Dense-pack wall insulation, no tear-out.

Old Bellingham walls are often empty.

A lot of Bellingham's pre-war homes, especially the balloon-framed houses in the Lettered Streets and around Fairhaven, have little or no insulation in the walls at all. You feel it as cold north-facing rooms, drafts around the outlets, and a furnace that runs and runs. Tearing out plaster or pulling siding to fix it is expensive and messy, and it's why a lot of people just live with cold walls.

Dense-pack fixes that without the tear-out. We drill a row of small holes, either from the outside through the siding or from inside, and pack each wall cavity completely full of cellulose or fiberglass at the right density. Packed tight, it stops air movement inside the wall as well as slowing heat loss, which matters a lot in our climate. Then we plug and patch the holes. Wall insulation is rebate-eligible through PSE, so we size it to qualify and help with the paperwork.

What it actually costs.

Our four-step process.

1. Free wall assessment

   We check what's in the walls now, often with a small probe or thermal look, and figure out the best way to access each cavity.

2. Drill the access holes

   We drill a tidy row of small holes, from the outside through the siding or from inside, into each wall cavity.

3. Dense-pack the cavities

   We pack each cavity completely full of cellulose or fiberglass at the right density so air stops moving inside the wall.

4. Plug, patch, and file

   We plug the holes, patch them clean, and help you file the PSE rebate.

Why hire a local crew for this work.

• No tearing out siding or drywall
• Cavities packed completely full, not half-filled
• Stops drafts and the air moving inside the wall
• Works on wood, vinyl, and most stucco siding
• Rebate-eligible through PSE, and we help with the forms

Frequently asked questions.

How much does wall insulation cost in Bellingham?

Dense-pack wall insulation in Bellingham usually runs $2,500 to $7,000. It depends on how much exterior wall you have, your siding type, and how we access the cavities. Wall insulation is one of the higher-value PSE rebate categories, so the out-of-pocket can be a good bit lower once the rebate is applied, and we help you file.

Can you insulate my walls without removing the siding?

Usually yes. We drill a row of small holes into each wall cavity, either from the outside through the siding or from inside through the drywall, dense-pack the cavity full, then plug and patch the holes. On wood and vinyl siding we can often work from outside and put the siding back so it's hard to tell we were there.

Will dense-pack insulation cause moisture problems in my walls?

Not when it's installed right. Dense-pack cellulose actually manages small amounts of moisture and dries out, and packing the cavity full stops the air movement that carries moisture in the first place. The risk comes from gaps and half-filled cavities, which is exactly what we don't do. In our marine climate the vapor control matters, so we get that right for your wall.

Related services.

Wall Insulation across Whatcom County.

Every neighborhood we serve has its own story, century-old walls in the Lettered Streets, cold floors over the crawlspaces in Columbia, damp ground out by the lake. Pick your area for local notes: