Insulation Before & After in West Hollywood, CA
Photos don’t lie. In a city where contractors make big promises and deliver small results, we document every attic, every crawl space, every wall cavity. What follows are real jobs we’ve completed in West Hollywood and the surrounding hills. Each one includes a written price before we started, a Documented Photo Record when we finished, and on air-sealing jobs, before-and-after blower-door numbers you can hold in your hand.
Recent Transformations
Attic Insulation Removal & Replacement - 1940s Spanish Colonial Near Sunset Strip
The homeowner on North Sweetzer had been told by two other contractors to simply blow new insulation over the old. We found 70-year-old fiberglass compressed to R-6 equivalent, rodent droppings along the eaves, and unsealed top plates leaking conditioned air directly into the vented attic. Under Haven Standard Clause 1, we delivered a written scope: remove all existing material, sanitize the deck, seal every penetration with fire-rated caulk and rigid foam, then install GreenFiber blown-in cellulose to R-38. The blower-door test read 3,800 CFM50 before sealing and 2,100 after. The written price was $4,200. The crew left a Documented Photo Record and the 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing.
Crawl Space Encapsulation & Vapor Barrier - Hillside Home Above Fountain Avenue
This 1962 hillside ranch above Fountain Avenue had a crawl space that smelled like a basement in Louisiana every January. The dirt floor wicked moisture uphill from the saturated soil, and the uninsulated rim joists were growing surface mold. We don’t encapsulate over active water, so we first coordinated with a drainage contractor to install a perimeter French drain. Then we laid a 20-mil reinforced vapor barrier with sealed seams and mechanical fastening at walls, applied 2 inches of closed-cell spray foam to all rim joists, and installed a commercial-grade dehumidifier set to 55% relative humidity. The homeowner received before-and-after moisture meter readings, a written price of $6,800, and the Documented Photo Record showing every seam and penetration. No more smell. No more mold.
Spray Foam Insulation - New Construction ADU on North La Cienega
A local architect building a 420-square-foot ADU behind a duplex on North La Cienega specified continuous insulation with no thermal bridging. We applied 3 inches of open-cell spray foam to the roof deck for R-13 and an air-tight ceiling plane, and 2 inches of closed-cell spray foam to all exterior walls for R-14 plus structural rigidity. The combination eliminated thermal bridging at every corner, header, and stud bay. The blower-door test came in at 1.9 ACH50, well below the West Hollywood green building threshold of 3.0. Written price: $3,400. The architect now specifies this assembly on every ADU in the city.
Attic Air Sealing & Blown-In Insulation - Mid-Century Condo Near Melrose
The owner of a 16-unit building near Melrose and Fairfax called because her top-floor unit hit 89 degrees by 4 PM every August despite a new HVAC system. We found the attic hatch unsealed, a 4-inch gap around the masonry chimney chase, and twelve non-IC-rated recessed lights dumping conditioned air into the vented attic. Per the Haven Standard, we sealed first: fire-rated caulk and sheet metal around the chimney, Tenmat covers on every can light, and rigid foam on the hatch. Then we blew Owens Corning AttiCat fiberglass to R-30. The blower-door test dropped from 2,400 CFM50 to 1,550. Her August peak dropped to 76 degrees. Written price for her unit: $2,800. The HOA president requested proposals for the remaining 15 units the following week.
Radiant Barrier Installation - Flat Roof Retrofit Near Santa Monica Boulevard
A small film production office near Santa Monica Boulevard had a flat roof with dark EPDM rubber absorbing heat all day and radiating it downward until 9 PM. The existing R-19 fiberglass was doing nothing against radiant heat gain. We installed a perforated radiant barrier foil directly to the underside of the roof deck with a 3/4-inch air gap, then blew new Knauf EcoFill fiberglass to R-30 below it. The radiant barrier reflects 97% of radiant heat back toward the roof deck, and the perforations allow moisture to escape. The space now cools to setpoint in 20 minutes instead of 90. Written price: $3,600. The production company has referred three neighboring tenants.
Insulation Removal, Cleaning & Rodent Proofing - 1920s Duplex Near Doheny Drive
The owner of a 1920s duplex near Doheny Drive had been trapping rats in the attic for two years. Every exterminator killed what was there; none stopped what came next. We removed all contaminated insulation, found six entry points including a 2-inch gap where a cast-iron vent stack passed through the eave, and one active nest in a soffit corner. We sealed every penetration with steel mesh and polyurethane foam, sanitized the deck with enzyme treatment, and installed Rockwool ComfortBatt in areas vulnerable to re-entry because rodents won’t chew it. Then we blew new cellulose to R-38 everywhere else. The written price was $5,400. Eighteen months later, zero callbacks. The owner received the Documented Photo Record showing every sealed entry point for his warranty file.
Want Results Like These?
Every job starts with a written price before any work starts, always. No exceptions. We answer calls live at (213) 306-2607, 24/7, and we’ll give you a free second opinion on any written estimate you’ve already received. Wes Okafor or one of our background-checked, uniformed technicians will walk your attic or crawl space, explain what we find in plain language, and leave you with a flat price, a written scope, and a written warranty under the Haven Standard before anyone lifts a tool.
Written by Wes Okafor, Owner at Topside Attic Insulation West Hollywood, serving West Hollywood since 2016.