Spray foam insulation
Spray foam seals air and insulates in one pass, which suits tight spots like the slopes of a bonus room or the joint where an addition meets an older house.
Insulation contractor in Hillsborough, NC - warmer floors, cooler upstairs rooms
Sealcraft Durham Insulation Company is an insulation contractor working in Hillsborough, NC. We insulate and air seal attics, walls and crawl spaces, pull out wet or dirty old insulation, and spray foam where the house needs it.
Sealcraft Durham Insulation Company insulates and air seals homes across Hillsborough, from attics and walls down to crawl spaces. Air sealing is closing the gaps first so new insulation isn't fighting a draft. We also remove old insulation that's gone bad, spray foam where it earns its cost and work on commercial buildings.
Hillsborough houses and what we find in them
We're an insulation contractor based in Durham, and Hillsborough gives us two very different kinds of house. Near downtown, many are old enough that nobody framed them with insulation in mind. We usually find a few inches settled flat in the attic, with open gaps around the chimney, the pipes and the hatch, which is why a room stays drafty with insulation overhead.
Newer neighborhoods bring different calls, like a hot upstairs bedroom, a cold room over the garage or a power bill that climbs every July. Out on rural lots past the town limits, it's often cold floors over a crawl space. The fix is rarely just more insulation, so I go up or crawl under, show you what's there and tell you what I'd do first.
- Based in
- Durham, NC 27701
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
Insulation services for Hillsborough homes and buildings
Attic insulation
Most Hillsborough calls start in the attic. We check how many inches are up there now, seal the gaps, then bring coverage up evenly, edges included.
Blown-in insulation
Blown-in insulation is loose fill we blow through a hose, and it's the usual way to top up an open attic over an older house without tearing anything apart.
Home insulation
When the whole house feels drafty, I look at the attic, walls and crawl space together so you can see which one is costing you the most and fix that first.
Insulation removal
If a past roof leak or animals got into your attic, we vacuum the old material out and clean up first, so new insulation starts on a clean, dry surface.
Crawl space insulation
For cold floors over a crawl space, we replace sagging or fallen batts and insulate the floor or the crawl space walls, depending on how dry the space stays.
Wall insulation
Older Hillsborough houses often have thin or empty walls. We can fill them through small holes that get patched afterward, without opening up the whole wall.
Air sealing services
We close the gaps around pipes, wires, light fixtures and trim, so a drafty room stops pulling cold air in from the attic and the crawl space.
Basement insulation
Where a house sits on a basement, we insulate the walls and the band of framing on top of the foundation, which is where a lot of cold sneaks in.
Closed-cell foam insulation
Closed-cell foam is a dense foam that blocks moisture as well as heat, which makes it our pick for crawl space walls and spots that stay damp.
Open-cell foam insulation
Open-cell foam is softer and lighter, and it works well on the underside of the roof when ductwork runs through the attic and we're sealing that whole space.
Commercial insulation
Property managers call us for offices, shops and rental buildings, and we bring the same careful prep to big roofs and walls that we bring to a house attic.
Crawl space vapor barrier
A heavy plastic sheet over the crawl space dirt keeps ground moisture from rising into the floor and insulation above, and it's usually our first step down there.
Vapor barrier installation
We put vapor barriers where moisture is the real problem, like damp crawl spaces and basement walls, and leave them out where they'd trap water instead.
Attic air sealing
Before insulation goes in the attic, we seal around the hatch, can lights, plumbing pipes and wire holes, because insulation slows heat but does little against moving air.
Retrofit insulation
Retrofit work adds insulation to a finished house without gutting it, which suits Hillsborough homes that are lived in, plastered or just not worth tearing open.
Get a free on-site estimate for your Hillsborough house
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to Hillsborough myself, look at the attic or crawl space with you and write the estimate, which is free, comes with no obligation and is yours in writing. Then I walk you through each line.
(919) 246-8605How permits, timing and price work in Hillsborough
Orange County Planning & Inspections does all building permitting and inspections for the Town of Hillsborough. So whether your insulation job needs a permit is the county's call, not the town's. One home project can involve more than one county office, so when a permit is needed, our start date waits on the county.
