Building Envelope
Insulation & Air Sealing
A full envelope wrap — above grade, below grade, and the attic. Stop heating the outdoors for good.
Why it matters
The Foundation of Net Zero
You can't reach Net Zero in a leaky house. A full envelope wrap is what makes the rest of the system — solar, heat pump, EV charger — actually work as designed. It's not the cheapest upgrade, but it's the one that makes all the others possible.
Comfort You Feel Every Day
Cold walls, drafts, and uneven temperatures disappear. A properly wrapped house holds heat evenly from floor to ceiling — no cold corners, no condensation, no rooms you avoid in January.
Right-Sizes Every Other Upgrade
A tighter envelope means your heat pump and solar system can be sized smaller. You spend less on equipment — and the savings on those systems offset a meaningful portion of the envelope cost.
How the Work Gets Done
Energy Audit & Scope
A certified energy advisor performs a blower-door test and thermal imaging scan to map where your home is losing heat. We use this to build a prioritized scope across all three envelope zones.
Above-Grade Walls
We add 4–10" of continuous exterior insulation to above-grade walls — cellulose, mineral wool, or EIFS depending on your home's construction and finish goals. New cladding is installed over the insulation layer.
Below-Grade Foundation
We hydrovac to expose the foundation wall, then slip in 4" of XPS rigid insulation before backfilling. This eliminates the thermal bridging at the base of the wall that most insulation upgrades miss entirely.
Attic Air Sealing & Insulation
We air seal the attic floor with spray foam — closing every penetration, wire chase, and top plate gap — then add blown-in insulation on top. Air sealing first is what makes the insulation actually perform.
Post-Work Blower Door
We re-test after completion to confirm the improvement and provide your updated performance report. The numbers don't lie — you'll see exactly what changed.
What's Included
- Pre-work blower-door test and thermal imaging report
- Above-grade wall insulation: 4–10" continuous exterior (cellulose, mineral wool, or EIFS)
- New exterior cladding over insulation layer
- Below-grade foundation: hydrovac excavation + 4" XPS rigid insulation
- Attic air sealing with spray foam at all penetrations and top plates
- Attic insulation top-up with blown-in insulation
- Post-work blower-door test and written performance report
- 5-year workmanship warranty
Investment Range
$8,000 – $170,000 installed
Air sealing and attic work starts at $8,000. A full envelope wrap — above-grade re-cladding, below-grade XPS, and attic — ranges up to $170,000 for a complete transformation. Scope and pricing are determined after your energy audit. Written quote provided before any work begins.
What You're Really Buying
Comfort + Net Zero capability
The envelope is not the highest-ROI line item on a spreadsheet — it's the upgrade that makes everything else work. A well-sealed house holds heat, runs a smaller heat pump, needs less solar, and stays comfortable in a Calgary winter. That's the value.