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Serving Burlington, VT and surrounding areas. (802) 307-1480
If your upstairs rooms never feel warm, your heating bills are too high, or ice dams have been forming along your roofline, your attic is likely the cause. Proper attic insulation and air sealing fix the source of the problem - not just the symptoms.
Attic insulation in Burlington reduces heat loss through your ceiling and prevents the conditions that cause ice dams - most standard jobs are completed in a single day with no need to leave your home.
Burlington's climate sits in one of the colder regions of the country, and the federal government recommends significantly more attic insulation here than in most states. A home that would be adequately insulated in Virginia is almost certainly under-insulated here. Older Burlington homes - the Victorians on the Hill, the two-family houses in the Old North End, the bungalows in the South End - were built with little or no insulation in the attic. If you have had ice dams build up along your roofline after a snowstorm, that is a direct signal that heat is escaping through your attic floor every day. For a comprehensive look at all the moisture and air sealing issues in older attics, our attic air sealing service is often done at the same time as new insulation.
Ice dams are one of the clearest signs that heat is escaping through your attic. If thick ridges of ice build up at the edge of your roof after snowfall, or if you have seen water staining on interior ceilings after a freeze-thaw cycle, your attic insulation and air sealing are likely the root cause. Burlington's combination of heavy snow and cold nights makes this a recurring problem for homes that are not properly insulated.
If your winter heating bills seem high compared to neighbors with similar homes, or if they have crept up steadily without explanation, poor attic insulation is one of the first things to investigate. Heat rises, and an under-insulated attic is essentially an open door for the warmth your furnace is working hard to produce. Burlington's long heating season - often October through April - means even a modest improvement translates to real savings.
If your upper floors are always colder than the floors below, even with the thermostat turned up, heat is escaping through the ceiling into the attic. This is especially common in Burlington's older two- and three-story homes where the attic insulation has settled or was never installed to adequate depth. You should not need extra blankets in the upstairs bedroom while the main floor stays comfortable.
If you can safely look into your attic and see the wooden joists poking above the insulation, you almost certainly do not have enough. Insulation that has been there for decades may look matted, discolored, or uneven - signs it has settled and lost much of its effectiveness. In Burlington's older neighborhoods, it is not uncommon to find attics with only a few inches of original insulation that has never been touched.
We install blown-in insulation and batt insulation in Burlington attics, and we pair both with attic air sealing because sealing gaps and cracks before adding material makes a measurable difference. Insulation slows heat flow - air sealing stops the drafts that carry heat out. Doing both at once is how you get the full benefit of the project.
Blown-in cellulose or fiberglass is our most common recommendation for existing Burlington attics. It fills irregular shapes and odd corners without tearing out anything. Batt insulation suits attics with consistent joist spacing and no major obstructions. If old insulation is damaged by moisture or pests, we assess whether removal is necessary before anything new goes in. We also handle blown-in insulation for walls and other areas of the home where the same technique applies.
Best for existing attics in older homes - fills gaps and irregular spaces without removing walls or flooring.
Suits attics with consistent joist spacing where pre-cut insulation blankets can be installed efficiently.
Seals gaps around pipes, light fixtures, and the attic hatch before insulation is added - the step most contractors skip that makes the biggest difference.
When existing insulation is damaged, wet, or contaminated, we remove it safely before installing new material.
Burlington averages around 80 inches of snowfall per year and regularly sees temperatures drop well below zero. The federal recommended insulation depth for Burlington's climate zone is higher than most of the country - meaning a home that passes inspection in a warmer state likely falls short here. Burlington also has one of the oldest housing stocks in New England. Many homes in the Hill Section and the Old North End still have their original attic insulation from the 1920s or 1930s - if they had any at all. Ice dams are a particularly common problem here: the combination of heavy snowfall, older homes, and cold nights creates ideal conditions for ice to build up along rooflines and back water under shingles. The good news is that Efficiency Vermont offers rebates specifically for attic insulation improvements, and a federal tax credit is also currently available that can cover a significant portion of the project cost.
We work on homes throughout Burlington and the surrounding area. Homeowners in Essex Junction and Williston face the same climate conditions and the same older housing challenges - and they call us for the same reasons.
Call or submit a request and we will ask a few basic questions about your home - the size, any history of ice dams, and whether there has been any moisture in the attic. We reply within 1 business day.
We go up into the attic, measure current insulation depth, look for moisture or pest damage, and check for air leaks around pipes and fixtures. This visit typically takes 30 to 60 minutes and is free.
You can stay home - most of the work happens in the attic. We air-seal gaps first, then blow in material until it reaches the target depth. We leave small depth markers so you can verify the coverage yourself.
The crew cleans up around the attic hatch and removes equipment. If your project qualifies for an Efficiency Vermont rebate, we provide the documentation you need or handle the submission directly.
No pressure, no obligation - just a clear written quote that tells you exactly what we recommend, what depth we will reach, and what Efficiency Vermont rebates apply to your project.
(802) 307-1480Many contractors skip the air sealing step because it adds time. We include it as a standard part of attic jobs because it is where a large share of heat loss actually happens. Insulation alone will not stop a draft - sealing the gaps first is what makes the insulation work the way it should.
After blown-in insulation is installed, we leave small plastic rulers in the material so you can verify the coverage depth before we leave. You should not have to take our word for it - you should be able to see that the job was done to spec. That transparency is how we build trust with Burlington homeowners.
Vermont requires insulation contractors to hold a valid state license through the Vermont Department of Labor. We do - and we encourage you to verify it. A licensed contractor carries required insurance and has met the state's minimum standards, which matters if anything ever goes sideways.
Efficiency Vermont offers real money back on attic insulation projects - and a federal energy efficiency tax credit stacks on top of that. We walk you through what you qualify for during the estimate so the rebates are factored into your decision from the start, not discovered after the fact.
We have worked on attics across Burlington's neighborhoods - from large Victorians on the Hill to postwar ranches in the South End. That range of experience means we know what to look for and what to do when we find something unexpected. Read more about who we are on our About page.
More questions? Contact us or call - we are happy to walk through your situation before you commit to anything.
The same blown-in technique applied to walls and other areas of your home where loose-fill material outperforms batts.
Learn moreTargeted air sealing of the gaps and bypasses in your attic floor that allow heated air to escape into the cold attic above.
Learn moreInstallation slots fill up fast in the fall as Burlington homeowners prepare for winter. Reach out now and we will get your estimate scheduled before the cold sets in.