Before we start, we check with the county about your address. Where a permit is needed, we handle the paperwork and meet the inspector. We work the same way in Mebane, Morrisville and the other cities around Durham, checking with whichever office covers the house.
The price turns on how big the space is, how hard it is to reach, how many inches are already there, whether old material has to come out and how many gaps need sealing. The schedule turns on the permit, any removal work and, with spray foam, the wait before you can go back inside. I put your own numbers in a written estimate.
How we work and why it matters
I came up on commercial insulation crews, spraying foam and fitting board in warehouses, schools and office buildings, and I learned there that most insulation problems trace back to a step somebody rushed. I started this business in Durham in 2013 to bring that same care to houses. We're best known for explaining what's going on in your attic or crawl space before we touch it.
I look at every job and write the estimate myself, and our trained installers do the work with a crew lead on site. We're licensed and insured, and every job is satisfaction guaranteed. I want you to understand your own house when we're done, so I'd rather lose a job by being straight with you than win it by skipping a step. Call (919) 246-8605 or fill out the estimate form to start.
What Hillsborough attics and crawl spaces tend to hide
These are the problems we look for on every Hillsborough house before we price the job. Each one changes what the work involves, so I'd rather show you than guess.
Old insulation that has to go
When old insulation has been soaked by a roof leak or is full of droppings, laying new material on top just buries the problem. The smell, the damp and the pests stay right where they were. We pull that layer out and clean up first, which costs more up front but means you're paying for insulation that does its job.
Vents buried at the roof edge
Most attics breathe through vents along the roof edge, and a crew blowing insulation in a hurry often covers them. Then moist air sits in the attic and shows up later as damp or stained framing. We set baffles first, small chutes that hold a channel open to each vent, before any new insulation goes down.
Thin at the edges, deep in the middle
It's easy to pile insulation where you can stand and skimp where the roof gets low, but the edges over the outside walls are where heat moves most. That's how a room stays hot upstairs while the middle of the attic looks deep. Our crew works out to the edges first and fills back toward the hatch.
Damp crawl spaces in summer
A crawl space can stay damp through a humid Hillsborough summer, and batts in the floor above sag and fall once they get wet. That's usually how you end up with cold floors in winter. We start by getting the moisture under control, often with a vapor barrier, and only then decide what goes in the floor or walls.
Insulation questions we hear in Hillsborough
Where do I start a building permit for my house in Hillsborough, NC?
Residential permits for Hillsborough start on the county's Permit Portal, its entry point for all residential and commercial building permits. If you want to ask the county yourself, Building Inspections answers at 919-245-2600. If your insulation job needs a permit, that paperwork is ours to handle.
How much does it cost to insulate an attic in Hillsborough, NC?
I can give you a real number once I've been up in your attic, because the cost depends on what's there now and what has to come out. Spray foam costs more than loose fill but seals air while it insulates. For most attics, sealing the gaps and topping up loose fill is the better buy, unless your ductwork runs up there.
How long will the insulation crew be in my attic?
That depends on the size of the attic, whether old insulation has to come out first and how many gaps need sealing, so I'll talk it through with you at the estimate. Removal and air sealing are usually the slower parts, because they're careful work in a tight space.
Do we have to leave the house during spray foam insulation?
With spray foam, usually yes, so plan for kids and pets to be out until the re-entry time the foam maker sets for coming back inside has passed. We follow that maker's time. For blown-in insulation and air sealing, you can usually stay home while we work.
How should I get ready for an insulation estimate?
Clear a path to the attic hatch and the crawl space door so I can get in and look around. It helps to know which rooms run hot or cold and when, and to have a recent power bill handy. You don't need to empty the attic for the estimate, only before the work itself.
Call about your Hillsborough attic or crawl space
We answer (919) 246-8605 until 10 PM on weekdays and from 6 AM on weekends, so you can call after work or send the form whenever it suits you.