Wall insulation in Memphis TN - finished walls filled through small holes
Cold outside walls and rooms that won't stay cool in summer? We fill the hollow walls so your house holds its temperature.
Can you insulate walls without tearing them open?
Yes. For most Memphis houses with finished walls, we add wall insulation by dense-packing it, which means blowing insulation tightly into the hollow spaces between the studs through small holes. The walls stay up, and you plan for patching those holes afterward.
Most calls I get for walls come from older houses where the attic has already been topped up, but the rooms along the outside walls are still drafty and the power bill hasn't moved. If your attic insulation is in good shape, the walls are usually where the heat goes next. The price depends on how much wall area we fill, whether we drill from outside or inside, which material you pick and what repairs the walls need first. The schedule mostly depends on those repairs, because wet or cracked spots get fixed before anything goes in. I'll walk the house and give you your own number.
How we do wall insulation in finished walls
Before we blow anything in, I check your finished walls inside and out for moisture and cracks, along the siding, around the window and door framing and across the paint or plaster. Insulation packed against a damp wall holds the problem in. If something needs fixing, the repair comes first and the insulation waits, and I tell you up front what patching to expect when we're done. On install day our installers drill small holes into each wall cavity, the hollow space between two studs, and pack the insulation in tight until the cavity is full. We plug the holes and clean up before we leave.
I usually price air sealing services in the same plan. Full walls still leak air through gaps around windows and wiring holes, and if we seal those first, the insulation isn't fighting a draft. If the cold you feel is in the floor, basement insulation may do more for that room than the walls.
Holes drilled from the outside
This suits houses with siding we can lift or take off a course at a time, so your inside paint and wallpaper stay untouched. The holes end up hidden behind the siding once it goes back on.
Holes drilled from the inside
This suits brick houses, or rooms you plan to repaint anyway, because drilling through drywall or plaster is simpler than going through brick. Plan on patching and paint on every wall we fill.
Wall insulation in Memphis: permits and the houses we see
In Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County, Construction Enforcement issues construction permits and inspects building work. The city and county also have their own energy code as part of those building codes. I won't guess whether your wall job needs a permit, so I check for your address. When a job calls for one, we handle the application and set up the inspections with the office that covers you. We're based in Memphis and work across the cities around it in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas, and that office changes with the address.
Most of the walls we fill here belong to older houses that got an attic top-up years ago but still have hollow outside walls. They're often brick outside, with plaster or drywall inside. Long, humid summers are hard on any wall that lets damp in, which is why the moisture check comes first. We see the same mix of brick, siding and muggy weather on jobs in Germantown and Bartlett.
Wall insulation work up close
Why call us for wall insulation
I do the estimate myself
I come out to look at your walls and give you the estimate, and our installers do the work. The person who spots a damp patch or a cracked wall is the same person who prices the job, so those repairs are in the plan from the start.
A heating and cooling background
I worked on furnaces and ductwork for years before I started this business in 2021, and that work showed me how much the house decides how well the equipment runs. It's also why I check that anything burning fuel still gets fresh air once we tighten the house.
Licensed and insured, every job
We're licensed and insured, and you're welcome to ask to see proof before we start. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Walls suited to humid summers
Guidance for hot, humid climates warns that a moisture-blocking layer on the inside of a wall, such as foil-faced insulation or vinyl wall covering, can and often does make a wall fail early. If your outside walls have vinyl wallpaper, I point it out when I look, so you can decide what to do before we fill them.
Call (901) 203-1514 or send us a message. It helps to have your house's age, a rough idea of the wall area and any damp or cracked spots you've noticed.
(901) 203-1514Get a wall insulation estimate for your house
We reply to every message within one business day to set a time for me to come out and look at your walls. The estimate is free and done at your house, and there's no obligation to book the work.
Wall insulation questions from Memphis homeowners
How do you insulate walls that are already finished?
We dense-pack them, which means blowing insulation tightly into each hollow wall space through small holes, so the drywall or plaster stays in place. National guidance favors this method for existing homes because it's the least invasive way in. It still leaves holes, so plan on patching and some paint. I'll show you where the holes go before we start.
What does wall insulation cost in Memphis?
Adding insulation to the walls of older Memphis homes usually costs about $2.70 to $3.80 per square foot of wall area. That's the going rate in the area, not our quote. Your price depends on wall area, access and any repairs needed first. Low-income homeowners in Shelby County can look at MLGW's Share the Pennies program, which gives grants for repairs such as attic insulation and sealing openings through walls.
What is the best insulation for walls that might get wet?
Fiberglass is usually the safer pick, because it isn't permanently damaged if it gets soaked, while cellulose breaks down when water soaks it. Fiberglass is also lighter. Either way, we fix a wall that's taking on water before we fill it, so the material isn't your only defense against a wet wall.
Will blown-in insulation settle inside my walls over time?
Dense-packed insulation shouldn't settle. Packing it tight fills the cavity completely, keeps it from sinking and leaving a gap at the top, and slows air moving through the wall. Loose fill is what slumps, so we pack each cavity instead of just pouring material in.
Can I squeeze batt insulation into walls I've opened up in Memphis?
You can, but squeezing a batt to fit lowers its R-value, which is how well it slows heat. A batt works best cut to fit the cavity, not crammed in or left loose. If you have walls open for a remodel, tell me when you call and we'll talk about what should go in.
What causes plaster or drywall to crack when walls are insulated?
Usually it's a crack or weak spot that was already there, because the pressure of dense-packing can push it further apart. That's why we fix cracked or soft spots in the wall finish before we pack the walls. When I look at your house, I mark those spots so you know what needs repair first.
Book a wall insulation estimate for your Memphis house
Call (901) 203-1514 any day from 8 AM to 9 PM, so you can set up a visit without taking time off work.
