Insulation Before & After in Glendale, CA
Photos don’t lie. A layer of compressed, rodent-compromised fiberglass tells one story. A sealed attic floor with fresh blown-in cellulose sitting at proper depth tells another. We’ve documented every job we’ve done in Glendale since 2016, and this gallery shows what actually changes when you treat the building envelope as a system, not a commodity.
Recent Transformations
Attic Insulation Removal & Replacement, Glenoaks Canyon
The homeowner called after a home energy audit flagged a 38-degree attic temperature differential in January. We found three inches of settled fiberglass from a 1987 install, rodent droppings throughout the east bay, and every top plate leaking like a sieve. We removed the contaminated material, sealed all penetrations with fire-rated caulk and rigid foam, then blew in GreenFiber cellulose to R-38. Blower-door test read 3,800 CFM50 before sealing and 2,200 after. The attic now holds temperature within 8 degrees of the conditioned space.
Crawl Space Encapsulation & Vapor Barrier, Rossmoyne
This 1924 Spanish Colonial had a dirt crawl space that smelled like mildew every time the Santa Ana winds blew. Relative humidity sat at 78% year-round. We graded the soil, installed a 20-mil reinforced polyethylene vapor barrier sealed at all seams with butyl tape, and closed the foundation vents with rigid foam blocks. No insulation went in until the space was dry. Six months later, humidity reads 52% and the hardwood floors above have stopped cupping.
Spray Foam Insulation, Open-Cell, Chevy Chase Canyon
A remodel with vaulted ceilings and no attic access left the homeowner with exposed rafter bays and no way to get conventional insulation in. We sprayed Icynene open-cell foam directly to the roof deck, 5.5 inches for an R-19 thermal barrier and full air seal in one pass. The foam also deadened road noise from Chevy Chase Drive below. Before: rooms hit 84 degrees by 2 PM in July. After: 76 degrees with the same thermostat setting.
Attic Air Sealing & Blown-In Insulation, Verdugo Woodlands
The previous contractor had blown Owens Corning fiberglass over an unsealed attic floor. We see this constantly. We pulled it back, spent a full day with a smoke pencil finding leaks around can lights, plumbing stacks, and the top plates of interior walls. Sealed everything with ZypFoam and rigid baffles at the eaves. Then we blew in fresh Knauf Jet Stream to R-49. The homeowner’s summer PG&E bill dropped from $340 to $210 the following August. We have the blower-door numbers: 4,100 CFM50 down to 2,350.
Radiant Barrier Installation, Montrose
West-facing roof with dark asphalt shingles turned this attic into a convection oven by 10 AM. The existing R-30 fiberglass was doing nothing against radiant heat gain. We stapled a perforated, double-sided aluminum radiant barrier to the underside of the roof deck, leaving proper ventilation channels at the ridge and soffits. Attic surface temperatures dropped from 148 degrees to 102 degrees on a 95-degree day in July. The HVAC system finally cycles off before midnight.
Insulation Removal, Air Sealing & Wall Insulation, Adams Hill
Water heater failure in the attic soaked eight years of fiberglass and created a mold condition on the south slope. We suited up, removed all contaminated material per California Title 8 guidelines, treated the sheathing with an antimicrobial, and sealed every penetration we exposed. For the walls, we dense-packed Rockwool into the balloon-framed stud bays from the exterior through minimal siding removal. New blown-in cellulose in the attic, R-38. The documented photo record runs 47 images, and the written scope with the fixed price was delivered before anyone touched a tool.
What Every Job Includes
These aren’t cherry-picked results. Every attic insulation, spray foam, and crawl space job we complete in Glendale gets the same documentation:
- Written price before any work starts - flat price, written scope, written warranty. Haven Standard Clause 1.
- Before-and-after blower-door test on air-sealing jobs - a pressurization reading that shows, in one number, how much conditioned air your building envelope was losing.
- Documented Photo Record included on every visit, not available on request. You see what we saw.
- 365-Day Done Right Promise - if it’s not done right, we make it right.
Materials come from Owens Corning, Johns Manville, Knauf, Rockwool, CertainTeed, Icynene, Demilec, and GreenFiber. No proprietary lock-in means we specify what actually fits your house and your budget.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Before
AfterWant Results Like These?
We’ve sealed and insulated over 9,000 homes since 2016, every one with a written price before work started and a documented record when the crew left. Call (213) 474-3828 and a live person will answer, 24/7. Bring us a competing quote for a free second opinion. We’ll read it with you.
Written by Wes Okafor, Owner at Topside Attic Insulation Glendale, serving Glendale since 2016.