Insulation Contractor in Minneapolis - Warmer Upstairs Rooms in Older Houses
Thermal Burnsville Insulation Company is an insulation contractor from Burnsville that seals and insulates attics, walls and basements in Minneapolis homes and small commercial buildings, closing the air leaks first so the new insulation actually works.
Older houses and small buildings across Minneapolis
Most of what we see in Minneapolis is older housing. That means story-and-a-half bungalows, two-story houses with finished rooms up top, duplexes, and a lot of houses where someone added a few inches of insulation years ago and nobody has been up there since. Small shops and offices sit in among the houses on plenty of blocks, and we find the same mix when we cross into Richfield or Edina.
Those older houses rarely have one big open attic. You get knee walls, the short walls behind upstairs closets and sloped ceilings, plus tight spaces over additions, and that shapes the job because the leaks hide in corners we have to reach by hand.
Working in Minneapolis: permits, checks and what sets the price
Building permits in Minneapolis go through the city's Development Review office, and the city says almost all projects need a permit before work starts. So I check with the city about your job before we schedule anything, and we take care of the permit when it calls for one. If you want to check on any contractor, the city issues certificates of competency for contractors working in certain trades, and its licensing and permit services handle the competency cards. We're licensed and fully insured, with satisfaction guaranteed on every job. The price moves with what's already in your attic, how much has to come out or get sealed first and how hard the space is to reach. The schedule turns on the permit and on any repair that has to happen before we insulate, and your own number comes from the estimate after I've seen the space.
I learned this trade working next to my dad in attics and crawl spaces, and I've run the business out of Burnsville since 2021. We drive up for Minneapolis jobs the same way we do for Saint Paul and the other cities around us. On older blocks the truck often sets up in the alley or out front with the hose run through a door or window, so I look at where it can park while I'm out for the estimate. A stretch of Minnehaha Parkway is closed through fall 2027 while the city works on the Nicollet Avenue bridge over Minnehaha Creek, so if you live near there we plan the route ahead of time.
Services in Minneapolis, MN
Attic air sealing
Most older houses here leak air into the attic through gaps you can't see from the rooms below. We close those gaps by hand first, so whatever insulation goes on top isn't fighting a draft.
Attic insulation
Lots of Minneapolis attics have a few inches of old insulation that settled long ago and runs thin out at the edges, right over the walls where you need it most. We bring it up evenly across the whole attic, tight corners included, instead of piling it in the middle.
Insulation removal
In older attics the old fill is sometimes soaked from a past roof leak or full of mouse droppings, and new material on top of that only hides the problem. Our insulation removal clears it out and cleans up the space, so the attic starts fresh.
Wall insulation
Plenty of older houses here were built with little or nothing in the outside walls, and you feel that in the rooms along those walls. We can usually fill those walls without tearing them open, after checking that nothing in there is wet.
Basement insulation
Older basements in the city often have bare stone or block walls, and the rim joist, the band of wood sitting on top of the foundation, lets cold air right in. We seal and insulate the rim and the walls where it makes sense, and if a wall is damp I'll tell you so and point you to whoever should fix that first.
Commercial insulation
If you run a small shop or office building in Minneapolis, you're probably calling about the same drafts and heating bills a homeowner is. We work in the same order there, sealing first and insulating second, and plan the days around when you're open.
What older Minneapolis attics usually need
When I climb into an older Minneapolis attic, I first look at what's already up there, how many inches and what shape it's in, because that decides whether we add to it or start over. I also check the eaves, since older insulation jobs often buried the vents along the edges, and an attic that can't breathe ends up showing moisture in the framing. If the roof is still leaking, I'll tell you to get that fixed before we put anything new up there.
Additions and rooms over the garage are the other place we spend time here. They were often built later, with their own small attic or a floor sitting over cold air, and that's usually where the cold floors and the one bedroom nobody wants come from, so we seal and insulate them as their own job.
Get a free on-site insulation estimate in Minneapolis
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a free on-site estimate at your Minneapolis house or building. I come out and look at the space myself, and there's no obligation to book.
How a Minneapolis job goes
Call or send us a message
Call (952) 234-9016 or send the form with a line about what you're noticing, like a cold room or a high power bill. We set a time for me to come out to your place.
I look at your space
I come out myself, look at the attic or whatever space is giving you trouble, and check for anything that has to be handled first, like a roof leak. You get the estimate before anything is booked, so you know the price up front.
We line up the permit
When your job needs a permit, we take care of it, and the city's building officials have to approve the plans before the permit is issued. Your start date follows that approval.
Install, inspect and walk through
Our install crew does the work the way we planned it, and when an inspection is part of the job, we set it up and meet the inspector, who checks the work on site against the code and the approved plans. Before we leave, I walk the finished job with you.
Minneapolis insulation questions answered
Do I need a permit to insulate my attic in Minneapolis?
It may well need one, so it's worth checking before work starts. The city's list of small jobs that may not need a permit names things like cabinets, countertops, floor tile, carpet, wallpaper and paint, and insulation isn't on it. We sort that out with the city before your job, as I mentioned above.
Can a dumpster or work truck park on a Minneapolis parkway during an insulation job?
Not without a permit from the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, which requires one for special use of its parkways, including dumpsters or trucks. That rule covers the board's parkways, not city streets or your own driveway, so if your house faces a parkway we plan where the truck and any removal trailer go before the day.
How much does insulation cost for an older house in Minneapolis?
It depends mostly on what's already in your attic and what has to happen before new insulation goes in, so I give you a number after I've looked, not over the phone. Old material that has to come out, knee walls and tight attics that take hand work, and choosing spray foam over sealing and loose fill all push the price up.
What causes a hot upstairs or drafty rooms in an older Minneapolis house?
Usually it's air leaking into the attic through gaps around ceiling lights, plumbing pipes, the chimney and the attic hatch, more than a shortage of insulation. That's why we start with air sealing, which means closing those gaps before any insulation goes on, and then build the insulation up evenly.
What is the best way to insulate a Minneapolis attic with ductwork in it?
If your ductwork runs through the attic, spray foam is often worth its higher price, because it seals air and insulates in one layer around the space the ducts live in. Without ducts up there, sealing the gaps and topping up with blown-in insulation, which is loose fill blown through a hose, usually does the job for less.
Do I need to leave my house during an attic insulation job in Minneapolis?
Usually not with blown-in insulation, because the crew works from the attic and you, the kids and the pets can stay home. Spray foam is different, since everyone stays out until its re-entry time, the point when it's safe to come back, and I'll tell you that time before the day so you can plan around it.
Call us about your Minneapolis attic
We're open seven days a week, early mornings and evenings included, so call (952) 234-9016 or send the form whenever it suits you.
