Attic Insulation in Ankeny, IA: Is Yours Still at Full Depth?
About 4 in 10 Ankeny homes were built since 2010, and a newer attic can still come up short. Abraham LaMark checks the depth and the air leaks, then brings the attic to R-49 with blown cellulose.
- Des Moines metro, so R-49, not R-60
- Median year built: 2006
- About 22 minutes from Des Moines
Free estimate in Ankeny
- 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.
- Owner on site for every job
- Same crew for 16 years, no subcontractors
- Over 2,000 homes since 2008
- Insured up to $2 million
What should you look for in a newer Ankeny attic?
You can learn a lot from the attic hatch with a flashlight. These are the signs to look for:
- Depth that looks uneven, or lower than you remember. Blown-in insulation settles over time, in new houses as well as old ones.
- Eaves where the insulation runs right into the soffits, with no baffles holding a channel open for air.
- Gaps around the soil pipe or the flue pipe where they come up through the attic floor.
- Frost or damp spots on the underside of the roof in winter, a sign that warm, moist house air is getting into the attic.
- A bedroom over the garage that runs hot in summer and cold in winter.
Free estimate in Ankeny
- 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.
From 45,582 people in 2010 to 67,887 in 2020
| Measure | Ankeny |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 22, 1875 |
| Population, 2010 census | 45,582 |
| Population, 2020 census | 67,887 |
| Special censuses requested | Every decade since the 1970s, most recently in 2024 |
| Homes built in 2000 or later | About 6 in 10 |
| Homes built in 2010 or later | About 4 in 10 |
| Homes built before 1960 | About 1 in 20 |
| Median year built | 2006 |
A young Ankeny house can still have a thin attic
Ankeny's housing is some of the newest in the Des Moines metro, and all of the city sits in Polk County. A newer house doesn't rule out a thin attic, though. The insulation was only as deep as the day it was blown in, it has been settling since, and the air sealing underneath it was only as good as whoever did it.
Abraham doesn't assume either way. At the estimate he checks the depth, the baffles at the eaves, and the seals at the soil pipe, the flue and the tops of the walls, then tells you what, if anything, it needs. In very hot or very cold weather he can also bring an infrared camera to show missing insulation and air leaks, though the weather has to cooperate, so it isn't part of every visit.
Ankeny is in the Des Moines metro, so the target is R-49, the same as Des Moines. Ames, about 20 miles north, is where Abraham steps up to R-60.
Have Abraham measure your Ankeny attic
Ankeny is about 22 minutes from Des Moines, inside the area where estimates are free. Call or text (515) 868-5400 to set up a visit.
Settling is built into the depth Abraham installs
Blown-in insulation settles in every attic, new or old. Abraham accounts for that when he sets the installed depth, so settling is part of the plan from the start. He prefers cellulose to fiberglass because air moves through fiberglass more easily.
Bedrooms over garages and cold bathroom floors
Two other complaints are worth checking in a newer Ankeny house, and neither one is in the main attic. A bedroom built over the garage has an unheated space right below it, which is why those rooms can run hot in summer and cold in winter. Abraham does garage ceilings and rooms over garages, air sealing them and insulating them.
A cold bathroom floor is the other. A floor over an unheated or poorly insulated space stays cold even when the room itself is warm. How Abraham fixes it depends on where the bathroom sits in the house, so he looks at it before saying what the job involves.
What Ankeny homeowners ask about their attics
Is R-19 or R-30 better in an Ankeny attic?
R-30 resists heat flow more than R-19, but neither is what Abraham aims for. His target for Ankeny attics is R-49, the same as the rest of the Des Moines metro.
How much does new attic insulation cost in Ankeny?
Abraham prices each job after seeing the attic, so there's no flat number to give here, and the estimate visit is free in Ankeny. If you go ahead, you pay a 30% deposit at signing and the balance when the job is done. He doesn't offer financing.
Can Abraham insulate a room over the garage in an Ankeny house?
Yes. He does garage ceilings and rooms over garages, with air sealing plus insulation.
Does Abraham work with Ankeny builders on new homes?
He works with remodeling companies more than builders. On new construction and full remodels he uses blown-in batting, or BIB.
Get a free estimate in Ankeny
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.
How we handle your information: privacy policy.