Cold floors over a damp, chilly basement? We check for water first, then insulate the walls or the floor above so the heat stays upstairs.
Basement insulation in East Los Angeles usually means insulating the inside of the foundation walls or the floor above the basement, so the rooms upstairs stop losing heat through the floor and the basement is easier to keep comfortable.
Most people call us because the floors over the basement are cold, the basement smells musty, or they want to turn it into a room they'll actually use. The price mostly turns on the square footage, whether we do the walls or the floor above, which material goes in, and whether there's water to deal with first. The schedule turns on that same water work and on whether your address needs a permit for the job. At the estimate I write down what your basement needs and what has to come first, so you know the order before anything starts.
Before this I ran a hauling business, clearing out garages and attics around East Los Angeles, and I kept finding insulation that was flattened, soaked or full of droppings. So I learned the trade beside an experienced installer, got licensed and opened this business in 2017.
You get me at the estimate, looking at the basement with you and pointing out anything that has to come first. On the job a lead installer runs the crew, and when the work is done I come back and look it over with you.
In California, the Contractors State License Board licenses and regulates the construction industry. We're licensed and insured, so the crew working in your basement is doing it under the state's rules, and you're welcome to ask about both when I come out for the estimate.
If your basement is dry and the rooms above stay comfortable, I'd rather say so than sell you a job. When we do the work, we leave the house clean and tell you plainly what we did. The work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. Call (213) 329-0372 or use the form to set up a visit.
We reply within one business day to set up your free on-site estimate, and there's no pressure to book. At the visit we go through the basement together, and you get the job written down in order, starting with anything that has to be fixed before insulation goes in.
Who handles a permit depends on where your address sits. LA County Public Works issues building permits in unincorporated LA County and runs a Building and Safety office in East Los Angeles, which you can reach at (323) 881-7030 to confirm your address falls in the county's area. If your property is under a city's own building department instead, that office may handle it. The county's list of permitted work names additions, alterations, repairs and electrical or mechanical work, and it doesn't name basement insulation, so the list alone doesn't settle whether your job needs one. We check which office covers your address before anything else, and when a permit is called for, we take care of it with them before work starts. California's Energy Code also sets efficiency requirements for alterations to existing homes, not just new ones.
The basements we see around East Los Angeles are usually small, often under part of an older house, and used for storage, laundry or the water heater. We're based here and do the same work across the cities around it, including Montebello, Monterey Park, Downey, Pico Rivera and other nearby cities.
Insulating a basement in Los Angeles usually costs about $1.50 to $4.50 per square foot of area insulated. That's the going rate across the area, not our price. Where your job lands depends on walls or floor, the material and whether water has to be dealt with first, and I write all of that down at the estimate.
Usually it's insulation that went in before a water problem was fixed. National building guidance warns that insulating basement walls without handling moisture can hide the problem, and in some cases trap water in the wall and make things worse. If I see signs of water at the estimate, I'll show you, and that's where we start.
For most basements I'd do the walls, because national building guidance finds that generally performs better, though it often costs more than insulating at the floor. Some owners pick the floor purely to save money. For a storage basement with no ducts or fuel-burning appliances down there, that can be a fair call.
Leave off plastic sheeting or foil facing on the room side of fiberglass, because in a basement that can hold moisture inside the wall. National guidance suggests kraft-faced batts, the paper-backed kind, or latex paint on the drywall instead. Foam also needs a covering such as drywall between it and the room, and where local rules differ, local code officials have the final word.
It can be, as long as anything that burns fuel down there gets checked before and after the basement is sealed and insulated. National guidance calls for a check at both ends so the appliance still runs properly and safely once the drafts are gone. Tell us about any gas appliances when you call so it's planned in from the start.
Measure the basement's square footage if you can, since the price runs by the square foot. Note any signs of water, like stains, damp spots or a musty smell, and any appliances down there that burn fuel. Then call (213) 329-0372 or send the form, and we'll set up a time.
