Retrofit insulation in State College PA - warmer rooms in the house you already have
Drafty rooms, a hot upstairs, a climbing power bill? We add insulation to your existing attic and walls so the house holds its heat.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
How do you add insulation to a house that's already built?
Retrofit insulation adds insulation to the attic or walls of a house that's already built. In State College, it's how we help older homes with drafty rooms, cold floors and heating and cooling bills that run high.
Most of the calls we get at Apex State College Spray Foam Insulation come from people in older houses where the upstairs runs hot in summer, the floors are cold in winter and you can feel air coming in around the outlets. The price mostly comes down to whether we're doing the attic, the walls or both, how much area that is, how many gaps need sealing and whether anything old has to come out first. The schedule turns on what we find once we're looking, because any repairs the attic needs come before the insulation. I'd want to see the house first, and the written estimate gives you the figure for your own home.
How we do retrofit insulation, one step at a time
Older homes come with surprises, so the first thing I ask is when your house was built. Then I look for old wiring, vermiculite and roof leaks before planning anything, because each of those changes what we can safely do. From there we start where you'll feel the difference most, which is usually the attic. Our crew begins with air sealing, closing the gaps around recessed lights, pipes, wires and the attic hatch, since insulation laid over an open gap is just fighting a draft. Then we add insulation evenly out to the edges and keep the vents at the eaves clear so the attic can still breathe. If the walls need it too, we do them after the attic.
Retrofit work overlaps with a few of our other services. When the attic is the whole job, our attic insulation page goes into it in more detail. Where foam is the better fit, we install spray foam insulation instead of loose fill.
Air sealing and a blown-in top-up
This suits most attics. We seal the gaps and then add blown-in insulation, which is loose fill blown through a hose, over what's already there as long as the old layer is dry and clean. Sealing gaps and adding attic insulation is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve an existing house, and it can also help keep moisture, dust and pests out.
Spray foam where ducts run overhead
Foam costs more, but it seals air while it insulates, which matters when your ductwork lives in the attic. If your ducts aren't up there, I'll usually steer you toward sealing and loose fill instead, because that does the job for less.
Insulating the walls you already have
This suits houses whose exterior walls were never insulated, where rooms along the outside walls stay chilly however high the heat is set. We usually plan walls after the attic, once the biggest gaps overhead are closed.
Retrofit insulation permits and older homes in State College
In the Borough of State College, building permits come from the Centre Region Code Administration. It reviews, permits and inspects building work for the boroughs of State College and Bellefonte and the townships of College, Ferguson, Harris, Halfmoon and Patton. Its permit list names new structures and additions, not insulation work, so the list alone doesn't settle whether your job needs a permit, and that's a question for the office that covers your address. Inside the borough, a building permit is also approved by the Borough Engineer's Office and the Planning Department. We check with the right office for every job, and where a permit applies, we prepare the paperwork, walk you through it and keep you posted on where it stands.
Central Pennsylvania winters are long, and many of the houses we work in have a thin, uneven layer in the attic and walls that were never filled. We see the same kinds of older houses on jobs in Bellefonte and Tyrone. We work across the cities around State College too, so if you don't see yours listed, please ask us.
Why State College homeowners call Apex State College Spray Foam Insulation for retrofit insulation
I write every estimate myself
I come out to look at each house and write the estimate myself, and our installers do the work. Before we call it finished, I check the job with you, and the work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Learned the trade in this area
Before I started this business in 2023, I spent several years as the right hand to another insulation contractor in this area, running jobs from the attic floor up. The older houses and attics around here aren't new to me.
Fresh air and appliances discussed first
Before we seal anything, I talk through fresh air in the house, any gas or oil appliances and whether you'll need time away from home. A tighter house changes how air moves, so I'd rather settle those questions with you before the work than after it.
Licensed and insured for attic work
We're licensed and insured. You're letting a crew work above your ceilings and around your wiring, and you shouldn't be the one carrying that risk.
If you're not sure whether to start with the attic or the walls, that's exactly what the visit is for. Please get in touch through our contact page or call (814) 996-0002.
Request a quoteRequest a written retrofit insulation estimate for your house
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a visit. I'll come out, look the house over and go over what I find with you. Then you get a free written estimate, with no pressure and no obligation.
What happens after you call about retrofit insulation
Call or send the form
Tell us a little about the house and which rooms bother you most, and we'll set a time for me to come out.
I look the house over
I check the attic, walls, basement or crawl space and go over what I find with you before anything is written up. Your written estimate lays out the work, the order it happens in and its price, so you can see what you're paying for.
We install, then I check
We take care of the permit side where one applies, and our installers do the work. I check the work before we call it finished.
Frequently asked questions
What does an attic insulation upgrade cost in Pennsylvania?
Upgrading a typical 1,500-square-foot attic with blown cellulose in Pennsylvania usually costs about $1,800 to $6,800 per job. That's a statewide figure for one attic size, so your own price can differ. The written estimate after my visit gives you the figure for your home.
How do you insulate existing walls without tearing them out?
Most existing walls are insulated by drill and fill, where insulation is blown into each wall cavity through small holes near the top. It's a common method and fairly uninvasive, and you can choose whether the holes go on the inside or the outside of your exterior walls. I'll go over which side makes more sense for your house during the visit.
What is the best way to handle vermiculite insulation in my attic?
The EPA advises assuming vermiculite may contain asbestos and leaving it undisturbed. If you decide to have it removed, the EPA says a trained, accredited asbestos abatement contractor should do it, separate from the company that assessed it. We don't disturb or remove it ourselves, and I'll talk through what it means for the rest of your plan.
Can new insulation go over knob-and-tube wiring in my attic?
No. The National Electrical Code doesn't allow insulation to be applied to or surround knob-and-tube wiring, the old system of single wires run on ceramic posts. If it's still live in your attic, it gets replaced or properly boxed before any insulation goes in, so I look for it on my first visit.
What happens before new attic insulation goes in?
The attic is usually inspected first for water leaks, moisture, structural or pest damage and enough ventilation, such as ridge or soffit vents. One attic quality checklist has the homeowner get a list of every needed repair before work begins, with ventilation problems handled before any sealing or insulating. That order matters to me, because new material laid over wet or droppings-filled insulation just keeps the problem.
Does a house built before 1980 change how insulation is done?
It can, because owners of homes built before 1980 should know about lead safety rules, and which ones apply depends on how much the wall work disturbs. That's one reason I ask when your house was built before planning any wall insulation.
Related insulation work
Spray foam insulation
For the room over the garage or a drafty crawl space wall, foam fills odd-shaped spaces and seals them where loose fill would slump or blow around.
Attic insulation
When the upstairs runs hot in summer and cold in winter, the attic is usually the place to start, with an even top-up that reaches all the way to the edges.
State College, PA
Request a retrofit insulation estimate today
Have the year your house was built handy, and let us know if you've spotted vermiculite or old wiring in the attic, so I can plan the visit around what's up there.