Attic air sealing in Missoula MT - gaps closed before the insulation goes on
Cold rooms upstairs and a power bill that keeps climbing? We close the leaks in your attic floor so the heat stays in your rooms.
What does attic air sealing do for a drafty Missoula house?
Attic air sealing in Missoula closes the gaps in your attic floor around pipes, wires, light fixtures and the attic hatch, so heated air from your rooms stops slipping up into the attic. Good sealing saves energy, brings down fuel bills and helps keep moisture out of the attic, and it's the planned first step before any new insulation goes on.
Is the upstairs bedroom always a few degrees colder than the rest of the house? Most calls I get come from folks in older houses with cold floors and a heating bill that won't come down, and the attic is usually where that heat is going. Coming from framing, I think of the ceiling under your attic as a wall with a hole drilled for every wire, pipe and fan, and each one lets warm air out. What moves the price and the schedule is how big the attic is, how many openings there are, how much stored stuff and flooring we have to work around, and whether something has to be repaired or tested before we can seal. If you're also thinking about new attic insulation, we plan the two together so nothing gets covered before it's sealed, and your written estimate lays out each step and why it's there.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Attic sealing and insulation work
How we do attic air sealing, step by step
It starts before anyone climbs up. Most of this work happens on the attic floor, so I talk with you about what's stored up there and any flooring that has to come up, and if those boards are doing structural work, we put that support back another way first, the way I would have on a framing crew. Then we clear back the old insulation enough to find the openings, and if it's soaked or full of droppings, it comes out instead of getting buried under something new. We seal around every pipe, wire, light fixture and the hatch, using caulk for small cracks, foam for the bigger gaps and a stiff board cut to fit for the big open holes, so the patch won't sag later. We leave the vents that are meant to breathe open, keep the eaves clear so the attic can still move air, and clean up before anything goes on top.
Sealing is the half of the job you never see, and it's what lets the insulation over it do its work. In older houses we often pair it with retrofit insulation to bring thin or patchy coverage up, carried evenly out to the edges instead of piled in the middle. Foam is the other way to go. Spray foam insulation costs more and seals air while it insulates, but for most attics I'd rather seal the gaps and top up with blown-in fill, the loose kind we blow in through a hose, unless your ductwork runs up there, where foam usually earns its price.
Why Missoula homeowners call Summit Missoula Spray Foam Insulation for attic air sealing
I climb into every attic
I come out to look at each job myself, and I'm up there alongside our crew on the install too. Years of framing houses before I switched to insulation mean I know where the hidden gaps around walls, pipes and flues tend to be before we pull anything back.
Sealed first, then covered
We've run our own company since 2023 on attic work done in order, with the leaks closed before anything goes over them. New insulation laid on top of a problem just hides it, and you'd still be paying to heat the attic.
Permits checked with city or county
Before work starts, I check with the City of Missoula or the Missoula County Building Division, tell you what they said and take care of any permit the job needs. We work in Missoula and Orchard Homes, inside and outside city limits, so you don't have to sort out which office covers your house.
Licensed and fully insured, every job
We're licensed and fully insured for the work we do in your attic. That matters when people are walking on joists over your ceilings, and I'm happy to go over it when I come out.
What matters most up there is the order things happen in, so nothing new ends up covering a problem. When you're ready, send us a request or call (406) 317-4027, and have a few notes handy on how you get into the attic, what insulation you see, what's stored up there and any gas or oil appliances.
Get a free written estimate for sealing your attic
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come look at your attic. The estimate is free, done in person, and comes with no obligation.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What happens after you call about sealing your Missoula attic?
Call or send a request
Call (406) 317-4027 or send the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out to your house. We answer the phone every day from 8 AM to 9 PM, so an evening call is fine.
Walk the attic together
I go through the attic with you and look at the insulation, the openings, the vents and anything that needs fixing first, and I'll ask plenty of questions about how the house feels. Then you get a written estimate that explains each step and why it's there, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.
Fix first, then seal
On the job we handle whatever has to come first, like moving stored things or lifting flooring, then seal the openings and add insulation if it's in your plan. I work alongside our crew on the install, so the person who looked at your attic is the one making the calls up there.
Clean up and walk through
We clean up the attic and the area around the hatch, then walk through the finished work with you. You'll see what got sealed and which vents we left open on purpose.
Attic air sealing questions from Missoula homeowners
How much does attic air sealing cost in Missoula?
I can't give you a fair number until I've been up in your attic, because no two attics have the same leaks or the same things in the way. The biggest swings come from old insulation that has to come out first, repairs that turn up, and whether you go with foam or with sealing plus loose fill. After the visit you get your own figure in writing.
What is the best way to air seal an attic before adding insulation?
Seal the openings in the attic floor first and insulate second, whenever you're insulating an existing vented attic. That's why we book the sealing as step one of the same job, because once new insulation is down, the gaps are buried and the draft keeps running underneath it.
What has to be fixed in the attic before air sealing starts?
A leaking roof, active knob and tube wiring, which is old wiring on porcelain knobs that's still live, bathroom fans that blow into the attic instead of outside, and flooring on the attic floor all get dealt with before sealing, as the national attic sealing guide lays out. If your furnace or water heater burns gas or oil and vents through a natural draft chimney, the guide also says it needs combustion air straight from outside, and if that's missing, a mechanical or plumbing contractor adds it first. Homes with those appliances need carbon monoxide detectors too, so ask us to check yours while we're there.
How do I handle vermiculite insulation before air sealing my attic?
Get it tested before anyone seals or insulates, because vermiculite, the gray-brown pebbly fill in some older houses, may contain asbestos. In Missoula you contact the State Department of Health for advice, and we hold off on sealing until you know what you've got.
Which attic vents should stay open after air sealing?
Soffit vents at the eaves, ridge vents along the peak, gable vents in the end walls and any combustion air ducts all stay open, because they're meant to move air. Block them and the attic stops breathing, which is when moisture starts showing up in the framing.
Who is allowed to do attic air sealing in Montana?
A licensed construction contractor, because Montana requires every construction contractor to be licensed with the Montana Department of Labor & Industry. Under state law that covers anyone who alters, repairs or improves a building for someone else as an independent business, with some exceptions the state sets, so it's worth checking a contractor's license before you hire.
Insulation contractor in nearby areas
Work that goes with attic air sealing
Retrofit insulation
Older Missoula houses often have thin or patchy insulation in the walls and attic, and adding more once the leaks are closed is how you feel the difference.
Spray foam insulation
Rooms over the garage and attics with ductwork running through them are where spray foam earns its higher cost, since it blocks air and slows heat in one layer.