Attic services, from the hatch to the eaves
Short answer
Attic WISE insulates, cleans and seals Bay Area attics, crawl spaces and walls: fifteen services in three groups, done by our own crews in 30 cities across 8 counties. Most jobs combine a few of them in a set order: clear out what shouldn't be there, seal the gaps, then insulate and let the attic breathe.
Attics rarely need just one of these. The inspection sorts out which ones yours needs, and the written quote spells out what is included before anything starts.
Not sure where to start? The estimator asks a few plain questions and gives you a Bay Area market range.
Fifteen services, in the order the work happens
Grouped the way the work tends to happen: clear out what shouldn't be there, seal the gaps, then insulate and let the attic breathe.
Insulate
Keep the heat where you paid for it.
Blown-in insulation
Fiberglass or cellulose, blown in to the depth written on your quote.
Where: Attic floor
Batt insulation
Cut to fit between joists or studs, where loose fill won't stay put.
Where: Attic, walls
Spray foam insulation
Open- or closed-cell foam for rooflines, rim joists and awkward cavities.
Where: Roofline, rim joists
Radiant barrier
A reflective layer under the roof deck to turn back summer sun.
Where: Roof deck
Existing-wall insulation
Insulation blown into closed walls through small holes, patched afterward.
Where: Exterior walls
Garage ceiling insulation
For the bedroom over the garage that never quite warms up.
Where: Garage
Crawl space & underfloor insulation
Insulation between the floor joists, plus a vapor barrier over the soil.
Where: Crawl space
Soundproofing
Dense fill in the walls and ceilings between rooms or units.
Where: Walls, ceilings
Clean & protect
Get the old stuff, and whatever moved in, out.
Attic cleaning & sanitizing
Droppings, nesting and debris cleared out, then the attic floor and framing disinfected.
Where: Attic
Insulation removal & replacement
Old, soiled or water-damaged insulation taken out, bagged and hauled away, ready for new.
Where: Attic
Rodent proofing
Entry points found and closed with metal mesh and sealant.
Where: Eaves, vents, crawl space
Ember-resistant vents
Fine-mesh vents at the eaves and gables, ahead of fire season.
Where: Eaves, gables
Seal & ventilate
Stop the leaks, then let the attic breathe.
Air sealing
Top plates, wire holes, light cans and the hatch, sealed before new insulation covers them.
Where: Attic floor
Ductwork sealing & replacement
Leaky joints sealed; runs wrapped or replaced.
Where: Attic, crawl space
Attic ventilation & fans
Intake and exhaust balanced, with a fan added where the attic needs one.
Where: Roof, gables
Section ATypical Bay Area gable atticNot to scale
Where the work happens
The same attic as on our sketch, with each keyed note pointing to the service that deals with it.
A. Air leaks at the top plates, sealed before anything new goes on top.
Service: Air sealing
B. Recessed light venting heat into the attic, covered and sealed.
Service: Air sealing
C. Ember-resistant eave vent, with a baffle so air keeps moving.
Service: Ember-resistant vents
D. Attic hatch: dammed, insulated on top, weatherstripped.
Service: Blown-in insulation
E. Gap in the soffit, a rodent doorway. Closed with metal mesh.
Service: Rodent proofing
F. Leaky duct joint, sealed and wrapped.
Service: Ductwork sealing & replacement
The order the work happens in
Attic problems stack on top of each other, and the fixes have to go in the same order, from the bottom up. Doing them out of order is how people end up paying twice.
- Clear out what shouldn't be there. If rodents have been living in the insulation, the entry points get closed with rodent proofing, droppings and nesting are cleared with attic cleaning and sanitizing, and soiled insulation comes out with insulation removal. Burying droppings under new insulation doesn't make them go away.
- Seal the gaps. With the attic floor reachable, air sealing closes the holes between your rooms and the attic, and leaky ductwork gets sealed or replaced. Once 16 inches of fresh insulation covers the floor, that chance is gone.
- Insulate. Blown-in insulation for most open attic floors, batts where loose fill won't stay put, and spray foam for rooflines, rim joists and vaulted ceilings.
- Let it breathe, and protect it. Attic ventilation keeps air moving under the roof, ember-resistant vents close the openings embers can use, and a radiant barrier turns back summer heat in the hotter zones.
