Insulation Before & After in Menlo Park, CA
Photos don’t exaggerate. The difference between a leaking attic floor and a sealed, insulated building envelope shows up in infrared images, blower-door numbers, and utility bills. We’ve documented every job we’ve done in Menlo Park since 2016 - here’s what the work actually looks like, with the measurements that back it up.
Recent Transformations
Attic Air Sealing & Blown-In Insulation - Vintage Ranch Near Downtown Menlo Park
The homeowner’s upstairs bedrooms ran 12°F warmer than the downstairs thermostat setting every August afternoon. Our blower-door test read 3,800 CFM50 - roughly double what a home this size should leak. We sealed top plates, wire penetrations, and eleven unsealed can lights across the attic floor, then blew in Owens Corning AttiCat fiberglass to R-49. The post-work blower-door test read 2,100 CFM50. The bedroom temperature split dropped to 3°F. We left a written scope, the before-and-after pressurization readings, and a photo record showing every sealed penetration.
Crawl Space Encapsulation & Vapor Barrier - Slab-on-Grade Addition in Suburban Park
This 1970s addition sat on a dirt crawl space that smelled like mildew by March every year. Relative humidity held at 78% even in dry months. We installed a 20-mil reinforced polyethylene vapor barrier across the entire floor, sealed foundation vents, and taped all seams to the wall liner. A small dehumidifier now cycles intermittently instead of running continuously. The documented photo record shows the standing water stains on the old floor joists and the same joists dry twelve weeks later. The homeowner’s allergy symptoms, which peaked in spring, didn’t recur the following season.
Spray Foam Insulation - Knee Walls & Bonus Room in Allied Arts
The finished third floor in this 1920s Allied Arts home was usable only eight months a year. The existing fiberglass batts had compressed to roughly R-11 in the knee walls and gapped away from the roof deck in multiple spots. We removed the failing batts, applied 3 inches of closed-cell spray foam to the roof deck and knee wall cavities, and air-sealed the floor perimeter where the balloon frame met the top plate. The blower-door reading dropped from 4,400 CFM50 to 2,600 CFM50. The room now holds 72°F in January without the space heater the homeowner had run continuously.
Radiant Barrier Installation - Tile Roof in Menlo Oaks
The attic hit 145°F by 3 p.m. on July afternoons, cooking the ductwork running through it and forcing the AC to run past 10 p.m. to recover. We stapled a perforated radiant barrier to the underside of the roof rafters, maintaining the existing ventilation path while blocking radiant heat transfer from the dark concrete tiles. Attic peak temperature dropped to 108°F on the same 94°F ambient day measured the following summer. The AC now cycles off by 7:30 p.m. The photo record shows the infrared camera reading of the duct surface before and after - a 22°F surface temperature reduction.
Insulation Removal & Replacement - Rodent Contamination in Belle Haven
The homeowner found rat droppings in the attic after hearing scratching for three weeks. We removed all contaminated fiberglass batts, HEPA-vacuumed the entire attic deck, and sealed every entry point larger than a quarter inch - including a gap where the plumbing vent passed through the soffit that the previous insulation contractor had simply worked around. We then blew in GreenFiber cellulose treated with borate to R-38. The photo record documents every sealed entry point with a dated timestamp. No return activity in fourteen months.
Attic Cleaning & Rodent Proofing - Pre-Insulation Prep in Sharon Heights
This attic hadn’t been entered in twenty years. The existing insulation was a mix of original 1980s batts, blown-in topping from a 2005 energy rebate program, and significant debris from a previous squirrel infestation. We removed everything down to the drywall, fogged the deck with an antimicrobial, and sealed all top plates, electrical penetrations, and the chimney chase with fire-rated caulk and metal flashing. The attic was left clean, sanitized, and ready for new insulation - which we installed two days later. The homeowner received the full photo record, the written scope for both phases, and the blower-door comparison: 3,200 CFM50 before any work, 1,900 CFM50 after sealing, with insulation still to come.
What Every Job Includes
These aren’t cherry-picked showcases. Every attic insulation, crawl space encapsulation, spray foam, and insulation removal job we complete in Menlo Park gets the same documentation:
- Written price before any work starts - flat price, written scope, written warranty, per 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 home was losing
- Documented Photo Record - included on every visit, not available on request
- 365-Day Done Right Promise - if it’s not done right, we make it right
We’ve sealed and insulated over 9,000 homes since 2016. Every one left with a written price before work started and a documented record when the crew left.
What happens when you call
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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?
Call (510) 876-4113 - a live person answers, 24/7. We’ll schedule a free assessment, give you a written price before any work starts, and show you exactly what your home’s building envelope is leaking with a blower-door test. If you already have a written estimate from another contractor, bring it in. We’ll read it with you line by line. No charge.
Written by Wes Okafor, Owner at Topside Attic Insulation Menlo Park, serving Menlo Park since 2016.