holes nobody plugged and can lights that were never meant to be buried, and we see the same thing on jobs in Shasta Lake and Anderson. We check those spots first because that's usually where the air is going.
How attic air sealing works
Call or send the form
Reach us at (530) 232-9176 or through the form, and we'll set a time that suits you. We pick up from 6 AM on weekdays and 8 AM on weekends, until 10 PM every day.
I look through the attic
I come out myself, go through the attic with you and note every opening and anything that has to be fixed first. You get a written estimate with the price and the order the work should go in, before anything starts.
Our installers seal it up
Once you pick a date, we check with the building office that covers your address and handle any permit work with you. Our installers then do the sealing, with the can lights already settled between us.
We walk through it together
When the work is finished I check it with you before we call it done. You see the sealed openings and the hatch yourself, not just a note on an invoice.
Get a written estimate for sealing your attic
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a free estimate at your property. I come out myself to look through the attic and explain what I find, and there's no pressure and no obligation to book.
Questions before you book attic air sealing
Will air sealing my attic lower my power bill?
Yes, sealing the holes in the attic floor saves energy and lowers your heating and cooling bills, because less of the air you've paid to heat or cool leaks into the attic. It also cuts the stack effect, the way escaping warm air pulls air up from below, so fewer soil gases such as radon get drawn into your rooms.
What needs to be fixed before my attic is air sealed?
A federal air sealing guide says to hold off when the attic has active knob and tube wiring, vermiculite insulation or bath fans venting into it, and the same goes for a leaking roof or an unvented kerosene heater or gas fireplace in the house. None of that stops the job for good. I'll point out anything I find at the visit, and we put those repairs ahead of the sealing in the plan.
Is attic air sealing safe if my house has gas appliances?
Yes, as long as your gas-burning appliances are venting properly, because a tighter house lets carbon monoxide build up more easily when they aren't. Tell me what burns gas in your house when I come out, so it's part of the plan before we seal anything.
What is the best way to air seal recessed lights in an attic?
For can lights that aren't IC rated, the kind that can't touch insulation, building science guidance says the best fix is replacing them with ICAT-rated cans, which are made to be covered and airtight, or better still with ceiling-mounted fixtures. If you have them, plan for new fixtures and low-heat bulbs such as LEDs, and we'll settle which lights get changed before the job starts.
How much does attic air sealing cost in Redding?
Your price comes from the written estimate after I've seen the attic, because the number of openings and the repairs that come first set most of it. Old insulation that has to be cleared out, can lights that need replacing and a tight attic with little headroom push it up, while booking the sealing together with new insulation saves a separate trip. Choosing caulk and loose fill over spray foam usually keeps it lower too.
How do I get help paying for weatherization in California?
If your household has a low income, the state's Department of Community Services and Development works with local community providers to install weatherization for homeowners and renters who qualify under the federal Weatherization Assistance Program. It's worth checking with them first if you think you might qualify.
Why Redding homeowners call A&M Redding Insulation Services for attic air sealing
The owner looks at your attic
I come out myself to look at the attic and write the estimate, and our installers do the work. I check it with you before we call it done, so the person who planned the job is the one who signs off on it.
Leaks found before anything's added
We're best known for tracking down where a house is really losing air before we add anything, often in older Redding homes that don't behave the way they should. I'd rather tell you the job isn't worth doing yet than sell you sealing that won't help.
In business since 2020
I learned the trade on an insulation crew before starting this business in 2020. That's six years of attics with wiring, flues and can lights in the way, and I still find them interesting.
Licensed and insured for attic work
We're licensed and fully insured. That matters when people are working above your ceilings, around wiring and flue pipes.
Sealing done in the right order, with the repairs first, is what lets the rest of the work pay off. Get in touch or call (530) 232-9176 to set up a visit.
Other work that goes with attic air sealing
Retrofit insulation
If the attic is thin on insulation once it's sealed, retrofit work brings a lived-in house up to depth without tearing into finished rooms.
Spray foam insulation
Foam suits the spots loose fill handles poorly, like an attic where the ductwork lives or the room over the garage.
Book your attic air sealing visit
Call (530) 232-9176 or use the form, and jot down any gas-burning appliances, can lights, bath fans that vent into the attic and roof leaks you know of so the visit covers them.
