A&J Hampton Insulation and Spray FoamA&J Hampton Insulation and Spray Foam

Insulation contractor in Smithfield, VA - warmer floors and cooler upstairs rooms

A&J Hampton Insulation and Spray Foam insulates attics, walls and crawl spaces in Smithfield, VA, for homeowners dealing with a hot upstairs, cold floors or a high power bill, in older houses downtown and newer neighborhoods alike.

Request a quote(757) 367-8752
Unfinished basement with insulated ceiling joists, large silver ducts, exposed pipes, and a plastic-covered wall.
  • Licensed and fully insured.
  • Free in-person estimates.
  • We respond within 1 business day.

About Smithfield, VA

Smithfield's houses come in two broad kinds. Around downtown and toward the Pagan River you'll find older homes, many built long before anyone put insulation in a wall, with tall ceilings, chimneys and attics that got added onto over the years. Farther out are newer neighborhoods with builder-grade attics and rooms over the garage. We see much the same mix up the road in Carrollton, and in both places people usually call because the upstairs won't cool down in summer or the power bill keeps climbing.

Most of these houses sit over a crawl space instead of a basement, on ground that stays damp, so on a lot of Smithfield jobs the floor matters as much as the attic, and the age of the house tells me whether the walls have anything in them at all.

Services in Smithfield, VA

  • Crawl space vapor barrier

    Bare dirt under a Smithfield house keeps feeding moisture into the air below your floor, and that's often behind the musty smell and the sagging insulation. We lay a ground cover over the dirt and seal it at the seams so whatever goes above it has a chance to stay dry.

  • Attic insulation

    Attics in the newer neighborhoods often have enough insulation in the middle and very little out at the edges, which is where the heat gets in. We even out the coverage and keep the vents at the eaves clear so the attic can still breathe.

  • Attic air sealing

    Older houses downtown leak air around chimneys, plumbing, recessed lights and the attic hatch, so new insulation laid over those gaps ends up fighting a draft. We seal the openings first, then insulate, because doing it in that order is what makes the insulation work.

  • Wall insulation

    A lot of older Smithfield homes have empty exterior walls, which is why some rooms feel cold no matter where the thermostat sits. We blow insulation into the wall cavities through small holes and patch them, so you don't have to tear out plaster to get it done.

  • Insulation removal

    In older attics I often find insulation that's been soaked by an old roof leak or filled with droppings, and laying fresh material over that leaves the problem in place. We take the bad material out and clean up before anything new goes in.

  • Basement insulation

    Few Smithfield houses have a full basement, but some older ones have a cellar or a half-buried lower room that stays cool and damp. Basement insulation there starts with finding where the water gets in, because insulation on a wet wall just holds the moisture against it.

What working in Smithfield means for your insulation job

In Smithfield, permits go through two offices. The Town of Smithfield issues zoning permits, but only inside its corporate limits, and Isle of Wight County handles building permits and inspections. So when a job needs a permit, the county's inspection becomes part of the schedule, and I check with the right office for your address before we book the crew. Before the county issues a permit, the contractor has to show a state license, and you can check ours or anyone else's with the Virginia Board for Contractors. Each license there carries a class that sets how big a job it covers and a specialty that sets the kind of work. Contractors working in Smithfield also need its local business license, and on a job valued over $25,000 the applicant has to contact the Town of Smithfield Treasurer's Office about it. We're licensed and fully insured.

We're an insulation contractor based in Hampton, VA, and the drive over the James River Bridge keeps Smithfield close for us. The price on a job here turns on how many inches are already in the attic, whether wet or dirty material has to come out first, how much gap sealing the house needs, how easy the attic or crawl space is to get into, and whether foam or loose fill makes sense. The schedule depends on whether anything, like a roof leak, has to be fixed first and whether the county wants a permit and inspection. I go over all of that with you in person and then write up the estimate so you can look it over.

