Insulation contractor in Bismarck, ND - fixing cold rooms and drafty attics
Pinnacle Bismarck Spray Foam Insulation is an insulation contractor based in Bismarck, ND. We find where your house is losing heat, then seal the gaps and insulate attics, walls, basements and crawl spaces with foam or blown-in fill.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Insulating Bismarck homes, attic to crawl space
Most of the calls we get in Bismarck start with a bedroom that won't warm up, a drafty upstairs or a heating bill that keeps climbing. Some come from business owners whose shop or office won't hold heat. We're based here, and we also work in Mandan and other cities around it.
Bismarck has a mix of older houses and newer builds, and they lose heat in different places. The older ones mostly lose it up top and through the walls, and the newer ones more often lose it in rooms that sit over unheated space. Because the fix changes from one house to the next, I start by showing you what's going on in your attic or crawl space before we touch anything, and sometimes the honest answer is that your insulation is fine.
What we insulate in Bismarck
Spray foam insulation
Spray foam seals air and insulates in one pass, and that usually earns its higher price in Bismarck attics where the ductwork runs overhead.
Learn more about Spray foam insulationAttic insulation
Most cold upstairs rooms we see trace back to the attic. We check how many inches are already up there before suggesting more.
Learn more about Attic insulationBlown-in insulation
Blown-in insulation, loose fill blown through a hose, tops up thin attics. We spread it evenly to the edges, not piled in the middle.
Learn more about Blown-in insulationHome insulation
When a house here has cold spots in several rooms, we look at the whole house first and start where it loses the most.
Learn more about Home insulationInsulation removal
Soaked or droppings-filled insulation in older Bismarck attics comes out first, because laying new material over it just buries the problem.
Learn more about Insulation removalCrawl space insulation
Cold floors over a crawl space are a common call here. We insulate its walls or the floor above, depending on what's down there.
Learn more about Crawl space insulationWall insulation
Older homes here often have walls with little or nothing in them, so we fill them through small holes that we patch afterward.
Learn more about Wall insulationAir sealing services
Air sealing, closing the gaps before insulating, comes first on most Bismarck jobs so the new insulation isn't fighting a draft.
Learn more about Air sealing servicesBasement insulation
Plenty of basements here still have bare concrete walls. Insulating them takes the chill off and gets the space ready for finishing.
Learn more about Basement insulationClosed-cell foam insulation
Closed-cell foam is dense foam that also blocks moisture, so we use it on basement walls, crawl spaces and other spots that stay damp.
Learn more about Closed-cell foam insulationOpen-cell foam insulation
Open-cell foam is softer and costs less than closed-cell. It suits rooflines and walls that stay dry, like those in a finished attic room.
Learn more about Open-cell foam insulationCommercial insulation
We also insulate shops, offices and other commercial buildings in Bismarck for owners who are tired of heating space that won't hold it.
Learn more about Commercial insulationCrawl space vapor barrier
A dirt crawl space can feed moisture into the house above, so we lay a vapor barrier over the ground before insulating down there.
Learn more about Crawl space vapor barrierVapor barrier installation
A vapor barrier on the wrong side of a wall can trap moisture, so we check how your house is built before adding one.
Learn more about Vapor barrier installationAttic air sealing
Gaps around can lights, pipes and the attic hatch let warm air leak into the attic. We seal them before any insulation goes in.
Learn more about Attic air sealingRetrofit insulation
Retrofit work means adding insulation to a Bismarck house you already live in, so we work around finished rooms instead of tearing them out.
Learn more about Retrofit insulation
What Bismarck houses need from insulation
In a lot of Bismarck attics, the old fill has settled and is thinnest out at the edges. That's backward, because the edges over the outside walls are where the cold gets in first. We also find eave vents buried under earlier insulation, and an attic that can't breathe starts showing moisture in the framing. When we add more, we keep those vents clear and lay the new fill evenly all the way out.
Below the floors, cold rooms over crawl spaces and basements with bare walls usually come down to moisture as much as heat. That's why we look at what's down there before we pick a material. What moves your price and our schedule is what we find in those spaces. That means how much old material comes out, how much sealing it needs, how easy the space is to get into and whether the city wants a permit first. Your written estimate spells out what we'd do and why.
Get a free on-site insulation estimate in Bismarck
Tell us about your house and what's bothering you, and we'll get back to you within one business day. I'll look the space over with you on site for free, then send a written estimate with no pressure to book.
Insulation questions from Bismarck homeowners
How much does it cost to insulate a house in Bismarck?
Your price comes down to the size of the space, what's already in it and what we'd put in, so I give you a figure in a written estimate after we look it over together. Spray foam costs more than blown-in fill because it seals air while it insulates, and it's usually worth the extra only when your ductwork runs through the attic. Old insulation that's wet or full of droppings has to come out first, and that adds to the job.
Do I need a permit to insulate my attic in Bismarck?
The city's permit list doesn't name insulation, so to find out for your job, call the city's Building Inspection Division at (701) 355-1465. The city does require a building permit for any alteration or repair of an existing building, and for new or repaired electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing work. Before we start, we check with that office, and when a permit is needed, we apply for it and wait until it's issued.
Does an insulation contractor need a license in Bismarck, ND?
Bismarck has no general city business license, but North Dakota requires a contractor license from the Secretary of State on any job whose cost, value or price is over $4,000. The rule covers general contractors, subcontractors and out-of-state contractors alike, and some work can need other licenses or permits on top of it. We're licensed and fully insured, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
How do I request a building inspection in Bismarck?
Once your permit shows as issued, you can request an inspection through the city's eTRAKiT system at least one day ahead. You can also call the Building Inspections Department at the same number or reach an inspector directly. Permit applications and documents can also go in through eTRAKiT or by email to the department, and when one of our jobs needs a permit, we handle that application ourselves.
How long does insulation take, and when can my kids and pets come back inside?
With blown-in fill, you can usually stay home while we work. With spray foam, everyone stays out, kids and pets included, until the foam maker's re-entry time has passed, which is the point when it's safe to come back. How long we're there depends on the size of the space, how much old material comes out and how much sealing it needs, and I'll tell you both when I look the job over.
What causes a cold room over the garage in a Bismarck house?
Usually it's the floor over the garage, which often has thin or patchy insulation and gaps that let garage air move straight up into the room. We check that floor and the walls where the room meets the attic before picking foam or fill, because insulating the attic alone rarely fixes that room.
Want to know what's going on up there?
Ask for an estimate and I'll look the space over with you, then put in writing what we'd do and why.
Other areas we serve
Looking for somewhere else? Check any city listed here, or call (701) 299-5007, since we work in more cities around Bismarck than have their own page.