Insulation Contractor in Rock Island, IL - Fewer Drafts in Older Homes
D&K Davenport Insulation Company is an insulation contractor working in Rock Island, IL. We seal drafts and add or replace insulation in attics, walls, crawl spaces and basements, including the older houses here that lose heat through the attic.
Book an insulation estimate in Rock Island
I'll climb into your attic, measure what's there and check for gaps, water and buried vents.
Request an estimateRock Island: older houses between two rivers
Rock Island sits where the Rock River runs into the Mississippi, and a lot of the houses we go into here are older two-stories and bungalows with plaster walls and attics that different owners have topped up over the years. The calls are mostly a cold upstairs, a drafty front room or cold floors over a crawl space. We get the same kinds of calls next door in Moline and across the Rock River in Milan, but Rock Island's older housing means more of them start with what's already in the attic.
That history shapes the job. Older houses have more gaps where pipes, wiring and chimneys pass through, older roofs and attics that are hard to get into, so I look at all of it before deciding what goes in, and some jobs need a roof or a wet wall fixed before they need us.
Working in Rock Island: permits, registration and price
When an insulation job in Rock Island needs a permit, it comes from the City of Rock Island's Building Services team. Their permit list covers altering or repairing a building and work on electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing systems, but it doesn't name insulation by itself, so whether your job needs one is a question for the city, and if it does, I take care of it and tell you up front because the permit and any inspection become part of the schedule. The city also requires anyone doing building work under its codes to register with it every year and put up a surety bond of at least $10,000 as a financial guarantee, and it won't issue permits to a contractor who hasn't registered, so that's a fair thing to ask anyone you're thinking of hiring.
What moves the price is what we find up there: how many inches are already down, whether old material has to come out, how many gaps need sealing and how easy the attic is to reach. Foam costs more and seals air while it insulates, but in most attics here I'd rather seal the gaps and top up with blown-in, loose fill blown through a hose, unless your ductwork runs up there. The schedule turns on the same things plus a permit if there is one, so I come out and write the estimate myself and you get your own number instead of a guess. We're based across the river in Davenport and do the same work in Bettendorf and plenty of other cities on both sides.
Services in Rock Island, IL
Attic insulation
A lot of Rock Island attics have a few inches of old, packed-down material that's deep in the middle and thin at the edges, which is backward. Our attic insulation work evens that out to full coverage at the eaves while keeping the vents there open so the attic still breathes.
Attic air sealing
In older houses the cold upstairs usually comes from warm air escaping around recessed lights, plumbing pipes, chimneys and the attic hatch. We seal those gaps before any insulation goes down, because insulation alone won't stop a draft.
Insulation removal
When old insulation got soaked from a past roof leak or filled up with droppings, putting more on top just buries the problem. We pull it out and clean up, and only then do we start fresh.
Wall insulation
Plenty of older Rock Island houses have plaster walls with little or nothing inside them, which is why a room stays cold with the heat turned up. We blow insulation into those closed walls from outside or inside, depending on what your siding and plaster will allow.
Crawl space vapor barrier
Houses on low ground near the rivers often have damp crawl spaces that leave the floors above cold and the house smelling musty. We lay a vapor barrier, a heavy sheet that holds ground moisture down, over the dirt before anything else goes in.
Spray foam insulation
The room over the garage stays cold because its floor sits over an unheated space and outside air moves through the odd gaps around it. We fill the floor and walls there with spray foam, which fits those awkward spaces and stops the air moving through them.
Get a free insulation estimate for your Rock Island home
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come out to your Rock Island house. The estimate is free and there's no obligation. If you hire us, my crew does the work and I go over 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 Rock Island owners can count on
We're an insulation contractor based in Davenport, IA, covering 16 services and 12 cities with their own page here, plus others on both sides of the river. Every job starts with a free on-site estimate.
- 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
How do I schedule an inspection for a permitted job in Rock Island?
You request it through the city's online permit portal with at least 24 hours notice, and the cutoff for next-day inspections is 2 p.m. You fill in the inspection details, upload any documents and pick a date with a morning or afternoon slot, then inspections staff review and schedule it, though the city doesn't guarantee the time and date. When we've pulled the permit for your job, we handle that request for you.
Can I insulate my own house in Rock Island without registering as a contractor?
Yes, if you own and live in a single-family house and you're doing the work on it yourself, the city doesn't make you register as a contractor. You still have to get any permits the work needs, have it inspected and follow the city's codes. If you'd rather not crawl around up there, I'm happy to come look and tell you which parts are worth doing yourself.
Do I need hard-wired smoke alarms if I insulate during a remodel in Rock Island?
You can, because the city's residential code calls for smoke alarms placed as in a new house, connected to each other and hard wired, when a permitted interior alteration, repair or addition is done. Alarms in the existing rooms don't need that when the work leaves the wall and ceiling finishes covering the framing. Most attic jobs don't open your walls or ceilings, but if wall work means opening plaster, I'll tell you up front how this rule might touch your job.
How much does it cost to insulate an attic in Rock Island?
The cost comes down mostly to what's already in your attic and what has to happen before new insulation goes in. A dry attic that just needs its gaps sealed and a top-up costs far less than one where wet or dirty insulation has to come out first, and older houses can add work when there are old wiring runs, a roof leak or a tight hatch to deal with first. I'll look at all of it at the free estimate and give you your own number.
What is the best way to insulate a crawl space near the river in Rock Island?
Get it dry first, then insulate, because insulation in a crawl space that still takes on water just holds that moisture against the framing. Rock Island County says area streams and creeks, the Rock River and the Mississippi may place residents in a Special Flood Hazard Area, so it's worth knowing where your house stands before you put money into the crawl space. Once it stays dry, closed-cell foam, a dense foam that also blocks moisture, is usually what I'd put on the walls down there.
Do we have to leave the house during spray foam insulation in Rock Island?
For spray foam, yes, everyone including kids and pets stays out until the re-entry time, the wait the foam maker sets before it's safe to come back in. I'll tell you that wait before we book the day so you can plan around it. Blown-in attic work usually doesn't need you out of the house, though the hatch will be open and we'll have a hose running in.
Call about your Rock Island insulation job
Call (563) 265-6737 or send the form, and I'll tell you straight what your house needs, even when it isn't more insulation.