Air sealing services in State College PA - a tighter house that still breathes
Drafty rooms and cold floors usually mean hidden air leaks. We find them and close them, and your furnace still gets the air it needs.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What does air sealing do for a drafty house?
Air sealing services in State College find and close the gaps where air slips in and out of your house, around door frames, pipes, vents, wires, ducts and fans, so the drafts ease up and the heat you pay for stays inside.
Most of the calls we get at Apex State College Spray Foam Insulation come from older houses where the upstairs runs hot, the room over the garage never warms up or you can feel cold air along the floor. The price turns on how many leaks there are, where they hide and how much old insulation sits on top of them, because a leak buried under years of loose fill takes longer to reach than one you can see. The schedule depends on how easy the attic or crawl space is to get into and whether anything up there has to be fixed first, so I'd want to see it before guessing, and the written estimate I put together after looking at your house gives you your own figure.
How we handle air sealing services
Before we seal anything, I look at how your furnace, water heater and stove get their air, because a tighter house still has to breathe and those appliances need fresh air to vent properly. Next we check the attic for old knob and tube wiring, vermiculite, which is a loose, pebbly insulation from older homes, bath fans that blow into the attic instead of outside, and roof leaks, since any of those has to be dealt with before it gets covered up. Then our crew seals the openings in the attic floor around pipes, wires, can lights and the hatch with sealant, spray foam or rigid blocking, and only after that does any new insulation go down. We leave the soffit, ridge and gable vents and any combustion air ducts open on purpose, because they're meant to move air. I'll also point out the easy leaks you can fix yourself, so our time goes to the ones that are hard to find.
Leaks don't stop at the attic. The rim joist, the band of framing that sits on top of your foundation wall, is a common one, and we either seal it with rigid foam cut to fit and sealed at the edges or seal and insulate it in one step with closed-cell foam insulation. If you're warming up or finishing the space anyway, that work fits right in with basement insulation.
Sealing gaps, then topping up loose fill
This suits most attics, because caulk, foam and weatherstripping close the leaks and fresh blown-in insulation, loose fill blown through a hose, goes back over them. It usually costs less than foam and does the job well when nothing important runs through the attic.
Spray foam when ductwork is up there
If your ducts run through the attic, foam usually earns its higher price, because it seals air and insulates in a single layer. I'd want to see the attic before recommending it, since it's the costlier way to go.
Air sealing in State College and the permit question
In State College, building permits come from the Centre Region Code Administration, which also reviews and inspects building work across the Centre Region. The State College permit list names work like putting up a new structure or adding onto one, not air sealing, so that list doesn't settle whether your job needs a permit, and the code administration is the office to ask. Permit rules depend on your municipality, so we check with the office that covers your address, and where a permit applies, we prepare the paperwork, walk you through it and keep you posted on where it stands.
We're based in State College, and most of the houses we're called to around here are older, with drafty upstairs rooms or a remodel coming up. We see the same kinds of houses on jobs in Bellefonte and Lewistown, and if you don't see your city listed, please ask us.
Why State College homeowners call Apex State College Spray Foam Insulation for air sealing
I write every estimate myself
I come out to look at each job and write the estimate, our installers do the work, and I check it with you before we finish. You talk to the same person from the first visit to the last walk-through.
Learned the trade on local jobs
I spent several years as the right hand to another insulation contractor in this area, running jobs from the attic floor up, before I started this business in 2023. That's where I learned to explain each step before we take it.
Licensed and insured for this work
We're licensed and insured, which matters when a crew is working in your attic, crawl space or basement. Please ask to see the paperwork whenever you like.
What matters most on an air sealing job is doing the work in the right order, so nothing gets sealed or covered before it's ready. If you'd like us to take a look, please send us a note or call (814) 996-0002.
Request a quoteGet a free on-site estimate for air sealing your house
We reply within one business day, and there's no pressure and no obligation. After you send the form, I come out to look over your attic, basement or crawl space, go over what I find with you, and then write up the estimate.
What happens after you call us about air sealing
Call or send the form
You call (814) 996-0002 or fill out the form, and we get back to you to set up a visit. If you can, tell us what kind of furnace and water heater you have.
I look over your house
I come out myself, check the attic, basement or crawl space and how your heating appliances get their air, and go over what I find with you before anything is written up. You then get a written estimate that lays out the work, so you can decide with the price in front of you.
Our installers seal it up
We take care of the permit side where one applies, and our installers do the work in the order we talked through. I check the finished job with you before we call it done.
Frequently asked questions
How much does air sealing cost in State College, PA?
Air sealing with caulk, spray foam and weatherstripping usually costs about $500 to $1,500 per job across the US, so treat that as a national guide, not our price. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your own house once I've seen it, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Can I seal air leaks in my house myself?
Yes, you can handle the obvious leaks yourself, like gaps around door frames and the spots where pipes, vents and wires pass through outside walls. The small, hard-to-find leaks, especially in an attic that already has insulation, are the part a contractor is better set up to find and close.
Is air sealing safe in a home with a gas furnace?
Yes, as long as the fresh air check comes first. A furnace, water heater or stove that's short on oxygen may release carbon monoxide into the house, which is why working out how much fresh air your home needs is the first step before any sealing starts.
How do I know if air sealing actually worked?
Ask for blower door test results from before and after the work. A blower door is a fan set in an outside doorway that pulls air through the house and shows where it leaks, and the Building Performance Institute requires its certified pros to run that test before and after air sealing. You can also ask whether the person assessing your house holds a BPI Building Analyst or RESNET HERS Rater certification, the nationally recognized ones for this work.
Is there help paying for air sealing in Pennsylvania?
Yes, two programs are worth checking if your household income qualifies. Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania offers customers at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level a free home energy audit and up to $3,600 in instant rebates, including for air sealing, with audits handed out first-come, first-served. The state's Weatherization Assistance Program offers blower door guided air sealing and insulation to residents at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, with priority for elderly residents, people with disabilities, families with children and high energy users.
How long does air sealing take in an older house?
It depends mostly on how easy the attic or crawl space is to get into and how much old insulation sits on top of the leaks, so I'd want to see it before I give you a time. If the old insulation is soaked or full of droppings and has to come out first, that adds to the job, and I'll tell you about it during the estimate.
Other work that often goes with air sealing
Basement insulation
If you're planning to finish the basement or it just feels cold down there, insulating its walls makes the space more usable and can take the chill off the floors above it.
Closed-cell foam insulation
When a spot needs to block air and moisture at once, like a rim joist or a crawl space wall, this dense foam does both in one layer and costs more.
State College, PA
Book your air sealing estimate today
Call (814) 996-0002 or use the form, and if you already know of a roof leak, an old bath fan or anything else odd in the attic, tell us so I come out ready to look at it.