Existing Wall Insulation in Kalamazoo, MI

Existing wall insulation is the fix for houses whose outside walls were built hollow. Nearly three in ten homes in the city of Kalamazoo fall in the built-1939-or-earlier group in recent census survey data, and many walls of that era were never insulated, or have a little old material slumped at the bottom of each bay. Cold walls make rooms feel drafty even when the thermostat says otherwise. We fill those cavities from outside or inside through small holes, without removing plaster or siding.

How we tell what is in a wall

We check at outlets and switch plates, look at an exterior wall from the basement or attic, and sometimes drill a small test hole. An infrared camera on a cold day can show which bays are empty and where blocking or fire stops divide the cavity. Knowing the framing tells us how many holes each bay needs.

Injection foam vs dense-pack

Regular spray foam expands too fast for a closed wall; it can bow plaster or leave voids. For closed walls we use one of two methods. Slow-rise injection foam is pumped in and expands gently to fill the bay. Dense-pack cellulose is blown in under pressure until the cavity is packed tight enough that it will not settle. HomeGuide puts dense-pack at about $1.60 to $4.20 per square foot. Both slow air movement; the choice depends on the wall, the siding and your budget.

From the outside or the inside

On houses with wood or vinyl siding, we often lift a course of siding, drill the sheathing, fill, plug and replace the siding. On brick or where siding cannot come off cleanly, we may drill from inside, then patch and prime the holes. We talk through where the holes go before we start.

Wiring and moisture checks

Knob-and-tube wiring is still present in some old houses. It was designed to shed heat into open air, so it should be checked by an electrician before walls around it are filled. We also look for signs of water getting into walls, like peeling paint on the outside or stains inside, because wet walls need repair, not insulation.

When walls are open

If you are gutting a room or re-siding the house, open cavities can take spray foam directly. Open-cell fills the bay economically; closed-cell gives more R-value per inch and adds vapor control. For an uninsulated wall being re-sided, the Department of Energy suggests filling the cavity and adding continuous insulation outside the sheathing.

Historic districts

Kalamazoo has six local historic districts, including South Street, Stuart and Vine, where exterior work gets an added layer of review by the Historic District Commission. If filling the walls from outside means removing and replacing siding, check with the city first; filling from inside avoids most exterior changes.

Call (269) 230-2389 or request an estimate, and we will check what your walls hold. Get a free estimate