Air sealing services in Newport News VA - fewer drafts, with fresh air planned in
Drafty rooms, a hot upstairs or a climbing power bill usually trace back to gaps under the attic insulation, and we find and close them.
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Why is my upstairs drafty when the attic is already insulated?
Air sealing services in Newport News find the gaps where air moves between your rooms and the attic, around pipes, wires, light fixtures and the hatch, and close them so the insulation you already have can slow heat instead of letting air slip right past it. Most of those gaps sit under the old insulation, where nobody sees them.
If the room over the garage won't hold heat, the floors feel cold or the power bill keeps going up even though there's insulation up there, leaks are a likely cause, and they're worth sealing before anyone sells you more attic insulation. The price mostly turns on how much old insulation has to be moved to reach the gaps, how many openings there are and how easy your attic is to get around in, while the schedule turns on whether anything has to be fixed before sealing can start. The estimate lays out that order for your house.
How we do air sealing in your attic
I look the attic over before anyone seals a thing, checking for live knob and tube wiring, the old cloth-wrapped kind, for vermiculite, a pebbly gray-brown loose fill, and for roof leaks, because each of those changes what's safe to do and what has to happen first. Then we go after the leaks you can't see, pulling back old insulation where we need to so we can reach the gaps along the tops of the walls and around pipes, wires and the hatch. Small gaps usually get sealant or one-part spray foam, big holes and open soffits usually get solid blocking, and hot flues get metal blocking and a collar so nothing that burns sits against a hot pipe. Before we tighten the house up, we talk with you about how much fresh air it needs, and if you have gas or oil appliances, we plan for them to be tested before and after the work so they still get the air they need.
Air sealing often ties into other work. Leaks along the top of the foundation walls usually get closed as part of basement insulation, so it can make sense to look at both on one visit. Where ductwork runs through the attic, I'll talk with you about closed-cell foam insulation, a dense foam that blocks moisture and seals air while it insulates, because it costs more but can earn its keep when the ducts live up there. For most attics, sealing the gaps and then topping up the loose fill is the better buy, and I'll tell you which way I'd go once I've seen yours.
Air sealing in Newport News: permits and older attics
The city of Newport News requires a building permit for repairs, additions or new construction that include new framing or open up existing framing, so whether your air sealing job needs one depends on what the work involves once we've planned it. Rules differ between Newport News and the cities and counties around it, so I check with the local office on each job. When a permit is needed, we apply for it as the licensed contractor and set up the inspections, and because a licensed contractor is taking responsibility for the work, you skip the extra owner form on the city's permit application.
Most of our calls come from older homes and rentals, and in those attics we usually find a few rounds of insulation piled on top of each other, sometimes soaked from an old roof leak or full of droppings. Fresh material over that just hides the problem, so I'd rather deal with what's bad and seal underneath it. We see the same layered attics on jobs in Hampton and Williamsburg.
- Call (757) 527-8669
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
- Newport News, VA 23606
What happens when you call us about air sealing in Newport News?
Call or send a request
Call (757) 527-8669 or use the form and tell us what's bothering you and where your attic hatch is. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I look at it with you
I go up into the attic, crawl space or walls with you and show you what I find. Then I write up an estimate in plain words that says what I found, what has to be handled first and what I'd recommend.
Our crew works in order
Our own crew does the work in the order we agreed, anything unsafe first, then the sealing, then any insulation. If appliance testing is part of the plan, it happens before we start and again after we finish.
We walk through it together
When the crew is done, I walk through the finished job with you and point out what we sealed. We don't call it done until you've seen it.
Why Newport News homeowners call Caliber for air sealing
I look at every job myself
I come out to look at every job myself, our own crew does the work, and I check it with you at the end. You're dealing with someone who has actually been in your attic, not a salesperson passing notes along.
In business since 2020
We've been in business since 2020, and before that I kept up rental houses, where drafty rooms and high bills were the calls I couldn't really fix. We're based in Newport News and work across the cities around it, so I know what these older attics tend to hide.
Licensed and fully insured, every job
We're licensed and fully insured. That matters in an attic, where a foot through the ceiling or a nicked wire is a real repair and you want to know who's covered for it.
Air sealing only works when the gaps get found before anything gets covered up, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. Set up a visit and I'll come take a look.
Request an estimateGet a free on-site air sealing estimate for your attic
We reply within one business day, by phone or email, whichever way you reached us. Then I come out, look at the attic with you and write down what I found, what needs to happen first and what I'd recommend, with no obligation.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Phone
- (757) 527-8669
- Location
- Newport News, VA 23606
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
Questions about air sealing in Newport News
How much do air sealing services cost in Newport News?
The cost of air sealing depends mostly on how much old insulation has to be moved to reach the leaks and how many openings there are to close. A low, cramped attic, wet or dirty insulation that has to come out first, or appliance testing added to the plan will raise it, while an open attic with clean insulation keeps it down. You'll see the figure for your house on the written estimate.
Can I seal my attic air leaks myself?
You can caulk the gaps you can see, but the small, hard-to-find leaks in an older attic covered by layers of insulation usually take a pro to locate. If your attic is already insulated, plan on help for that part, because the worst leaks are the ones buried under the fill.
How does a professional find air leaks in a house?
Home energy assessors find air leaks with a blower door test, a big fan set in an outside door that pulls air through the house, and a thermal camera that shows where warm or cold air is slipping in. When you're comparing contractors, it's fair to ask whether their leak search uses those tools.
Which attic openings should stay open when you air seal?
Soffit, ridge and gable vents and any combustion air ducts are meant to be open, so they stay clear while the leaks around them get sealed. If an eave vent gets buried, the attic stops breathing and moisture can start showing up in the framing.
Should I air seal my attic before adding insulation?
Yes, when you're adding insulation to an existing vented attic, sealing the openings in the attic floor comes first. Once new insulation goes down those gaps are buried again, so it makes sense to book the sealing and the insulation as one project.
What license does an air sealing contractor need in Virginia?
Virginia's Board for Contractors licenses Class C contractors to do or manage repair or improvement work on a single contract over $1,000 and under $30,000. Before you hire anyone, ask which license they hold and whose name is on it.
Other work that pairs with air sealing
Basement insulation
Worth a look if your floors stay cold or the basement walls feel chilly even after the attic is sealed.
Closed-cell foam insulation
Can be the better choice when your ductwork runs through the attic and you want the air and moisture stopped in one layer.
Book an attic leak check in Newport News
Call (757) 527-8669 or email hi@newportnewsinsulation.com with where your attic hatch is and whether you're planning new insulation, so I can look at the sealing and the insulation on one visit.
Request an estimateCall (757) 527-8669