Fast, Reliable Blown-In Insulation Across Alamo Heights
Blown-in insulation in Alamo Heights typically costs $1.80 to $3.20 per square foot installed, with most full attic jobs running $2,400 to $5,800 depending on accessibility and whether knob-and-tube wiring remediation is needed first. We dispatch crews to Alamo Heights from our San Antonio office and can usually inspect within 24 to 48 hours. Call (830) 420-0953 for a written price before any work starts.
We’ve worked on enough Alamo Heights homes to know the pattern: a 1930s Tudor near Alamo Heights Boulevard with original plaster walls and a summer bedroom ceiling that hits 140°F. A 1948 ranch off Ogden Street with three additions, each framed differently, the attic a patchwork of compressed batts from three decades. These aren’t insulation jobs you hand to a crew that’s used to blowing uniform depth across a new suburban tract. They require mapping the envelope first, sealing before insulating, and documenting what changed. That’s what our Blown-In Insulation team does.
Why Topside Attic Insulation Converse Is Alamo Heights’s Preferred Blown-In Insulation Company
We’ve sealed and insulated over 9,000 homes since 2016, and a significant share of them have been in Alamo Heights and the surrounding inner-ring neighborhoods. The reviews we value most are the specific ones: homeowners who mention the blower-door number they walked away with, or the photo record showing exactly what was sealed before the cellulose went in. We don’t chase star averages; we chase documented outcomes.
Response time to Alamo Heights is typically same-day or next-day for inspections, because our crews are already working the corridor between Broadway and Nacogdoches Road. We know which Alamo Heights homes sit on pier-and-beam foundations with vented crawl spaces, which sit on slabs with flat roof assemblies, and which have the complex gabled rooflines that make attic access a puzzle. That local knowledge changes what we bring to the job and how we sequence the work.
Under The Haven Standard, every Alamo Heights job begins with a written price and a written scope. No exceptions. You get the documented photo record when we leave. On jobs where air sealing is part of the scope, you get before-and-after blower-door numbers so you can verify the performance change. That’s the evidence we provide; it’s how we work.
Our Blown-In Insulation Services in Alamo Heights
Blown-In Cellulose
We use GreenFiber cellulose for most Alamo Heights attic jobs. Cellulose handles the extreme attic heat loads here better than fiberglass when properly installed at depth. It also fills irregular joist bays more completely in the balloon-framed attics common to pre-1950s Alamo Heights construction. A typical full attic in a 2,400-square-foot Alamo Heights home runs $2,800 to $4,600 for cellulose installed to R-38 after air sealing. We recently topped up a 1948 carriage-house-style home near Cambridge Oval where the attic had only 3 inches of compressed, degraded fiberglass batts; we first identified and resolved a run of original knob-and-tube wiring crossing three joist bays, then blew 13 inches of GreenFiber cellulose over the entire attic floor. Using a remote thermal probe in the primary bedroom, we documented a drop from 141°F to 118°F at the ceiling plane during a July afternoon.
Blown-In Fiberglass
Fiberglass works well in Alamo Heights homes with newer additions that have standard platform framing and no knob-and-tube concerns. We source from Owens Corning and Johns Manville, depending on the specific application and what’s specified in the written scope. Fiberglass doesn’t settle as much as cellulose over time, which matters in attics where homeowners plan to use the space for storage and need consistent depth. Pricing runs similar to cellulose, sometimes slightly lower at $2,400 to $4,200 for the same footprint, though we rarely recommend it as the primary choice for the unsealed, complex attics typical of Alamo Heights’s older core.
Dense-Pack Wall Insulation
This is where Alamo Heights’s housing stock demands real expertise. Homes built between the 1920s and 1950s are disproportionately likely to have original plaster-on-lath interior walls that must not be drilled for dense-pack; instead we map balloon-framed stud bays from the attic and blow cellulose down from a top-plate penetration, preserving the original plaster completely. This differs from neighboring San Antonio neighborhoods where drywall can be spot-patched and repainted because it is not historic plaster. Dense-pack wall work in Alamo Heights starts around $3,200 for a focused scope on exterior walls of a single story, and can run to $7,500 or more for full two-story envelopes with complex bay window configurations. We use Knauf materials for dense-pack applications where specified.
Blown-In Top-Up
Many Alamo Heights attics have some existing insulation, but it’s compressed, degraded, or installed at inadequate depth. A top-up job isn’t just adding material; it’s assessing what’s there, removing what can’t stay, sealing what was missed, and then blowing to the target depth. Top-up jobs in Alamo Heights typically run $1,800 to $3,400, assuming no wiring remediation or extensive air sealing is needed. But we always inspect first. We’ve found too many attics where the existing batts are hiding active knob-and-tube or unsealed top plates that would make the new insulation perform poorly and potentially create a hazard.
What happens when you call
- 1
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
AfterTrusted Brands We Service in Alamo Heights
We don’t lock homeowners into proprietary products. Our materials come from GreenFiber, Owens Corning, Johns Manville, and Knauf, among others. For Alamo Heights, that means we can match the right material to the specific assembly: GreenFiber cellulose for historic attics where settling and fire resistance matter, Owens Corning fiberglass for newer additions with standard construction, Knauf products for dense-pack wall applications where density and coverage are critical. We stock common materials locally, so most Alamo Heights jobs aren’t waiting on freight. If your home has specific requirements, we specify the brand and product in the written scope before work starts. You know exactly what you’re getting.
