Insulation Contractor in Orchard Homes, MT - Warm Floors and Sealed Attics
Summit Missoula Spray Foam Insulation is an insulation contractor based in Missoula, working in Orchard Homes on attics, crawl spaces and walls. We seal the leaks first and then add insulation so older houses here stay warmer.
Orchard Homes: river ground and older houses
Orchard Homes sits just west of Missoula, with the city bordering it on the east and the Clark Fork running along it. Part of the old Orchard Homes area is what the city now calls its River Road neighborhood, which runs from Russell Street to Reserve Street and from the river up to South Third Street West. The houses we see out here are mostly older, a lot of them added onto over the years, with low attics, crawl spaces and the odd room built over a garage.
With the river this close, the ground under a lot of these houses can stay damp, and that moisture works its way into crawl spaces and old insulation. That's why I look under the floor as carefully as I look in the attic, because new insulation over a wet or drafty floor only fixes half the house.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Insulation work we do in Orchard Homes
Attic insulation
Older attics here usually have a few settled inches and drafts at the hatch. Our attic insulation seals those leaks first, then fills evenly out to the eaves.
Attic air sealing
Additions here leak where old and new framing meet, and around can lights and pipes. We seal those gaps before any insulation covers them.
Insulation removal
Old insulation here can be damp or full of droppings, and covering it hides the problem. We pull it out before anything new goes in.
Crawl space insulation
Cold floors in older houses here usually trace back to an uninsulated crawl space. We insulate the walls or the floor above it, depending on how it's built.
Crawl space vapor barrier
Ground near the river can keep crawl spaces damp, which gets into framing and insulation. We seal a plastic barrier over the dirt to hold that moisture down.
Closed-cell foam insulation
Rooms over garages here often run cold because loose fill can't seal their gaps. Closed-cell foam is dense and blocks moisture, so it seals and insulates at once.
Working in Orchard Homes, inside and outside city limits
The first thing I sort out on any Orchard Homes job is who issues the permit, because that depends on which side of the Missoula city limits your house sits. Inside the city, the city's Development Services staff take the application and follow the project until it's final, and for land outside the city, the city sends people to the Missoula County Building Division. I check with whichever one covers your address, tell you what they say and take care of any permit the work needs before we start, so their answer is often what sets our start date. It's also worth asking any contractor for their state license, since Montana now requires every construction contractor to be licensed with the Department of Labor & Industry. We're licensed and fully insured.
We're based in Missoula and work all through Orchard Homes and the cities around it, inside and outside city limits. I come out to look at each house myself and I work alongside our crew on the install, the same way I did when I was framing. What moves your price and your schedule is what's already in the attic and crawl space, how much of it has to come out and how many gaps need sealing, and I can only tell you that once I've had my head up through your hatch, which is what the estimate is for.
Get a free on-site insulation estimate for your Orchard Homes house
Call (406) 317-4027 or send the form, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Orchard Homes house myself, look at the attic and crawl space with you and explain what I find, with no obligation to go ahead.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Insulation for Orchard Homes houses
Insulation questions from Orchard Homes homeowners
How do I find out if insulating my house in Orchard Homes needs a permit?
Ask before any work starts, because the city's permit list names common jobs like roofing, siding and decks and doesn't settle insulation one way or the other. The city's Building Division asks people to call 406-552-6630 before starting any work to learn whether a permit applies. You don't have to make that call yourself, since we check on every job and handle any permit before we begin.
How much does insulation cost for a house in Orchard Homes?
There's no flat price, because your cost comes down to the size of the attic or crawl space, how much is already up there and whether old material has to come out first. Pulling out soaked or droppings-filled insulation, sealing a lot of leaks or choosing spray foam all push it up, while topping up a dry attic that's partly done keeps it lower. I'll give you your own figure after I've looked at the house.
What causes cold floors in older Orchard Homes houses?
Cold floors usually come from a crawl space with little or no insulation and gaps that let outside air under the house. The city's building criteria put frost depth at 3 feet, so the ground under your floor gets very cold in winter, and an open crawl space pulls that cold right up into the rooms. We seal the gaps, put down a vapor barrier where the ground is damp and insulate the crawl space walls or the floor above.
What should I do with insulation that got wet when the Clark Fork flooded Orchard Homes?
Get it out before anything new goes in, because wet insulation holds moisture against the framing and new material laid on top just hides it. Orchard Homes was hit hard when the Clark Fork rose at the end of April, and several homes were evacuated and damaged. If your crawl space or basement took on water, we remove the soaked material, let the space dry, check the framing and then insulate.
What is the best way to insulate an older house in Orchard Homes?
For most older houses here, sealing the air leaks and then topping up the attic with blown-in insulation, loose fill we blow in through a hose, is the best value. Foam costs more but seals and insulates in one step, so I recommend it when the ductwork runs through the attic. Either way the order matters, so we fix anything wet, seal the gaps, keep the eave vents clear and make sure the edges get as much coverage as the middle.
Do we have to leave our Orchard Homes house while you insulate the attic?
With blown-in insulation and air sealing you can usually stay home, though kids and pets are best kept away from the attic hatch while we work. Spray foam is different, because everyone, pets included, stays out until the re-entry time, the wait the foam maker sets before you can come back in, and I'll give you that time before we book so you can plan around it. How long our crew is there depends on the size of the job and what we find once the attic is open.