Wall Insulation in Lansing, MI

Wall insulation is often missing entirely in Lansing houses built before the 1950s, and roughly half of the city's homes date from before 1960. Plaster walls on balloon framing may have nothing in the cavities but air, and that air moves. You feel it as cold exterior walls, drafts at outlets and baseboards, and rooms that never warm up on the north side of the house.

Closed walls: dense-pack cellulose

The standard way to insulate a finished wall without removing it is dense-pack cellulose. We drill a small hole in each stud bay, from outside under the siding or from inside, and blow cellulose in at high density so it fills the cavity and resists settling. Dense-pack also slows air movement inside the wall. Holes are plugged and patched afterward. Regular spray foam cannot be used in closed walls because it expands too fast and can bow plaster or drywall.

Open walls: spray foam

When walls are open for a remodel, addition or gut renovation, spray foam goes straight into the stud bays. Closed cell gives the most R-value per inch, which matters in 2x4 walls, and stiffens the wall. Open cell costs less and fills completely. Michigan's 2015-based code calls for R-20 cavity insulation, or R-13 plus R-5 continuous, in new Zone 5 walls.

What we check first

Before filling walls we look for knob-and-tube wiring, which should be evaluated by an electrician before insulation surrounds it, and for moisture problems like failed flashing or missing gutters that would wet new insulation. We also check whether walls have fire blocking, since balloon-frame cavities can run two stories.

When it pays

Wall insulation pays most in older homes with empty cavities, after the attic and basement leaks are handled. If walls already have some insulation, the gain is smaller and we will tell you so.