What is a thermal imaging inspection?

An infrared camera reads surface temperature instead of light. Missing insulation, moving air, wet drywall and overheating wiring all change surface temperature, so they appear as patterns on the image while staying completely invisible to your eye.

What does it cost in Los Angeles?

Most standalone home scans run $250–$700 depending on size, and it's free when we're already scoping insulation, HVAC, window or roofing work. If you hire us for the fix, the fee is credited back in full.

Can the camera see through walls?

No — and be careful with anyone who says it can. It reads the surface. What it detects is the temperature signature that missing insulation, a draft, a leak or a hot wire leaves on that surface.

How long does it take?

Ninety minutes to three hours for a typical home, including the attic, panel and exterior. You get the walkthrough the same visit and the written report within a day.

Do I need to be home?

We'd prefer it. The walkthrough at the end is where the value lands — seeing your own ceiling light up is more convincing than any PDF.

When is the best time to scan?

When inside and outside differ by at least 15–20°F. In LA that usually means early morning or late afternoon in summer, or a cool morning in winter. We schedule around it.

It finds the moisture that mold needs. If we flag a wet area, we confirm it with a moisture meter and tell you whether it needs a remediation specialist.

Is it worth it before buying a house?

Yes — it's the cheapest due diligence in the transaction. Standard inspections are visual, so hidden water, dead insulation and hot breakers routinely get missed.

Do you sell me work off the report?

We tell you what we found and what it would cost to fix. Plenty of reports come back saying your insulation is fine and the problem is a duct. You own the report either way.

Can you scan just one room?

Yes. If it's the one bedroom that's always hot, we'll scan that room and its attic and wall assemblies and quote from there.

Los Angeles • Thermal Imaging

See What The Walls Are Hiding.

Infrared scan of your Los Angeles home that finds missing insulation, air leaks, hidden moisture, overheating electrical and pest activity — no holes, no demo, written findings the same day.

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Thermal Imaging Inspection in Los Angeles by WOW Construction Group

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What's included

Your Thermal Imaging Options

Missing & Settled Insulation

Infrared shows exactly which bays are empty, which have slumped, and where the ceiling plane was never covered — so you insulate what needs it, not the whole house.

Air Leak Detection

Draft paths at top plates, can lights, attic hatches, rim joists and window frames show up as heat streaks the moment the camera sees them.

Hidden Moisture & Leaks

Slow plumbing leaks, roof intrusion and shower-pan failures read as cool wet patches behind tile and drywall — before you smell mold.

Electrical Hot Spots

Overloaded breakers, loose lugs and failing connections glow on the panel scan. This is the finding that occasionally prevents a fire.

HVAC & Duct Performance

Leaky, disconnected or uninsulated duct runs show up plainly, along with rooms the system was never really reaching.

Pest Activity

Rodent nests and bee colonies hold heat. If something is living in the wall, the camera usually finds it before you do.

Radiant & Solar Heat Gain

West-facing walls, single-pane glass and un-shaded roof planes ranked by how much heat they dump into the house each afternoon.

Pre-Purchase & Pre-Remodel Scan

Buying a house, or opening walls next month? Scan first so surprises land in the budget instead of the change order.

Lot to keys

How The Build Actually Goes

Six stages, no mystery. Most LA custom homes run 10–12 months from first lot walk to move-in, depending on city requirements.

Stage 01
Set The Baseline
We schedule when there's a real temperature difference inside to outside — that's what makes the image readable.
Stage 02
Interior Scan
Room by room: ceilings, exterior walls, floors, windows, wet walls and the panel.
Stage 03
Attic, Crawl & Exterior
Roof deck, ducts, sub-floor and the sunny elevations, where LA houses lose most of the fight.
Stage 04
Confirm The Findings
Moisture meter and manual checks on anything the camera flags, so nothing goes in the report as a guess.
Stage 05
Walkthrough
We show you the images on the spot and explain what matters, what can wait and what's cosmetic.
Stage 06
Written Report
Annotated infrared plus photos, ranked by priority, with ballpark costs for each fix.

