Insulation Contractor in Geneseo, IL - Warmer Rooms in Older Homes
D&K Davenport Insulation Company insulates attics, crawl spaces, basements and walls in Geneseo, IL. We seal the gaps first so drafty older houses, cold floors and the room over the garage finally hold their heat.
Get your Geneseo insulation estimate
I'll go up in your attic and show you what's there before quoting anything.
Request an estimateGeneseo: older houses, thin attics
Geneseo is a small city out past the Quad Cities on the Illinois side, and a lot of the houses near the middle of town went up long before anybody put much in the attic. Newer homes sit out toward the edges, with shops and small buildings downtown. We get the same calls here that we get in Colona and Moline. It's a cold back bedroom, a drafty older house, a room over the garage nobody wants to sleep in, or a power bill that keeps climbing.
When we open the hatch in an older house, we usually find a few inches of settled insulation and gaps around every pipe, wire and light fixture, so sealing comes before anything else. Newer homes tend to have more up there but thin spots at the edges, and that's where we spend our time.
Working in Geneseo: permits, licenses and the city
In Geneseo, permits come from the city's Building Department. Its permit guide lists work like additions, basement finishing, roofing, siding and replacement windows. It doesn't name insulation either way, and it says the lists aren't complete, so the department is who confirms whether your job needs a permit. If yours does, we take care of it with the city and tell you up front, because waiting on a permit and its inspections can move the start date. The guide would rather the contractor pull the permit, since a homeowner who pulls it takes on some of the project's liability. The city also wants proof of insurance and the right license before a contractor can pull one, and it registers businesses that work in Geneseo, so ask whoever you hire about both. We're licensed and insured.
The price mostly comes down to what we find. That means how many inches you already have, whether old insulation is wet or full of droppings and has to come out first, how many gaps need sealing, how easy the attic is to get into, and whether foam or loose fill fits your house. The schedule depends on the permit, if there is one, and on anything that has to be fixed before we insulate, like a roof leak. We're based in Davenport and work on both sides of the river. I come out to Geneseo myself to look at the house and write the estimate, so the number you get is for your attic, not a guess over the phone.
Services in Geneseo, IL
Attic insulation
A hot or cold upstairs usually sits under an attic where the insulation is deep in the middle and thin at the edges, which is backward. We even out the coverage all the way to the walls and keep the eave vents clear so the attic can still breathe.
Attic air sealing
Most drafts in older Geneseo houses come up through gaps around pipes, wires, can lights and the attic hatch. We do the air sealing, closing those gaps before any insulation goes down, so the new layer isn't fighting a draft.
Crawl space insulation
Cold floors over a crawl space usually mean outside air is getting in around the rim and under a bare floor. We check for water first, then seal and insulate so the floor stops pulling heat out of the room above.
Basement insulation
When a basement gets finished, the walls need insulation before the drywall goes up, and that order matters. We fit our part in with the other trades so it's in place and checked before anything covers it.
Insulation removal
In older houses we often find attic insulation that a roof leak soaked years ago or that animals moved into, and new material on top just buries that. We pull the old stuff out, bag it and clean up before anything new goes in.
Commercial insulation
Shops and small buildings around Geneseo often have the same thin, leaky ceilings the houses do, just bigger. Our commercial insulation work starts with a walk-through with the owner or manager so we can plan around when you're open.
Get a free insulation estimate for your Geneseo home
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time to come out to your Geneseo house. I'll look at the attic, crawl space or whatever room is bothering you and write the estimate myself, free and with no obligation. If you go ahead, my crew does the work and I check the finished job with you.
- Phone
- (563) 265-6737
- Location
- Davenport, IA 52801
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–9 PM
- Credentials
- Licensed and insured.
What Geneseo homeowners can count on
We're based in Davenport, IA, with 16 services across the 12 cities on this site and plenty more on both sides of the river. Free on-site estimates, and your satisfaction, guaranteed.
- Based in
- IA
- Davenport
- Services
- 16
- Service areas
- 12
- Licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to insulate a basement I'm finishing in Geneseo?
Yes, basement finishing is on the city's list of work that needs a permit, and the city's permit guide says each trade working on a finished basement or attic needs a permit of its own. Permitted jobs get a precover inspection, before the walls are closed up, so our insulation has to be in before the drywall goes on. We plan our part around that so nobody has to open a wall back up.
Is spray foam worth the extra cost in an older Geneseo house?
Usually not. Foam costs more because it seals air while it insulates, but in most older houses, sealing the gaps and topping up with blown-in insulation, loose fill blown through a hose, does the job for less. Foam is worth it when your ductwork runs through the attic, and I'll tell you at the estimate which one your house needs.
Do we have to leave our Geneseo house while you insulate the attic?
For blown-in insulation, usually not, though you'll want kids and pets away from the hose and the hatch while we work. Spray foam is different, because the foam maker sets a re-entry time, the wait before you can come back inside, and we go over it with you before we start.
What causes cold floors in an older house over a crawl space?
Usually it's outside air moving in around the rim of the house and under a floor with little or no insulation. The city's guide notes that some Geneseo homes see periodic flooding, so we look for water before anything else, because insulation over a wet crawl space just hides the problem. Once it's dry, we seal the gaps and insulate.
What happens if you find old wiring in my Geneseo attic?
We stop and leave that area uncovered, because we won't bury wiring that needs work under fresh insulation. Geneseo requires anyone doing permitted electrical work to be registered with the city, with a narrow exception for owners working on the home they live in, so that's an electrician's job before we come back and finish.
What is the best way to insulate the room over the garage in a Geneseo house?
Seal the gaps in the garage ceiling and along the edges of the floor first, then fill the floor cavity completely, because that room loses heat on more sides than any other in the house. At the estimate I look at it from the garage and from the attic to find where the cold is getting in.
Call about your Geneseo house today
If more insulation isn't what your house needs, I'll tell you that first.