Smithfield, VA properties and local conditions

Older Smithfield houses usually have little or nothing in the exterior walls, a few inches of old insulation in the attic that's packed down over the decades, and gaps around chimneys, pipes and the attic hatch where air moves freely. That's why those rooms feel drafty even with the heat running. We seal the gaps first, make sure the vents at the edge of the roof stay open, and fill the walls through small holes we patch, so the house holds its heat instead of leaking it.

Newer houses on the edges of Smithfield have a different problem. The attic insulation is often deep in the middle and thin at the edges, which is backward, and the room over the garage runs hot because its floor and the short walls along its sides got the least attention, so that's usually where we start.

Get a free insulation estimate for your Smithfield home

Send the form or call, and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Smithfield house myself, look at the attic, walls or crawl space with you and go over what I find. Then I write up the estimate so you can look it over, with no obligation.

How it goes when you call us about a Smithfield house

  1. Call or send a request

    Tell us your Smithfield address and what you're noticing, whether it's a hot upstairs, cold floors or a drafty room. We set the visit for a time you can be home, because I want you there when I look.

  2. Walk through the house together

    I check how many inches are in the attic, what's in the walls and what's under the floor, and I show you what I find as we go. You get a written estimate that lays out the options and what each one costs, so you can compare them without anyone pushing you.

  3. Fix problems and handle permits

    Anything that would undo the insulation, like a roof leak or wet old material, gets dealt with first. If the county calls for a permit, we apply for it as the contractor and set up the inspections.

  4. Do the work and walk through

    Our lead installer runs the crew, and I check in while the job is going on. When we're done, we walk you through what was done so you can see what's up there now.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to insulate an attic in Smithfield, VA?

It depends on the attic, so I give you a price after I've been up there with you. In older Smithfield houses, the gap sealing and any old, damp or dirty material can take as much work as the new insulation itself, and choosing spray foam over loose fill raises the price. The written estimate breaks those parts out so you can see where the money goes.

Do I need a permit to add insulation to my house in Smithfield?

Smithfield's zoning permit list covers work like new homes, additions, decks and sheds and doesn't name insulation, so the place to ask about your job is the county Permits Office at 757-365-6213, which can tell you whether it needs a building permit. Under the state building code, work that removes or adds walls or changes wiring or mechanical systems does need a permit, so a job that touches those is a different story.

What is the best way to insulate a crawl space in Smithfield?

Start with the ground, because insulation under a floor won't stay dry or stay in place when the crawl space is damp, and a lot of Smithfield crawl spaces are. We put a vapor barrier over the dirt first and deal with any water coming in, then insulate the floor above or the crawl space walls depending on how the space is built and vented. Doing it in that order is what keeps the new insulation working.

How long does attic insulation take, and do we have to leave the house?

How long we're up there depends mostly on how much sealing and cleanup the attic needs, and I'll tell you what to expect when I give you the estimate. With blown-in insulation, which is loose fill we blow in through a hose, you can usually stay home. With spray foam you'll need to be out until the re-entry time the foam maker sets, which is the wait before people and pets can come back in, and I'll give you that time before the day we spray.

Is spray foam worth the extra cost for a house in Smithfield?

Usually not for a plain attic, because sealing the gaps and topping up loose fill gets most houses where they need to be for less money. Foam costs more and seals air while it insulates, so it earns its price when your ductwork runs through the attic, since foaming the underside of the roof brings those ducts inside the insulated space. I'll tell you which one your house calls for and why.

Do you install insulation in Smithfield if you're based in Hampton?

Yes, we work in Smithfield and the cities around Hampton, including places that don't have their own page on this site. If you're not sure we cover your street, call (757) 367-8752 and ask.

Service areas

Explore the services

Hampton, VA

Tell us about your Smithfield house today

Call (757) 367-8752 or send the form with your address and what's bothering you, and I'll know which spaces to look at first when I come out.

Request a quote(757) 367-8752
(757) 367-8752Request a quote