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Serving Altoona, PA and surrounding areas. (814) 552-1335
Hidden gaps in your home let heat out all winter and drive up your gas bill. We find every leak, seal it properly, and give you proof the work actually helped.
Air sealing services in Altoona locate and plug every gap, crack, and opening in your home's shell, from attic hatches and rim joists to gaps around pipes, wires, and light fixtures, most jobs on a typical single-family home are completed in one to two days with no need to vacate the property.
Air sealing is not the same as adding insulation. Insulation slows heat from moving through walls and ceilings. Air sealing stops actual air movement - the drafts you feel near outlets, at the base of your attic stairs, and along the edges of your floors. The two work best together, which is why many homeowners pair air sealing with basement insulation or attic air sealing to address heat loss from multiple directions in a single visit.
If your heating costs feel out of proportion to the size of your home, air leakage is a likely culprit. Altoona winters are long and cold enough that even moderate leakage adds up to hundreds of dollars a year. This is one of the clearest signs that your home's shell is not holding in the warmth you are paying for.
If a bedroom or corner of your living room feels noticeably colder in winter - even with the heat on - there is likely a gap nearby letting cold air in. In Altoona's older homes, this often happens near exterior walls, around windows, or above attached garages. You might even feel a faint breeze near an outlet or light switch.
Pull down your attic stairs or open your attic hatch and look at the edges. If you can see light coming through the frame, or feel cold air dropping down when you stand near it, that opening is a significant leak. Attic hatches are one of the most common and most overlooked air leakage points in older Altoona homes.
When air leaks pull outdoor air through gaps in your foundation, crawl space, or walls, it brings dust, pollen, and sometimes musty odors with it. If you find yourself dusting more than seems reasonable, or if the air inside feels stale even when windows are closed, uncontrolled air infiltration may be the cause.
We start with a blower door test to measure how much air your home is losing and pinpoint exactly where it is coming from. That takes the guesswork out of the job and lets us focus where the leakage is worst. Small cracks get caulk; larger gaps around pipes and wires get spray foam; big openings like attic hatches or dropped soffits get rigid foam board. None of these materials are visible once the work is done - they are tucked inside the areas where air was sneaking through.
We run the blower door test again after the sealing is complete so you have real numbers showing the improvement - not just our word for it. Homeowners who want the full picture often add attic air sealing to address the top of the house and basement insulation to address the bottom. Combining these services in one visit is almost always more cost-effective than scheduling them separately.
A comprehensive approach covering the attic, basement or crawl space, and all major penetrations throughout the home.
Focuses on the top of the home where warm air escapes most aggressively - around light fixtures, top plates, and attic hatches.
Addresses the bottom of the stack, sealing rim joists and foundation penetrations that pull cold and musty air up into living spaces.
A before-and-after measurement that gives you proof the work was done correctly and documents results for rebate or tax credit applications.
Altoona sits in the Allegheny Mountains in Blair County, where the heating season runs hard from November through March. Most homes here heat with natural gas through Peoples Natural Gas. When gas prices spike - as they did sharply in recent winters - homeowners with leaky homes feel it immediately in their bills. The older housing stock makes the problem worse. A large share of Altoona's homes were built before 1960, using construction methods that left far more gaps around pipes, wires, and framing than modern building practices do. Decades of settling have opened up even more. Homeowners in Hollidaysburg and Tyrone face identical conditions and see the same payback when gaps are properly sealed.
Altoona summers add a moisture consideration. Warm, humid summer air can work its way into your home through the same gaps that let winter heat escape. When that moist air hits cooler surfaces inside your walls or attic, it can condense and create conditions for mold or wood rot. A contractor who understands this will make sure the sealing work manages moisture properly and not just stops airflow. Pennsylvania is also rolling out new federally funded home energy rebate programs, and Peoples Natural Gas has historically offered rebates for energy efficiency improvements. Getting this work done sooner rather than later gives you the best chance of capturing those savings.
We will ask about the age of your home, your heating type, and what you have been noticing. You will hear back within one business day to schedule an assessment. You do not need to prepare anything for this call - just describe what you have been experiencing in plain terms.
We walk through your attic, basement or crawl space, and main living areas, looking for obvious gaps and assessing how the home was built. We also run a blower door test at this stage, which measures exactly how much air your home is losing and pinpoints where it is coming from. The visit usually takes one to two hours.
After the assessment, you receive a written estimate that explains what we found, what we plan to do about it, and what it will cost. A trustworthy estimate breaks down the work by area - attic, basement, walls - so you can see where the biggest problems are. This is the time to ask about rebates or tax credits that may apply.
On the work day, the crew seals gaps throughout the home using caulk, spray foam, and rigid foam board as needed. Most jobs are done in one to two days. When the sealing is complete, we run the blower door test again so you have real numbers showing how much the work improved things. Your home is ready to use the same day.
Free estimate includes a blower door assessment. Written quote. No pressure, no obligation.
(814) 552-1335A contractor who skips the blower door test is working blind. We run it before the work starts and again when we are done, so you leave with real numbers showing the improvement - not just a promise. That documentation also supports any rebate or tax credit application you want to file.
Altoona's pre-1960 homes - the row houses, worker cottages, and brick two-stories near downtown - have the kind of hidden gaps that a quick visual inspection will miss. We work in attics, basements, and crawl spaces where the real leakage is, not just around windows and doors. The Building Performance Institute sets the professional standards our air sealing work follows.
Peoples Natural Gas rebates and federal energy tax credits are available right now, but the details shift and program funding is limited. We handle the documentation on our end and walk you through what to submit, so the money you are entitled to does not get left on the table because of a missed form.
Sealing a home too tightly without accounting for fresh air can create indoor air quality problems. We check your ventilation situation as part of every air sealing project and flag concerns before they become problems. You end up with a home that is tighter and healthier - not just tighter.
Every job we do is backed by measurable results and honest documentation. Building Performance Institute standards guide how we find leaks, seal them, and verify the work was done right. You can also review current federal incentives at ENERGY STAR.
Insulate the rim joists and basement walls so cold air has nowhere to enter from below.
Learn MoreTarget the top of the home where warm air rises and escapes most aggressively through ceiling penetrations.
Learn MoreAltoona winters are long - get sealed before the heating season starts and capture rebates and tax credits that are available right now.