Spray foam insulation
Spray foam fills odd framing and tight spots that rolls and loose fill can't reach, like a vaulted ceiling or the room over the garage, and it seals air as it goes.
Insulation contractor in Durham, NC - fewer drafts, cooler rooms upstairs
Sealcraft Durham Insulation Company is an insulation contractor in Durham, NC. We insulate attics, walls and crawl spaces for homeowners dealing with drafty rooms, a hot upstairs or a power bill that keeps climbing, and we handle commercial buildings too.
Sealcraft Durham Insulation Company insulates Durham homes from the attic down to the crawl space, and I started the business here in 2013. Most calls are about attics, walls in older houses, cold floors and air sealing, which is closing the gaps that let air slip right past your insulation.
What we find in Durham attics and crawl spaces
Durham keeps us busy with a real mix of houses, from older homes with plaster walls and small attic hatches to newer neighborhoods with big open attics and ductwork running across them. Each one loses heat in its own way, so I start every job by climbing up or crawling under and looking around before I put a number on paper.
Homeowners usually call about one room, like the hot bedroom upstairs or the room over the garage, and property managers call about offices and shops. Either way, I'll explain what I found and why we'd do things in a certain order, because a house you understand is easier to look after. We do the same work in Chapel Hill and Raleigh.
- Based in
- Durham, NC 27701
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
Insulation services we offer in Durham
Attic insulation
If the upstairs runs hot or there are only a few inches left in the attic, we clear what has to go, seal the gaps and bring the depth up evenly all the way to the eaves.
Blown-in insulation
Blown-in insulation is loose fill blown through a hose, and it's usually the most practical way to top up an open attic without tearing anything out.
Home insulation
When the whole house feels drafty and you're not sure where to start, we look at the attic, walls and crawl space together and tell you which to fix first.
Insulation removal
Old insulation that's soaked, matted or full of droppings has to come out before anything new goes in, or the new layer just sits on the same problem.
Crawl space insulation
Cold floors in winter usually start in the crawl space, so we insulate between the floor joists and close the gaps where pipes and wires come up through the floor.
Wall insulation
Older houses often have empty or half-filled outside walls, and we can usually fill them through small holes instead of opening up your finished rooms.
Air sealing services
We close the cracks around pipes, wiring, ducts and chimneys that let heated and cooled air slip out of the house, which is often why one room never feels right.
Basement insulation
Basement walls give up heat to the ground around them, so we insulate them in a way that handles moisture, especially if you're planning to finish the space.
Closed-cell foam insulation
Closed-cell foam is dense foam that also blocks moisture, so it's our pick for rim joists, the board that rings the top of the foundation, and for damp crawl space walls.
Open-cell foam insulation
Open-cell foam is lighter and softer, expanding to fill odd gaps along a roofline or inside interior walls, and it quiets sound between rooms better than the dense kind.
Commercial insulation
Property managers call us for offices, shops and other commercial buildings where drafts and high bills land on tenants, and we plan the work around the hours the building is in use.
Crawl space vapor barrier
A heavy plastic sheet over the bare dirt keeps ground moisture out of the crawl space air, which protects the floor framing and any insulation above it.
Vapor barrier installation
In basements and walls where moisture moves through, a vapor barrier in the right spot keeps it from soaking the insulation or showing up later as damp framing.
Attic air sealing
Before we add an inch in the attic, we seal around the hatch, can lights and plumbing pipes, because warm air rising through those gaps undoes the insulation laid around them.
Retrofit insulation
Retrofit work adds insulation to a finished house without gutting it, which is how we usually bring an older home closer to how a newer one holds heat.
Get a free written insulation estimate in Durham
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Durham home myself, look at the attic, walls or crawl space, and write the estimate, which is free, on site and comes with no obligation. You get it in writing, and I go over every line with you.
(919) 246-8605Working in Durham, from permits to pricing
In Durham, building permits come from City-County Building & Safety, which also handles plan review and inspections for both the city and the county. It requires a permit for any project that includes load-bearing work or runs over $40,000 in market value. When a job crosses either line, the permit and its inspection go into the schedule, so the start date waits on them.
