R-60 Attic Insulation in Ames, IA
Abraham LaMark insulates Ames attics to R-60, one step past the R-49 he uses around Des Moines. He seals the attic floor first, then blows in cellulose.
- R-60 attic target in the Ames region
- About 47 minutes from Des Moines
- Iowa State enrolled 30,177 students in fall 2023
Estimate in Ames
- About a 10 to 15 minute visit
- Your bid, usually within 24 hours
- Abraham calls or texts back within one business day.
Estimates are free within a half-hour drive of Des Moines.
In Ames, the estimate is $50, credited toward the job if you hire Abraham.
- Owner on site for every job
- Same crew for 16 years, no subcontractors
- Over 2,000 homes since 2008
- Insured up to $2 million
Why does an Ames attic get R-60?
| Town | County | Metro area | Drive from Des Moines | Abraham's attic target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | Polk, with part in Warren | Des Moines-West Des Moines | Home base | R-49 |
| Ankeny | Polk | Des Moines-West Des Moines | About 22 minutes | R-49 |
| Ames | Story | Ames | About 47 minutes | R-60 |
Estimate in Ames
- About a 10 to 15 minute visit
- Your bid, usually within 24 hours
- Abraham calls or texts back within one business day.
Estimates are free within a half-hour drive of Des Moines.
In Ames, the estimate is $50, credited toward the job if you hire Abraham.
R-49 around Des Moines, R-60 once you reach the Ames region
Abraham's targets are R-49 in the Des Moines area and R-60 once you get up to the Ames region. Ames is in Story County and the Ames metro area, so its attics get the deeper target. Ankeny, about 20 miles south, is in the Des Moines metro and gets R-49.
The material doesn't change with the number. Abraham prefers cellulose, because fiberglass lets air work its way through it, and in his experience the same R-value performs better in cellulose.
About 28,000 Ames homes, median year 1992
On housing age, Ames sits between Des Moines and Ankeny.
- About 67,700 people live in Ames, and Iowa State enrolled 30,177 students in fall 2023.
- Roughly 1 in 5 Ames homes predates 1960.
- About 4 in 10 predate 1980.
- The median home dates to 1992, against 1961 in Des Moines and 2006 in Ankeny.
From the first visit to R-60 in an Ames attic
- 1
An in-person look
Abraham comes up from Des Moines to see the attic. Ames is past the half-hour radius where his estimates come at no charge, so the Ames estimate is $50, credited toward the job if you hire him. Calls and texts both reach him.
- 2
Clear out anything contaminated
If animals, water or mold have gotten into the old insulation, Abraham vacuums it out before anything else happens, because new insulation over contaminated material only buries the problem.
- 3
Seal the attic floor
Gaps around the soil pipe, the flue pipe and the wall tops get sealed first, plus the chaseway over the basement stairs in a ranch or the old furnace chaseway in a story-and-a-half.
- 4
Keep the soffits clear
Baffles at the eaves hold a channel open to the soffit vents under the deeper layer.
- 5
Blow cellulose to R-60
R-60 takes more cellulose than R-49, and Abraham sets the depth with settling built in.
- 6
Settle up at the end
A 30% deposit is due at signing and the rest once the attic is finished. Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, card, check and cash all work, and there's no financing.
Book an estimate for your Ames attic
Call or text Abraham at (515) 868-5400 to set up a time to look at your Ames attic. He works weekdays from 7:30 in the morning to 5:00 in the afternoon, plus Saturdays from 8:00 to noon.
Ames attic insulation questions
How far does Abraham travel to work in Ames?
About 47 minutes each way from Des Moines, and he has worked in Ames before. As everywhere else he works, the estimate is an in-person visit to look at the attic.
Can Abraham cut the noise between rooms in an Ames rental?
Yes. Landlords and investors hire him as well as homeowners, and for noise between rooms or floors, cellulose goes into the interior walls and floors.
How long does an Ames attic job take?
Usually half a day to a day. Nobody has to stay home for it.
Can Abraham insulate the walls of an older Ames house too?
Yes. He dense-packs existing walls from the outside, or from the inside when the outside won't work. It works on homes of any age, including walls that already have fiberglass batts.
Do I need a permit for attic insulation in Ames?
Abraham hasn't needed permits for insulation work in the towns he serves.
Request an estimate in Ames
Tell us about the house and what's bothering you. Abraham calls or texts back within one business day.
Estimates are free within a half-hour drive of Des Moines.
In Ames, the estimate is $50, credited toward the job if you hire Abraham.
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