Insulation contractor in Cedar Rapids, IA - sealed first, then insulated
J&R Cedar Rapids Insulation Services is an insulation contractor in Cedar Rapids, IA. I look over your attic, walls, basement or crawl space, show you what's there, and our crew seals the gaps and insulates the rest.
Old attics, newer subdivisions and river ground
Cedar Rapids is home base for us, and the houses here run from older places near the middle of the city to newer subdivisions toward the edges. In the older ones we often find a story-and-a-half with a finished room under the roof, short knee walls under the sloped ceiling and an attic you reach through a closet hatch, with insulation that went in decades ago and has packed down since. The newer houses out toward Marion usually have more up top, but the gaps around the lights and the hatch tend to be the same.
That mix shapes the job before anyone climbs a ladder. In an older house I'm looking for what's been covered up, in a newer one for what got missed, and the plan follows from that.
What we check before a Cedar Rapids job starts
Before each job I check with the city or county office, and if they tell us a permit is needed, we take care of it, so the start date waits on their answer. We're licensed and insured, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. It's fair to ask any contractor whether they're registered with the state, because Iowa requires construction contractors who earn at least $2,000 a year from construction to register with the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing. Someone who earns less than that, or only works on their own property, doesn't have to, so a part-time handyman may not be on that list.
Price and schedule here mostly turn on what's already in the attic and what has to happen before anything new goes on top. Soaked or droppings-filled insulation has to come out first, every can light, pipe and hatch gap gets sealed, and a cramped attic over a finished room is slower to work than an open one, so those same things set both the cost and how long our installers are up there. The written estimate I leave you is where your own figure shows up, and I put it together the same way whether the house is here or up in Hiawatha.
Insulation services in Cedar Rapids
- Spray foam insulation
- Attic insulation
- Blown-in insulation
- Home insulation
- Insulation removal
- Crawl space insulation
- Wall insulation
- Air sealing services
- Basement insulation
- Closed-cell foam insulation
- Open-cell foam insulation
- Commercial insulation
- Crawl space vapor barrier
- Vapor barrier installation
- Attic air sealing
- Retrofit insulation
Older houses here lose heat through the attic floor
A lot of the drafty rooms and high heating bills we get called about start at the attic floor, where old insulation has settled thin and every gap around a light, a pipe or the hatch lets warm air drift up out of the house. Piling more on top without closing those gaps is like stacking hay in a barn with the door left open, so we air seal first, plugging those openings, and then blow loose fill in through a hose, keeping it full out at the edges and clear of the eave vents so the attic can still breathe. Spray foam insulation costs more and seals air while it insulates, and I'll point you to it when your ductwork runs through the attic, but for most attics here sealing and topping up is the better use of your money.
Down low, water is the thing to watch. Linn County says the unincorporated part of the county has a history of flooding, which it ties to sitting in the watersheds of both the Cedar and Wapsipinicon rivers, and a crawl space or basement that has taken on water usually has insulation that needs to come out before anything new goes in.
Get your Cedar Rapids attic or crawl space looked at
We reply within one business day to set up a visit to your Cedar Rapids house. I come out myself, show you what I find and write up a free estimate on site, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
How a Cedar Rapids insulation job goes from call to walk-through
Call or send the form
Call (319) 536-8073 or fill out the form, and we'll set a time for me to come see the house. It helps if you know where the attic hatch is and can clear a path to it.
I look the house over
I come out myself and check the attic, walls, basement or crawl space, whichever ones are giving you trouble. I'll show you what I find, including how many inches are already up there.
Go over the written estimate
I write the estimate myself and walk you through why each item is on it. If part of it is something you can do on your own, like weatherstripping a drafty door, I'll tell you.
Fix what comes first
Once any permit question is settled, the crew handles whatever has to happen before insulation, like pulling out wet or dirty material. Covering a problem only buries it, so we keep that order.
Seal, insulate, walk through
Our installers seal the gaps and then insulate, and I go over the finished job with you at the end. You'll see the depth, the sealed hatch and the clear vents for yourself.
Insulation work up close
Cedar Rapids insulation questions we hear
How much does attic insulation cost for a house in Cedar Rapids?
Your cost comes down to what's in the attic now and how much work has to happen before new insulation goes in. Hauling out soaked or droppings-filled material, working around ductwork, or adding the crawl space or walls to the job all raise it, while a dry, open attic that only needs topping up keeps it lower. I'll put your number on the written estimate after I've seen the space.
How do I check how much insulation is already in my attic?
Open the hatch and stand a tape measure straight down into the insulation in a few spots, including out near the edges where it's usually thinnest. Stay on the ceiling joists, since the drywall between them won't hold you, and wear a dust mask if the old material is dusty. If you'd rather not go up there, I'll measure it when I come out.
Do we have to leave our Cedar Rapids house while you insulate the attic?
With blown-in loose fill you can usually stay home, because the crew is working up in the attic. Spray foam is different, so everyone, kids and pets included, stays out until the foam maker's re-entry time is up, which is how long they say to wait before coming back inside. I'll tell you that wait before the job is booked so you can plan around it.
What causes cold floors in older Cedar Rapids houses?
Cold floors usually come from a bare or thinly insulated crawl space or basement underneath, or from a room over the garage with little between it and the cold air below. Drafts pulling in where the house framing sits on the foundation make it worse. We seal those gaps and insulate the crawl space or garage ceiling, and if the crawl space has taken on water, the wet material comes out first.
What does a contractor from another state need to work on my house in Iowa?
Under Iowa's rules, a contractor based in another state has to file a $25,000 surety bond with the state. The other option is a letter from the Iowa Department of Transportation saying the contractor is prequalified to bid on that department's projects. If an out-of-state crew offers to insulate your house, ask to see one or the other before you sign anything.
Where do I find the official flood map for my home in Linn County?
For the current official flood map, visit the FEMA Map Service Center or contact local officials, which is where the University of Iowa's flood map site sends Iowans, because its own draft maps are for information only. Locally, you can reach the county at 319-892-5000. It's worth knowing before we insulate a basement or crawl space, since ground that floods changes what we'd put down there.
Call us about your Cedar Rapids attic or crawl space
Call (319) 536-8073 or send the form, and I'll tell you straight if it's a small fix you can handle yourself.