Before we start, we check with the permit office that covers your address, since we work well past Durham, in Cary, Burlington and the other cities around it. That way the permit question gets settled up front instead of in the middle of your job.
Price comes down to how much area needs work, whether old insulation has to come out first, how much air sealing the house needs and whether you choose foam or loose fill. A tight attic or a low crawl space slows the crew down, too. The schedule turns on that same removal and prep, plus any permit, and your written estimate lists each piece.
Why we explain your attic before we touch it
I came up on commercial insulation crews, spraying foam and fitting board in warehouses, schools and office buildings, and that's where I learned that most insulation problems trace back to a step someone rushed. I started Sealcraft in Durham in 2013 to bring that care to houses. We're licensed and insured, and our trained installers do the work with a crew lead on site.
What we're known for is telling you what's going on in your attic or crawl space before any work starts. If I find soaked insulation or buried eave vents, I'll show you and say so plainly, even when that means a smaller job for us. We back the work with one promise, satisfaction guaranteed. When you're ready, call (919) 246-8605 or send us the form.
How Durham houses shape the insulation job
Most of what we do in Durham comes down to four situations we run into again and again. Here's what each one means for your house and how we handle it.
Thin layers in older attics
In older Durham houses we usually find a few inches of insulation that's settled over the years, and sometimes it's damp or full of droppings. I measure how deep it is and check its condition before quoting, because fresh material laid over a bad layer keeps the problem in the house. Clean, dry insulation can usually stay where it is and get topped up.
Drafts in newer homes
Newer houses often have plenty of insulation and still run hot upstairs, because air slips past it around can lights, plumbing, wiring and the attic hatch. More inches won't stop a draft. We seal those gaps first, then even out the coverage so it's as deep near the eaves as in the middle, without burying the vents that let the attic breathe.
Ductwork living in the attic
Foam costs more than loose fill, but it seals air while it insulates. For most attics I'd seal the gaps and top up the loose fill, because it does the job for less money. The exception is when your ducts run through the attic, since foam along the roofline brings them inside the insulated space. I'll tell you which side your house falls on.
Cold floors over crawl spaces
A lot of homes here sit over a crawl space, and when the floors are cold in winter, that's where we look first. We check for moisture before anything else, since insulation hung over damp ground soaks up water and sags. Depending on what we find, the fix is a vapor barrier on the dirt, insulation between the joists, closed-cell foam on the walls or some mix of those.
Questions Durham homeowners ask about insulation
How much does insulation cost in Durham, NC?
Your price comes from a written estimate after I've looked at the space, because two attics the same size can need very different work. The biggest swings come from pulling out old wet or dirty insulation and from choosing foam over loose fill, which costs more. I go through each line with you so you can see where the money goes.
How long will the insulation crew be in my attic?
The time in your attic mostly comes down to whether old insulation has to come out and how much air sealing your house needs, more than the attic's size. A simple top-up over clean material moves a lot faster than a full removal. Ask me during the estimate visit and I'll tell you what to expect for your house.
Do we have to leave the house during spray foam insulation?
Yes for spray foam, and usually no for blown-in insulation. With foam, you, the kids and the pets stay out while it's sprayed and until the re-entry time passes, which is how long the foam needs before it's safe to come back in. We follow the foam maker's instructions on that and tell you the time before the job starts.
How do I get my house ready for attic insulation?
Clear a path to the attic hatch and move anything stored up there, because the crew needs the whole attic floor to seal gaps and lay insulation evenly. If the hatch is in a closet, empty that closet too. We cover the floors along the path and clean up when we're done.
Should old attic insulation be removed before adding new insulation?
Only if it's wet, moldy or full of droppings, because new insulation laid on top of bad material keeps the problem in your house. Clean, dry insulation can usually stay and get topped up, which saves you the cost of removal. I'll show you what I find and measure how many inches are already up there.
Who handles the permit for an insulation job in Durham?
We do. Where your job needs a permit, we handle the paperwork and meet the inspector, so you don't lose a morning waiting at home. The city's building department takes plan reviews for homes and businesses alike through digital submission on its website, and we file there for you.
Tell us which room feels wrong
Call (919) 246-8605 until 10 PM on weekdays or 9 PM on weekends, or send the form and tell me which room bothers you most, so I know where to look first when I come out.