Common Blown-In Insulation Problems We See in Alamo Heights Homes
- Knob-and-tube wiring in pre-1950s attics. Many Alamo Heights attics still contain original knob-and-tube wiring running through joist bays. It’s a code and safety barrier that must be identified and resolved before blown-in insulation can legally be installed, a complication almost never encountered in the post-1980s tract subdivisions just across the city limits in San Antonio proper. We map every circuit before blowing.
- Moisture migration into historic plaster. Blowing cellulose against the back of historic plaster walls without a proper vapor retarder or air-sealing causes moisture to migrate into the plaster and ruin irreplaceable finishes during the next hard freeze like Winter Storm Uri. We seal first, then insulate, and we document the assembly so the homeowner knows what protects the plaster.
- Non-uniform attic assemblies from multiple additions. A single Alamo Heights home may have three or four distinct framing assemblies from different eras. Assuming uniform attic depth across all of them leaves some bays under-insulated and creates thermal bridging that keeps attic temps above 140°F even after a top-up. We measure each assembly separately and specify depth per zone.
- Insulating over unsealed air leaks. The old approach was blow and go. We don’t do that. Top plates, can lights, plumbing and electrical penetrations, and chimney chases all leak conditioned air into the attic. In Alamo Heights’s extreme heat, that leakage can account for 30% or more of cooling load. We seal every penetration before insulation touches the attic floor.
Pricing for Blown-In Insulation in Alamo Heights, TX
Here are the ranges we see on actual Alamo Heights jobs, based on 2024-2025 pricing:
| Service | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Blown-in cellulose, full attic (R-38) | $2,800 - $4,600 | After air sealing; assumes standard access |
| Blown-in fiberglass, full attic (R-38) | $2,400 - $4,200 | Best for newer additions without wiring issues |
| Dense-pack wall insulation | $3,200 - $7,500+ | Varies with plaster preservation requirements |
| Blown-in top-up to existing insulation | $1,800 - $3,400 | Assumes no wiring remediation needed |
| Knob-and-tube remediation (pre-insulation) | $800 - $2,400 | Required before blowing in pre-1950s homes |
| Attic air sealing (standalone or add-on) | $1,200 - $2,800 | Critical for performance; included in most full jobs |
What moves a job toward the high end: multiple attic access points, complex roof geometry with limited headroom, active knob-and-tube requiring electrician coordination, or homes with four or more distinct framing assemblies needing zone-by-zone treatment. What keeps it lower: single open attic, platform framing, no wiring issues, and straightforward access. Every Alamo Heights job gets a written price before work starts. Bring us a competing quote; we’ll read it with you. Our Free Second Opinion applies to any written estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Alamo Heights
Our crews work throughout the San Antonio metro, including Alamo Heights and neighboring Converse, Universal City, Live Oak, and Windcrest. Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from our San Antonio office, with local crews serving each area. If you’re near the Alamo Heights boundary in one of these cities, the same inspection and pricing structure applies.
Serving Alamo Heights, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Alamo Heights area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Blown-In Insulation in Alamo Heights
Yes. We map balloon-framed stud bays from the attic and blow cellulose down from a top-plate penetration, which preserves the plaster completely. We do not drill through historic plaster-on-lath. The written scope will specify exactly which walls are treated and how the plaster is protected. Call (830) 420-0953 to schedule an inspection and written price.
We identify every active knob-and-tube circuit during the pre-inspection and require remediation by a licensed electrician before we install insulation. Covering active knob-and-tube with blown-in material violates code and creates a fire hazard. We document the wiring locations with photos, provide that record to your electrician, and verify deactivation before our crew returns. This step is mandatory, not optional, on pre-1950s Alamo Heights homes.
For flat roof assemblies in Alamo Heights’s climate, we typically recommend open-cell spray foam applied directly to the roof deck, which creates an unvented conditioned attic and eliminates the extreme heat load. Dense-pack cellulose requires a vented assembly, which flat roofs often can’t accommodate without major structural modification. The choice depends on your specific roof structure, and we’ll specify the assembly in the written scope with before-and-after performance targets. Both materials are effective; the right choice is the one that matches your building’s existing conditions.
We provide before-and-after blower-door numbers on every applicable job, a pressurization measurement that shows, in one figure, how much conditioned air your home was losing before and after the work. For the Cambridge Oval job, the blower-door reading dropped from 4,200 CFM50 to 2,100 CFM50 after sealing and cellulose installation. We also use thermal imaging and remote probes to document surface temperatures. You get the numbers, the photos, and the written record. Under the 365-Day Done Right Promise, if the performance doesn’t match what we documented, we make it right.
We treat each assembly as a separate zone with its own insulation strategy, access method, and target depth. The 1920s core might get dense-pack cellulose through top-plate penetrations to preserve plaster. The 1970s addition might get blown fiberglass through standard attic access. The 1990s garage conversion might need spray foam for the flat roof. We map each zone during inspection, specify the approach per zone in the written scope, and document each separately in the photo record. Nothing is assumed uniform. Call (830) 420-0953 to schedule the inspection.
Ready to see what your Alamo Heights home’s envelope is actually doing? Call (830) 420-0953. A live person answers 24/7. We’ll schedule an inspection, provide a written price before any work starts, and leave you with documented evidence of what changed. That’s The Haven Standard.
Written by Wes Okafor, Owner at Topside Attic Insulation Converse, serving Alamo Heights since 2016.