Insulation Contractor in Gastonia, NC - Warmer Floors and Cooler Upstairs Rooms
Complete Gastonia Insulation Services is an insulation contractor in Gastonia, NC. We seal the gaps in attics and crawl spaces, clear out old insulation that's gone bad, and insulate attics, walls and floors in houses people already live in.
Gastonia houses, from the attic down
We're based in Gastonia, so a lot of our week is spent in attics here. The older houses closer to downtown often sit over crawl spaces, with a few tired inches of insulation upstairs and walls that were built before anyone thought to fill them. Brick ranches fill in the middle, and out toward the newer subdivisions it's two-story houses with a bonus room over the garage, which is usually the room people call about first. We see the same mix just up the road in Dallas and over in Belmont.
That mix decides where the job starts. An older house usually needs the crawl space and the attic floor sorted out before anything gets added, and a newer one usually needs the bonus room sealed, because it has attic on three sides and a garage underneath.
Services in Gastonia, NC
Attic insulation
Plenty of attics here still have the insulation the house was built with, and it's usually packed down to a few inches. We measure what's there, then bring it up evenly across the whole attic floor so the edges get as much as the middle.
Attic air sealing
Most of the drafts we chase in Gastonia houses come from the top, through gaps around can lights, plumbing pipes and the attic hatch. We seal those openings before any insulation goes down, because insulation alone won't stop moving air.
Insulation removal
When an old roof leak soaked the insulation or something moved in and left droppings, laying new material on top just hides the problem. We pull the bad insulation out and clean up before anything new goes in.
Crawl space vapor barrier
A lot of the older houses here sit over bare dirt, which keeps the crawl space damp and the floors above cold. We lay a vapor barrier, a heavy sheet that keeps ground moisture out of the space, and seal it at the seams and walls.
Spray foam insulation
In newer houses here the ductwork often runs through the attic over the bonus room, and that's where spray foam insulation on the roofline brings those ducts inside the sealed part of the house. Where the ducts aren't up there, we usually point you to something simpler.
Wall insulation
Some older Gastonia houses have outside walls with little or nothing in them, so those rooms stay cold even after the attic's done. We fill those walls through small holes and patch them, so nobody has to tear out plaster to get it done.
Permits, licenses and price on a Gastonia job
When an insulation job in Gastonia needs a permit, there are two offices and an order to follow. The City of Gastonia issues the zoning permit, and that goes to Gaston County Permitting as the city's go-ahead before the county issues the construction permit, so a permitted job waits on both. When a job needs one, we check which offices cover your address and handle the paperwork before work starts. Under state law a general contractor has to be licensed when the total project cost is $40,000 or more, and you can check a license with the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors. The city stopped requiring most businesses to renew a business license, so not being shown one isn't a warning sign by itself. We're licensed and insured.
What moves the price is what's already up there and under the house: how many inches you have, whether old insulation has to come out first, how many gaps need sealing and how easy it is to reach the attic past the boxes. The schedule turns on any repair that has to come first and on a permit if the job needs one, and I'll give you the figure for your own house at the estimate. We ask for your address early because we work on both sides of the state line, from Bessemer City to Clover, and the offices change with it.
What we find in Gastonia attics and bonus rooms
In the older houses here, the attic floor usually looks covered and isn't. The insulation is thinnest at the eaves where the roof comes down low, and when someone tops it up they often bury the eave vents, so the attic can't breathe and moisture starts showing in the framing. We keep those vents clear and work the insulation out to the edges, where it does the most good. Attics here have seen a lot of Christmas decorations and very little attention.
In the newer subdivisions it's usually the bonus room that runs hot upstairs. It sits behind knee walls, the short walls along the sides of the room with attic right behind them, so we seal and insulate those walls and the floor over the garage instead of just piling more into the main attic.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Gastonia house
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. I come out to your Gastonia house myself, look at the attic, crawl space or walls and give you a free estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
How it goes when you call us in Gastonia
Call or send us a message
Tell us what's going on, whether it's a cold room, a high power bill or a crawl space you'd rather not look at. Give us the address too, since it tells us which city and county offices cover the house.
I come out and look
I go up in the attic and under the house, measure how many inches are already there and note what's in the way. If the hatch is inside a closet, clearing a path before I arrive helps.
You get a written estimate
It shows what needs fixing first, what we'll seal and what we'll insulate, so you can see the order of the work. If the job needs a permit, I'll say so, and we handle the paperwork before work starts.
We fix, seal and insulate
Our own crew takes care of repairs and bad insulation first, then seals the gaps and puts the new insulation in. If spray foam is part of the job, we tell you ahead of time when to leave and when you can come back.
I check the finished work
The crew cleans up before they leave, and I check the work myself. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Insulation questions we hear in Gastonia
Do I need a permit to insulate my attic in Gastonia?
Insulation isn't named on the city's permit list, so that list doesn't settle it, and the city's permit office is the place to ask about your job. The city's permit FAQ names the work that starts with a zoning application, such as additions, decks, interior remodels and roofs. We check your address before work starts and handle the paperwork if a permit is needed.
Is spray foam worth the extra cost in a Gastonia house?
Usually not, unless your ductwork runs through the attic. Foam seals air while it insulates, which is why it costs more, but in most attics here sealing the gaps first and topping up with blown-in insulation, loose fill blown through a hose, does the job for less. I'll tell you which one fits your house when I'm up there.
Can my family and pets stay home while you insulate?
With blown-in insulation in the attic, usually yes, though it's noisy and a little dusty near the hatch. With spray foam, everyone, kids and pets included, leaves while we spray and stays out until the re-entry time, the point when it's safe to come back inside, and we tell you that time before the job starts.
What causes cold floors in older Gastonia houses?
Usually it's a crawl space with bare dirt, no insulation under the floor, or insulation that's sagged and fallen out from between the joists. Damp ground keeps the space wet, and wet insulation under a floor stops doing much, so we deal with the moisture and lay a vapor barrier before we insulate. If something's leaking under there, that gets fixed first.
How do I tell if my attic needs more insulation?
If you can see the tops of the ceiling joists from the hatch, you don't have enough. Look at the edges near the eaves too, which are often the thinnest spot, and for anything wet or stained, because that has to come out before more goes in. I'll measure how many inches are up there when I come out.
Should I fix a roof leak before insulating my Gastonia attic?
Yes, get the leak fixed first. Insulation laid over a wet spot hides it until the ceiling stains or the framing starts to rot, and in a house you live in, you pay for that later. We'll show you where the water's getting in so your roofer knows where to look, and we replace the wet insulation once the roof is sound.
Plan your Gastonia insulation job with us
Call (980) 745-0005 any day between 6 AM and 11 PM or use the form, and tell us which room bothers you most, since that's usually where I start looking.