A free insulation inspection is a visit to your home where we look at what is in your walls and attic now. We measure the walls and attic, take photos of what we find, talk with you about the rooms that bother you, and give you a written price for the work that makes sense, with no obligation to go ahead.
This time of year, a lot of homeowners in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls have just lived through the first cold weeks of the season. The back bedroom is chilly again, the furnace seems to run nonstop, and it is time to get a real answer before December.
If you have never had anyone look at your insulation, the idea of a stranger in your attic can feel like a big step. Here is what the visit actually looks like, start to finish.
Why get an insulation inspection at all?
Most of the insulation in your home is hidden. It sits inside closed walls and under a layer of dust in an attic you rarely visit. You can feel the symptoms, like cold walls, drafts and uneven rooms, but you cannot see the cause.
ENERGY STAR estimates that 9 out of 10 homes in the U.S. are under-insulated. In older homes, especially those built before 1980, walls were often left empty or thinly filled, and attics were built to standards far below what ENERGY STAR recommends today. An inspection turns guesswork into a clear picture of what your house has and what it is missing.
What happens when the inspector first arrives?
The visit starts with a conversation. Before anyone climbs a ladder, we want to hear from you about how the house behaves.
Expect questions like these:
- Which rooms are too cold in winter or too hot in summer?
- Where do you feel drafts?
- How do you heat the home, and has your heating bill changed?
- Have you done any insulation, siding, roofing or remodeling work in the past?
- How long do you plan to stay in the house?
Your answers shape where we look hardest. A cold room over the garage points somewhere different than a hot upstairs or a drafty front room, and you know your house better than anyone.
How are the walls checked?
Next, we look at the exterior walls. We measure them, note how the home is built and what is on the outside, whether that is lap siding, shingles, stucco or brick, and check what is in the walls where we can.
Homes in established neighborhoods like the South Hill, Logan, Browne's Addition and Sanders Beach in Coeur d'Alene often have walls with little or nothing inside them. Others have old insulation that has settled and left an empty band near the top of each cavity. Knowing which situation you have is the whole point.
If your walls need help, Premium Injection Wall Foam goes in from the outside through small access holes, behind a removed strip of siding or in the mortar joints on brick. The holes are plugged and patched, and your interior drywall and plaster stay in place. During the inspection we look at the details that affect that work, such as siding type, additions and any spots where the walls are built differently.
What happens in the attic?
The attic is often where the biggest opportunity hides, so we take a careful look. We measure the depth of the existing insulation in several spots, because attics are rarely even. Areas near the hatch, under old storage and along the eaves are common thin spots.
We also look for the things that affect what the attic needs:
- Air leaks around recessed lights, plumbing stacks, chimneys, wiring holes and the hatch
- Whether the soffit vents at the eaves are open or blocked
- Recessed lights, flues and other items that need clearance from insulation
- Signs of moisture or past roof leaks
- Bathroom fan vents and duct runs passing through the space
ENERGY STAR recommends R-49 to R-60 in the attic for our climate zone, depending on how much is already there. Your measurements show how close your attic is to that range.
Why are photos part of the visit?
Photos let you see your own attic and walls without climbing up there yourself. Instead of taking our word for it, you can look at the thin spots, the gaps and the condition of what is there.
They also make it easier to compare options and talk things over with your family after we leave. If you are weighing the walls against the attic, or deciding what to do now and what to do later, photos keep the conversation grounded in what is actually in your house.
What do you get at the end of the inspection?
You get a written price for the work that makes sense for your home. That might be one service, like Blown-In Attic Insulation with Attic Air Sealing, or a combination. When walls, attic and air leaks all need attention, the Ultimate Home Comfort approach looks at the whole house together.
We also walk you through why we recommend what we do. If the attic is the bigger gap, we will say so. If a part of the house is already in decent shape, we will tell you that too. You should leave the visit understanding your home better, whether or not you move forward.
If you want to spread out the cost, financing is available through independent lending partners, subject to lender approval. We can explain how that works during the visit.
Is the inspection really free, and is there pressure to sign?
Yes, the in-home insulation inspection is free. The written price is yours to keep and think over. Take the time you need, talk it over, and call us back with any questions.
A good inspection should feel like getting information. If anything we find calls for a different kind of contractor, such as a roofer for an active leak or an HVAC contractor for a duct problem, we will tell you that as well.
Why does late fall make sense for an inspection in the Inland Northwest?
Spokane County and Kootenai County sit in Climate Zone 5, with long, cold winters. Early November is often when the first hard freezes arrive and homeowners notice which rooms lag behind. That makes it one of the easiest times to point at a problem and say, "this one."
The weeks before December are also when many homeowners start planning projects before the holidays and the deepest cold. Getting an inspection now means you know what your house needs while the season's cold rooms are fresh in your mind, whether you live in Hillyard, Mead, Hayden, Rathdrum or Midtown Coeur d'Alene.
First steps: how to get ready for your inspection
- Write down your problem rooms. Note which rooms run cold, hot or drafty, and when it happens, so nothing gets forgotten during the visit.
- Pull up a few recent energy bills. A winter bill and a summer bill side by side help explain how hard your heating is working.
- Find your attic access. Clear a path to the hatch, whether it is in a closet, hallway or garage, so it can be reached easily.
- Gather what you know about the house. The year it was built, any past insulation work, and siding or roof replacements all help.
- Make a short list of questions. Think about what matters most to you, whether that is comfort in one room, the whole house, or how the work is done.
- Plan for the right people to be there. If more than one person makes decisions about the home, try to have everyone at the visit so they hear the same explanation.
Know what your house needs before winter settles in
An insulation inspection is the simplest way to stop guessing about cold rooms and high bills. You see your walls and attic through photos, you hear what we would do and why, and you get a written price to think over on your own time. Schedule your free insulation inspection with USA Insulation of Spokane-CDA, and we will show you what is really going on inside your walls and attic.