The work, up close

Real Work, Real LA Homes

Not stock art. Actual projects our crews have delivered across Los Angeles.

Air leaking in at the wall-to-ceiling joint — invisible to the eye — Thermal Imaging Inspection by WOW Construction Group in Los Angeles — Air leaking in at the wall-to-ceiling joint — invisible to the eye

Bright stripes where insulation slipped between the joists — Thermal Imaging Inspection by WOW Construction Group in Los Angeles — Bright stripes where insulation slipped between the joists

A cool plume behind tile: a slow leak found before the mold — Thermal Imaging Inspection by WOW Construction Group in Los Angeles — A cool plume behind tile: a slow leak found before the mold

One breaker running hot — caught before it became a fire — Thermal Imaging Inspection by WOW Construction Group in Los Angeles — One breaker running hot — caught before it became a fire

Scanning room by room, exterior and attic included — Thermal Imaging Inspection by WOW Construction Group in Los Angeles — Scanning room by room, exterior and attic included

Findings walked through on the spot, photos and all — Thermal Imaging Inspection by WOW Construction Group in Los Angeles — Findings walked through on the spot, photos and all

Why bother

What You Get Out Of It

Non-invasive: no holes, no demo, nothing cut open to find the problem
Findings the same visit — we walk the images with you before we leave
Written report with annotated infrared and matching photos
Scope your insulation, HVAC or window work off evidence instead of a sales pitch
Catches electrical hot spots and hidden water long before they get expensive
Credited back in full if you move forward with the recommended work
Great for buyers: an extra layer of due diligence a standard inspection skips

Rebates & incentives

Money You Can Claim On This Job

These are live Los Angeles rebates that apply to this work — checked against the agency that actually pays them, August 5, 2026. We pull and close the permits that release them, and hand you the paperwork at no charge.

LADWP

Attic insulation

$0.50 per sq ft

For insulation above R-19 ($0.30 per sq ft at R-19 or below). The home must have air conditioning. One rebate per residence every fifteen years.

Official program page

LADWP Water

Home Energy Improvement Program

No cost

LADWP techs do an energy assessment and install efficiency measures directly. One per property.

Official program page

See every live LA rebate

Funding is limited and first come, first served. Not tax advice.

One scan found a leaking shower pan we had no idea about and a breaker running way too hot. That report paid for itself about ten times over.

Homeowner, Studio City

Ballpark budgets

What It Usually Runs

Real ranges from recent LA jobs so you know where you stand before we ever walk the yard. Your exact number comes from a site visit.

Free with a scoped project

Included whenever we're quoting insulation, HVAC, windows or roofing work.

Standalone scan — condo or small home

$250–$400

Up to roughly 1,500 sq ft, interior and attic, with the written report.

Standalone scan — full home

$400–$700

1,500–3,500 sq ft including attic, crawl space, panel and exterior elevations.

Estate & multi-unit

$700–$1,200

Larger properties, multiple buildings or a full unit-by-unit sweep.

Credited back

100%

The full scan fee comes off your invoice if you hire us for the recommended work.

FAQ

Questions People Actually Ask

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Proof is in the pink

The WOW Wall

Our best-looking work across every trade — kitchens, pools, facades, gardens. If it's on this wall, it got the pink stamp.

North Hollywood

Modern Detached ADU

Encino

Landscape Lighting & Evening Garden

Glendale

Hillside Terrace Deck

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Where we do this

Thermal Imaging Inspection across Los Angeles County

Thermal Imaging Inspection lives or dies on the local plan-check counter. Hillside ordinance in the Hills, historic overlays in Pasadena and Hancock Park, Coastal Commission on the Westside — we've run drawings through all of them.

Hollywood
Hollywood Hills
West Hollywood
Los Feliz
Pasadena
South Pasadena
Altadena
La Cañada Flintridge
Santa Monica
Venice
Pacific Palisades
Malibu

See our full coverage map →