Attic insulation in Memphis TN - an attic sealed, filled and safe to live under
Hot upstairs rooms and a power bill that climbs every summer usually start in the attic. We seal the gaps, then insulate it evenly.
Is my attic ready for more insulation?
Attic insulation in Memphis, TN adds a layer over your ceilings that slows the summer heat coming down from the roof and the winter heat rising out of the house. We seal the air leaks first so that layer keeps doing its job for years.
Most people call us because the rooms upstairs or over the garage stay hot after the AC has run all afternoon, or because the house feels drafty and the power bill keeps creeping up. The price turns on how big the attic is, how many inches are already up there, how easy it is to move around in, how many gaps need sealing, and whether old material that got wet or full of droppings has to come out first through insulation removal. The schedule mostly turns on anything that has to be fixed before we insulate, and your estimate gives you the price and the order of the work for your own attic.
How we handle attic insulation
I look the attic over before I price anything, and if there's old wiring, a roof leak or a bath fan blowing into it, I tell you that gets handled first, because insulation laid over those problems just hides them. Before anyone seals a gap, I check the furnace, the water heater and anything else in the house that burns fuel, since a tighter house can pull exhaust back inside from equipment that vents on its own draft. Then our installers close the gaps around pipes, wires, the hatch and the light fixtures, which is what we mean by air sealing, so the insulation isn't fighting a draft. They keep the vents along the eaves open so the attic can still breathe, and only then does the new insulation go down.
Most attics we see get blown-in insulation, loose fill blown through a hose, because it settles into corners and around the framing without tearing anything up. If the attic is only part of the problem and you've also got cold floors or drafty walls, we look at it as home insulation so the whole house gets done in the order that makes sense.
Air sealing with a blown-in top-up
This suits most attics, because closing the gaps and building the loose fill back up gets you most of what foam does for a lot less money. It's where I start unless your ductwork runs through the attic.
Spray foam on the roofline
Foam costs more, but it seals air while it insulates, which matters when the ducts and air handler sit up in the attic. Foaming the underside of the roof brings that space inside the house so your ducts aren't baking in a hot attic all summer.
Attic insulation permits and older attics in Memphis
The city and county permit office issues construction permits for projects in Memphis, Germantown, Lakeland, Millington and unincorporated Shelby County, and the same office reviews plans and inspects new buildings and building components. Whether a plain attic insulation job needs a permit isn't something I'll guess at, so ask the permit office or ask me at the estimate. When a job does call for one, we handle the application and set up the inspections with the city or county office that covers your address, here in Memphis or in the cities around it across Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.
Older houses here often have attics insulated decades ago, and some of that old fill is vermiculite, a light, pea-size, gray and flaky material that may contain asbestos. ENERGY STAR's advice is to leave it undisturbed until an approved lab tests it, and the local health department can give you the name of one, so if I spot it, the job waits on that test.
Attic insulation work up close
Why call us for attic insulation
The owner does every estimate
I come out to look at your attic and give you the estimate myself, and our installers do the work after that. You get straight answers from the person deciding what your attic needs, not a salesperson.
Years in heating and cooling first
I worked on furnaces and ductwork for years before I started this business in 2021, and that work showed me how much the house around the equipment decides how it runs. So when I'm in your attic, I'm looking at the ducts and the air handler as closely as the insulation.
Licensed and insured in your house
We're licensed and insured. That matters when people are working over your ceilings, because you shouldn't be the one carrying the risk of an accident in your own house.
Radiant barrier advice for Memphis heat
The Energy Department describes radiant barriers, foil that turns back the sun's heat off the roof, as especially useful in hot, sunny climates. With summers like ours, I'll tell you at the estimate whether one makes sense in your attic.
The order of the steps decides whether the money you spend stays in the attic. Tell us about your attic or call (901) 203-1514, and have ready how easy it is to get around up there, whether you have recessed can lights, and whether there's an unvented kerosene heater or gas fireplace in the house.
(901) 203-1514Get an attic insulation estimate for your house
We reply to every message within one business day, and I set a time to come out, look your attic over and give you a free estimate on site. There's no pressure and no obligation to book the work.
Attic insulation questions from Memphis homeowners
How much does attic insulation cost in Memphis?
Insulation jobs of all kinds in Memphis, not just attics, usually run about $1,300 to $4,600 per job. Where your attic lands in that spread comes down to the things I check when I'm up there, so I give you the figure for yours after I've seen it.
Can I insulate my attic myself, or should I hire a contractor?
You can if the attic is easy to get into and move around in, because ENERGY STAR treats attic air sealing and adding insulation as do-it-yourself projects that usually take a day or two. A cramped attic, a low roof, can lights or anything that has to be fixed first is where hiring a crew makes more sense.
What needs to be fixed before insulating an attic?
Federal building guidance says to hold off if the attic has live knob and tube wiring, the old kind strung on porcelain knobs, or vermiculite, a roof leak or bath fans venting into it. An unvented kerosene heater or gas fireplace puts it on hold too. That guidance handles fresh air and fuel-burning equipment first, then attic ventilation and air sealing, so ask any contractor who skips straight to insulation how those steps get covered.
How long does attic insulation take, and do we have to leave the house?
The prep usually sets the schedule more than the insulating does, because a roof repair or a vermiculite test has to happen first, and I lay out that order at the estimate. With blown-in work, most families stay home while our installers work overhead. Spray foam is different, because you stay out until its re-entry time, when it's safe to come back, which the foam maker sets.
Can you put insulation over recessed can lights in my attic?
Yes, with care, because many recessed can lights are neither sealed nor made to be covered. I note each one at the estimate, and our installers seal and protect around them before any insulation goes down so the light isn't leaking air or buried in fill.
How do I know if my attic insulation was installed right?
Look for a level, even layer at the right depth that runs all the way out to the edges, which is what federal weatherization guidance checks for. The usual mistake is deep fill in the middle and thin edges, which is backward since the edges sit right over your outside walls. Our installers check the depth and the edges before they pack up.
Have your attic checked before new insulation goes in
We're open seven days a week, 8 AM to 9 PM, so call (901) 203-1514 or send a note whenever it suits you.
