Insulation contractor in Coralville, IA - attics sealed before they're topped up
J&R Cedar Rapids Insulation Services is an insulation contractor working in Coralville, IA. We insulate and air seal attics, walls, crawl spaces and basements for homeowners dealing with drafty rooms, cold floors or a power bill that keeps climbing.
Coralville mixes older houses with newer subdivisions
Coralville sits along the Iowa River and I-80, with Iowa City right next door and Tiffin just to the west, an easy trip south from where we're based as an insulation contractor in Cedar Rapids, IA. On jobs here we go from older houses in the older parts of the city to newer subdivisions farther out, with plenty of townhomes and duplexes in between.
That mix is why I look before I quote anything, because a house built decades ago and one built a few years back usually go wrong in different places.
How permits, price and timing work in Coralville
Building permits here come from the city's Community Development Department, and its list covers work that adds to, enlarges or structurally changes a building. Insulation isn't named on that list, so before every job here I check with the department, and if they tell us a permit is needed, we take care of it and the start date waits on their approval. We're licensed and insured.
We come down from Cedar Rapids for jobs here, the same run that takes us to North Liberty, and once we're in your house, what moves the price is mostly what's already in your attic: how many inches are up there, whether any of it is wet or dirty and has to come out first, how many gaps need sealing, how hard the space is to get into and which material you choose. The schedule turns on that permit check and on whether a cleanout has to happen before anything new goes in, and the estimate I write after walking your house is where you get your own number.
Insulation services in Coralville
- 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 attics and garage rooms need different fixes
In the older houses here, the insulation up there has usually settled thin, and it often sits deep in the middle and bare at the edges, which is backward because the edges sit right over your outside walls. Sometimes it's been soaked by an old roof leak or filled with mouse droppings, and putting fresh material over that is like forking clean straw onto wet bedding, since the mess is still underneath. So we pull it out first with insulation removal, then keep the eave vents clear when we refill, because buried vents stop the attic from breathing and moisture ends up in the framing.
Newer houses tend to have a bedroom over the garage that's cold underfoot, a hot upstairs, or ductwork running through the attic. Foam costs more and seals air while it insulates, and for most attics I'd still rather seal the gaps and top up the blown-in, loose fill we blow in through a hose. When your ductwork lives up there, though, closed-cell foam, a dense foam that also blocks moisture, usually earns its price.
Get your Coralville attic looked at and priced
We reply within one business day to set up a visit to your Coralville house. I come out myself, look over the attic, walls, basement or crawl space, show you what I find and write up a free on-site estimate with no obligation.
What happens after you call us in Coralville
Call or send the form
Call (319) 536-8073 or use the form and tell us what you're noticing, like a cold room, a hot upstairs or a bill that keeps climbing. We set up a time for me to come out.
I look and show you
I come out to every job myself and go through the attic, walls, basement or crawl space, showing you what I find as I go. Then I write up the estimate from what we both saw.
We check with the city
Before we put you on the schedule, I check with the city's Community Development Department about your job. If a permit is needed, our start date waits until it's approved.
Fix, seal, then insulate
Our installers handle whatever has to come first, then seal the gaps, then insulate, in that order so nothing bad gets covered up. Clear a path to the attic hatch and move anything stored right under it before we arrive.
Walk the finished job
When the installers are done, I go over the work with you, from the depth out at the edges to the vents left open. The job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Insulation work up close
Insulation questions from Coralville homeowners
How do I apply for a building permit in Coralville?
You email the application to submittals@coralville.org with the contractor's information, plans and a site plan showing property lines, setbacks and where the house sits, as the city's building permit page lays out. Once it's approved, the permit is paid for and signed in person at the department. The minimum fee is $25 for up to $500 worth of work, with a fee schedule above that. If your insulation job needs a permit, we take care of all of it.
Which building codes does Coralville use for insulation work?
Coralville builds by the current International Building and Residential Codes with its own amendments, and it adopts the State of Iowa's energy conservation code alongside them. The energy code is the one that speaks most to insulation, and the city's building and housing codes page lists what's in force. We work to what the city has adopted, and anything unclear I ask the department about before we start.
How much does attic insulation cost for a Coralville house?
I can't give you an honest number until I've seen your attic, because the cost turns on what's already up there and what has to happen before new insulation goes in. If your old insulation is dry and clean, sealing the gaps and topping it up is usually the less expensive way to go. You get your own figure on the written estimate after I look.
What causes cold floors and a hot upstairs in Coralville homes?
Most of the time it's air moving through gaps, not just thin insulation. Air slips past can lights, pipes and the attic hatch, and a room over the garage often has gaps where its floor meets the garage ceiling, so the insulation ends up fighting a draft. That's why we do air sealing, closing those gaps, before we add any insulation.
How long before my kids and pets can come back inside after spray foam?
With blown-in insulation and air sealing you can usually stay home while we work, because there's nothing to cure. Spray foam is different, since the foam maker sets a re-entry time, the hours before anyone can come back inside, and we follow it. I'll tell you that number when we schedule, so you can plan where the kids and pets will be.
How do I check how much insulation is in my Coralville attic?
Open the hatch with a flashlight and a tape measure and check the depth in a few spots, including out near the edges, not just in the middle. Stay on the joists or a board laid across them, because the ceiling below won't hold your weight. Note any wet spots or droppings, and if you'd rather not climb up, I'll look when I come out.
Call us about your drafty Coralville house
Call (319) 536-8073 or use the form, because knowing what's in your attic now tells you whether it needs a cleanout, sealing or a top-up.