Hot rooms and a climbing power bill usually trace back to a thin, leaky attic. We seal it first, then add insulation.
Retrofit insulation means adding insulation to the attic or outside walls of a Las Cruces house that's already built. Done in the right order, it keeps hot rooms cooler and takes some of the load off your cooling.
Most calls start the same way. A bedroom or the room over the garage runs hot all summer, the power bill keeps climbing, and nobody has looked in the attic for years. When I get up there, I usually find a few inches of old insulation that has settled, gaps around the hatch and lights, and sometimes a problem that has to be fixed before anything new goes in.
The price depends on how much attic and wall area we're covering, how many inches are already up there, whether old material has to come out and how many gaps need sealing. The schedule depends on what has to happen first, like a repair, a test of old insulation or a permit. Your written estimate lays out each step, so you can see what you're paying for.
Most retrofit trouble comes from the same few mistakes, and none of them show from the hallway. These are the things I look for in the attic before I write anything down.
If the old insulation got soaked by a leak or is full of rodent droppings, laying fresh material on top just hides the problem. We look at what's up there first. If it has to come out, that goes in the estimate as its own step.
Every can light and pipe, plus the attic hatch, leaves a gap where air moves between the house and the attic. If those gaps stay open, the new insulation is fighting a draft. So air sealing, closing the gaps before insulating, comes before any fill goes down.
Blow insulation over the vents at the eaves and the attic stops breathing, so moisture can end up in the framing. A lot of attics also end up deep in the middle and thin at the edges, which is backward. We keep the vents clear and carry the full depth out to the walls.
Here's how a job runs from your first call to the day we pack up. I'm involved at every step, and you'll know what's coming next.
Call (575) 222-9021 or fill out the form. Tell us what's bothering you, whether that's a hot room, a high bill or an attic nobody has checked. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I come out myself, look over the space and write down what I see, including anything that needs repair before insulation goes in. You then get a written estimate that lays out each step in the order we'd do it.
Once any permit the job needs is in place, our crew does the repairs and sealing first and the insulation after, in the order the estimate shows. I run the job and keep you posted as it goes.
I go over the finished work before we pack up and look at the depth, the edges and the vents. Then I walk you through what we did and tell you if anything is worth keeping an eye on.
In an older house, I check the attic, the walls, the wiring and the ceiling lights before planning anything, and I ask when the home was built. The age tells me what might be up there. The wiring and lights tell me where insulation can and can't go. Then we lay out the attic and wall work in an order that makes sense for your house.
Most of the time the attic comes first, because it's the easiest place to add a lot of insulation and it's usually where the most heat gets in. That's often attic insulation, meaning loose fill over a sealed attic floor. Where the ductwork runs through the attic, spray foam insulation can make more sense, because it seals the air and insulates in one layer.
What we won't do is lay new insulation over a roof leak, bad wiring or gaps nobody sealed. I learned that on my old boss's crews, where anything done out of order got torn out and redone. If your house isn't ready yet, I'll tell you what has to happen first, and we'll plan around it.
If the budget won't stretch to everything at once, do the attic first, since that's usually where the gain is. The walls can follow later without redoing any of the attic work.
Spray foam seals and insulates in one pass, but it costs more. For most attics I'd seal the gaps and add loose fill. I'd only lean toward foam when the ducts run through the attic.
We reply within one business day to set up a free estimate at your house, and there's no obligation. I come out myself, look over the attic and walls, and write down what I see. Then you get a written estimate that lays out each step in order.
(575) 222-9021The City of Las Cruces says most building projects go through an application review before a permit is issued, and applications are filed through the city's online portal. Whether your retrofit job needs a permit depends on the work, so I check with the office that covers your address before we start. If it does, we apply, set up the inspections and keep you posted.
The state's residential energy code puts Las Cruces in climate zone 3B, the label the code uses for the local climate. Federal energy guidance says insulation added to an existing attic should meet or exceed what current code requires, and that's a fair yardstick to hold any quote up to.
Most calls we get around Las Cruces are about hot rooms, high cooling bills and attics nobody has opened in years. We're based in Las Cruces and do the same work in the cities around it, including Chaparral, Anthony and Canutillo, TX.
I learned this trade under an old-school boss who made me tear out and redo anything that wasn't right. I started this business in 2023 after years on his crews. I do every estimate visit myself. Our crew does the work, and I run each job and check it before we leave.
We're licensed and insured. If you want someone to look at the attic and walls before anyone quotes you a number, call (575) 222-9021 or send us a request. I'll tell you plainly what needs fixing first and what can wait.
If your ducts run through a hot attic, foam can seal the air and insulate in one layer.
If the walls can wait, a sealed and topped-up attic is usually the biggest single step you can take.
We're based in Las Cruces and work across the cities around it, including Chaparral, Anthony and Canutillo, TX. Every older house gets the same careful look before we plan anything.
I can only give you a figure after I've seen your attic and walls, because every house is different. The biggest factors are how much area we cover, whether old material has to come out, how much sealing is needed and whether you choose foam or loose fill. The written estimate breaks the cost down step by step.
Insulation slows heat but doesn't stop air, and air leaking up through the ceiling carries heat right past it. In an existing attic, blown insulation goes in after the attic floor is sealed. You can plan the job as two steps, sealing first and insulation second, and ask for both in the estimate.
The common way is drill and fill. Small holes go in near the top of each wall cavity, the hollow space between studs, and loose fill is blown in through them. The holes can go in from inside or outside, so you choose the side. If the work happens inside, the floor gets covered and the room gets closed off to keep the dust in.
Leave it alone until it's tested, because it may be vermiculite, a lightweight, pea-size mineral that can contain asbestos. An approved lab should test it before anyone disturbs it, and that comes ahead of any new work. If I see it on the estimate visit, I'll tell you, and we'll plan around the result.
Have the year your house was built handy, clear a path to the attic hatch and note any older recessed lights. Homes built before 1980 can fall under lead safety rules if walls get opened. Older can lights that aren't rated to touch insulation need it kept back all the way around, since contact is a fire hazard.
It depends on how much area we're covering and what has to happen first. A test of old insulation, a permit or old wiring can come ahead of our work. If the house still has knob and tube wiring, an older style of wiring, the electrical code doesn't allow insulation around it. Your estimate shows the steps in order.
Cellulose makers say properly installed cellulose can work well for decades, and it helps with noise too. A proper install is what makes it last that long, and that part is in our hands. Our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Go to the state licensing department's website, which points you to its license search, and look up the contractor by name. New Mexico requires anyone working as a contractor to be licensed. Insulation work falls under the state's insulation license class, which covers installing insulating material in or on buildings.
We take calls seven days a week from 7 AM to 10 PM, so call (575) 222-9021 whenever you have a minute.
