Insulation contractor in St. Augustine - cooler rooms in older coastal homes
Quality Palm Coast Insulation Services insulates attics, walls and crawl spaces in St. Augustine homes and small commercial buildings, sealing the air leaks first so the insulation isn't fighting a draft.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Services in St. Augustine, FL
Air sealing services
Hot upstairs rooms here usually trace back to gaps around can lights, pipes and the attic hatch that pull hot attic air down into the house. Our air sealing services close those gaps before any insulation goes down, so it isn't fighting a draft.
Attic insulation
St. Augustine attics need full depth all the way out to the eaves, which is right where older jobs here usually went thin. We keep the eave vents clear so the attic can breathe, then build the insulation evenly from the middle out to the edges.
Insulation removal
Old roof leaks and years of rodents leave some attics here with insulation that's wet, matted or full of droppings, and new material on top just hides the problem. We pull the bad layer out and clean up first, so what goes in starts on a dry, clean ceiling.
Crawl space vapor barrier
Raised houses on low ground near the water get damp air and sometimes standing water under the floor, which shows up as a musty smell inside. We check for water and wet wood first, then lay a sealed barrier over the ground so the moisture stays down there.
Spray foam insulation
Plenty of homes here run their ductwork through the attic, where summer heat warms the air before it ever reaches your rooms. That's when I'll recommend foam under the roof deck, because it seals and insulates in one pass and brings those ducts into the cooled part of the house.
Retrofit insulation
Buying an older house in St. Augustine usually means inheriting whatever the last owners did, or didn't do, in the walls and attic. We find out what's really there and add insulation where the house can take it, without opening up more than the job needs.
St. Augustine, FL properties and local conditions
Summer here is long, hot and humid, and the attic over a St. Augustine house can get far hotter than the rooms below it. That heat soaks down through thin or packed-down insulation, which is why the room over the garage and the upstairs bedrooms stay warm with the AC running all afternoon. On older houses we usually find only a few inches of tired material left up there, so we start by finding out why it failed before we add anything.
Water is the other thing we watch. The city says low areas like the one around Coquina Park have taken more and more damage from seasonal storm surge and nuisance flooding, so on houses near the water we check the crawl space and the underside of the floor for wet wood first.
Working in St. Augustine: who signs off and what sets the price
For a house inside St. Augustine city limits, building permits come from the city's Planning and Building Department. Its permit list names work like windows, doors, additions and fences but not insulation, so I ask that office before we start, and if your job needs a permit we pull it as the licensed contractor and set up the inspections. That answer is usually what moves your start date the most. We're licensed and insured, and if you want to check a contractor's city business license, staff in the city's Finance Department answer business tax receipt and licensing questions during business hours. Your price comes down to how much old insulation has to come out, how many gaps need sealing and how hard the attic or crawl space is to move around in, and my estimate gives you the figure for your house.
Downtown the streets are narrow and parking is tight, so I work out where the truck and hose will go when I come out for the estimate, not on install day. The city's rules cover property inside its limits, and a house just outside them may answer to a different office, which we sort out before we book. We make the same drive up from Palm Coast to St. Augustine Beach, and the coastal houses we insulate down in Ormond-by-the-Sea deal with much the same heat and damp air.
Get a free insulation estimate for your St. Augustine home
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out to your St. Augustine house myself, look things over and write the estimate, and it's free with no pressure to book.
(386) 359-8197What happens when you call us about a St. Augustine house
Call or send us a note
Call (386) 359-8197 or use the form and tell us what's going on, whether it's a hot bedroom, a musty crawl space or a house you're about to buy. We set a visit time, and someone should be home so I can get into the attic and crawl space.
I check the house first
I look at the attic, crawl space or walls, measure how many inches are already up there and look for wet material, open gaps and buried vents. You get a plain estimate that says what I'd do first and why, so you know the cost before you decide anything.
We handle any needed permit
If your job needs a permit, we apply through the city's online Permit Portal and set up the inspections. A city permit lapses if work doesn't start within six months of being issued, so we put the install on the calendar once it's approved.
We install, then walk through
Our own installers do the sealing and insulating in the order the estimate lays out, and they clean up as they go. When they're done I go over the work with you in the attic or crawl space, so you see exactly what went in.
Frequently asked questions
Does a small insulation job on my single-family home in St. Augustine need a permit?
It may not, if the work costs less than $7,500 and the city approves an exemption before the job starts. You apply for that with a land development application and a written request that includes the contract showing the type of work and its cost, and the city won't let one project be split into smaller jobs to get under the limit. Work on property in a flood hazard area, and any electrical, mechanical or structural work, still needs a permit at any cost.
What happens if insulation work starts before the St. Augustine permit exemption is approved?
The job then needs the required permits, and the city doubles the permit fees. That's why we wait for the city's approval before our crew starts a job that's counting on the exemption.
Does my older home in St. Augustine need extra review before insulation work?
It might, because the city says buildings more than 50 years old may need approval from the Historic Architectural Review Board. The small-job exemption covers building permits only, so it doesn't replace that board's approval or any archaeology review. On an older house I check with the city's building office before we start.
How much does attic insulation cost in St. Augustine?
The cost comes down to what's in your attic now and what it needs, which is why I give you the figure after I've been up there. Foam under the roof deck costs more because it seals and insulates at once, and it's worth it when your ductwork runs through the attic. For most other houses, sealing the gaps and topping up with blown-in insulation, loose fill we blow through a hose, gets you more for the money.
How do I know if my St. Augustine attic needs more insulation?
The quickest sign is seeing the tops of the ceiling joists from the hatch, because that means the insulation has packed down or was never deep enough. Wet, matted or stained patches and one room that won't cool when the rest of the house does point the same way. I measure the depth across the whole attic at the estimate, edges included.
How long do we have to stay out of the house after insulation work in St. Augustine?
With blown-in or batt insulation you can usually stay home while we work. Spray foam is different, because everyone, pets included, has to be out during spraying and until the re-entry time, the point when it's safe to come back in. I tell you that time at the estimate so you can plan around it.
About St. Augustine, FL
St. Augustine mixes very old blocks near downtown with mid-century neighborhoods and newer subdivisions toward the edges of the city, with small shops, inns and offices in between. Many of our calls here come from people who just bought an older home and want to know what's in the attic, and from owners of small commercial buildings with rooms that won't cool down. Farther out, the houses in Saint Augustine Shores and World Golf Village are mostly newer.
The age of the house sets most of the job here. Older homes usually need cleanup and sealing before anything new goes in, and houses on low ground need a dry crawl space first, so we check before we quote.
Explore the services
Palm Coast, FL
Get your St. Augustine attic checked first
If you're buying or just bought an older house here, call (386) 359-8197 or send the form, and a look at the attic and crawl space tells you what you're taking on before you spend money on anything else.