Under the house and in the walls, the same logic holds: crawl space insulation starts with moisture and rodents, and existing-wall insulation, garage ceilings and soundproofing each start with a look at what's inside the cavity.
Fog side, sun side: why the same attic needs different things
The cities we serve fall into four of California's building climate zones, and the 2025 Energy Code treats them differently when you add or replace attic insulation.
- Climate zone 3 covers San Francisco and the cities along the Bay. Fog keeps summers mild, so the code is lighter here: an attic that already has R-19 or more needs only proper ventilation when it's re-insulated, and air sealing isn't required by code.
- Climate zones 4 and 12, the Santa Clara Valley and the inland East Bay, have hot summers. Re-insulated attics generally go to R-49, and thinly insulated ones must be air sealed.
- Climate zone 2, Napa, Santa Rosa and San Rafael, follows the same R-49 and air-sealing pattern.
Climate also changes the advice beyond the code. A radiant barrier is a strong option in Livermore and a low priority in Daly City. Cold floors over a crawl space are a bigger complaint on the fog side, where the air under the house stays cool and damp for much of the year. Each service page explains what that means for its own piece of the house.
What we don't do, and who does
Some things that turn up in Bay Area attics are not ours to fix, so here they are up front:
- Knob-and-tube wiring. Insulating over live knob-and-tube needs an electrician's survey and sign-off first. We refer you to an electrician.
- Vermiculite and other suspect asbestos materials. The EPA's advice is not to disturb vermiculite. We stop and refer you to a qualified asbestos consultant.
How prices work on this site
Every service page shows a Bay Area market range: what Bay Area contractors and cost guides publish for that work, with the sources listed and the date we collected them. It's labeled as a market range because it isn't our price list. The estimator turns a few answers about your attic into a range for your house, and the cost page puts all of it side by side. After a free inspection, or an estimate from photos or video if you'd rather skip the visit, you get a written quote, and nothing is installed until you sign it.
Who does the work
The work is done by our own crews, based in Redwood City. Who we are, or get in touch if you'd like to talk it through first.
Questions people ask
Which attic service do I need first?
Work from the bottom of the problem up. If there are rodents or soiled insulation, the first steps are closing entry points and removing and cleaning. Then air sealing, while the attic floor is reachable. Then insulation to the R-value your climate zone calls for, and ventilation so the attic can breathe. The free inspection is where we sort out which of those your attic actually needs.
Can several services be done as one project?
Yes, and most attic jobs are. Removal, cleanup, rodent proofing, air sealing and new insulation follow one another naturally, and doing them together means the attic is opened up once. The written quote spells out the work.
Do you work outside the attic?
Yes. Crawl spaces and underfloor insulation, existing walls, garage ceilings, soundproofing between rooms, ductwork and ember-resistant vents are all on the list. The attic is simply where most of the work, and most of the problems, tend to be.
Do you work in my city?
We're based in Redwood City and work in 30 cities across Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties. If you're near the edge of that map, call and ask.
Sources
- 2025 Single-Family Residential Compliance Manual (CEC-400-2025-005), California Energy Commission (opens in a new tab)
- Building Climate Zones by ZIP Code, California Energy Commission (opens in a new tab)
- Protect Your Family from Asbestos-Contaminated Vermiculite Insulation, U.S. EPA (opens in a new tab)
- Hantavirus Infection, California Department of Public Health (opens in a new tab)
- The three branches of pest control, Structural Pest Control Board (opens in a new tab)
Published by: Attic WISEUpdated:
Let's go look at your attic.
Start with your ZIP code. A few questions later you'll have a Bay Area market range, and you can pick a time for a free inspection.
What happens next
- 1
Price range online. The estimator gives you a Bay Area market range in a couple of minutes.
- 2
Free inspection. In your home, or from photos or video you send if you'd rather skip the visit.
- 3
Written quote. What comes out, what gets sealed, what goes in.
- 4
Install day. Done by our own crews.
- 5
Cleanup. Old material bagged and hauled away, the work area cleaned.
- No deposit until you sign, and never more than 10% of the contract or $1,000, whichever is less.
- Every customer gets five business days to cancel after signing.
- Materials carry the manufacturer warranty.
Rather talk it through?(760) 655-5959