Bolton, NC
6 miles east
Its NOAA station logs about 250 fewer heating degree days than Lake Waccamaw's; 448 people, about a third of Lake Waccamaw's population
Attic insulation in BoltonAttic Insulation in Lake Waccamaw, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Lake Waccamaw, NC, in Columbus County, plus removal and air sealing.
About Lake Waccamaw and Its Homes
Lake Waccamaw grew up on the lake's north shore as Flemington in the 1850s, took its present name about 1885 and was incorporated in 1911. Lumber, the railroad and summer visitors built the early town, with a lakeshore hotel, large homes and cottages.
Lake Waccamaw, in Columbus County, fell from 1,291 people in 2020 to 1,239 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 2.81 square miles. That makes Lake Waccamaw the fourth-largest town in Columbus County.
Lake Waccamaw has about 950 housing units, 4 percent of Columbus County's; about 70 percent of the town's households own their home.
Lake Waccamaw at a Glance
- County: Columbus County
- Population: 1,239 (2025), 1,291 (2020), down 4.0%
- Land area: 2.81 square miles (441 people each)
- Housing units: about 950 (±103)
- Median year built: 1977 (±3); Columbus County: 1982
- Owner-occupied: 70% (±8); Columbus County: 71%
- Detached houses: 86% (±3); Columbus County: 62%
- Attached houses: under 3%
- Apartments: 8% (±6)
- Mobile homes: 4% (±3)
- Climate zone: 3 on both maps
- ENERGY STAR target for Lake Waccamaw attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Lake Waccamaw, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Lake Waccamaw Homes and Their Attics
Lumber, Rail and Summer Visitors
A shingle business that grew into the North Carolina Lumber Company, and a tool maker that moved here in 1900, made a depot necessary, the depot's National Register nomination explains. From about 1910 the railroad ran summer excursion trains, a YMCA boys camp opened, and the Waccamaw Club was built. The town's own history adds that Lake Shore Drive was laid out along the water in 1911. Houses wired in those decades, before about 1930, may carry knob-and-tube circuits through the attic. Because ENERGY STAR warns that such wiring can start a fire where insulation covers it, an electrician decides what happens to it before we blow in anything.
Attic Insulation in Lake Waccamaw
About 30 percent of Lake Waccamaw's homes predate 1970; if your joists show above the insulation, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
Built from 1970 to 1989, about 45 percent of Lake Waccamaw homes may hold settled fiberglass; check its depth against the joists.
The Local Climate
Lake Waccamaw's center sits about 60 feet above sea level, 18 miles from NOAA's Whiteville 7 NW station, the best match for Lake Waccamaw. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 2,910 heating and 1,760 cooling degree days a year, so at Lake Waccamaw's station, heating needs outweigh cooling.
The state energy code marks Columbus County warm and humid.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
Some 86 percent of Lake Waccamaw housing units are detached single-family houses.
Built from 1940 to 1969, 25 percent of Lake Waccamaw homes often have little insulation.
About 55 percent of Lake Waccamaw's housing units predate 1980; nearly all predate the state's 1978 insulation rule too.
Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: 7% (±4), about 65 units
- 1940s: 1% (±1)
- 1950s: 15% (±5), about 140 units
- 1960s: 10% (±4), about 95 units
- 1970s: 24% (±7), about 230 units
- 1980s: 19% (±6), about 180 units
- 1990s: 13% (±5), about 125 units
- 2000s: 8% (±3), about 80 units
- 2010s: 3% (±2), about 30 units
- 2020 or later: under 1%
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Lake Waccamaw
In Whiteville, the nearest town to Lake Waccamaw with solid figures, about 86 percent of homes heat with electricity.
Air sealing comes first, as the EPA advises: wire and pipe holes, wall tops and soffits.
How Homes Here Are Heated
- Piped gas: 2% (±2), about 15 households
- Bottled or tank gas: 15% (±8), about 90 households
Power, Gas and Rebates
Duke Energy Progress serves most of Lake Waccamaw, Four County EMC its edges; your bill says which. For gas, Lake Waccamaw is in the Columbus County franchise of Piedmont Natural Gas, whose mains may not reach every street in Lake Waccamaw. Bottled or tank gas, bought by the delivery, heats about 15 percent of homes in Lake Waccamaw.
Rebate to check in Lake Waccamaw: Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy; Insulation Pros is an approved trade ally). Before a job in Lake Waccamaw, check its current terms; the Columbus County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Lake Waccamaw
In a Lake Waccamaw attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Lake Waccamaw attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Lake Waccamaw
Nearest to Lake Waccamaw first.
Whiteville, NC
11 miles west
Median home built 1971 (Lake Waccamaw: 1977); 4,765 people, about 4 times Lake Waccamaw's population
Attic insulation in WhitevilleEast Arcadia, NC
12 miles east
423 people, about a third of Lake Waccamaw's population
Attic insulation in East ArcadiaSandyfield, NC
12 miles east
450 people, about a third of Lake Waccamaw's population
Attic insulation in Sandyfield
Lake Waccamaw Insulation FAQs
Should I have my Lake Waccamaw attic checked after a hurricane like Florence?
Yes, if a tree or limb struck the roof or a ceiling stained afterward. The National Weather Service reported that Florence, in 2018, damaged most homes on the lake through falling trees, flooding or floating debris. Tree damage from the wind was heavy across the eastern end of the county. In ENERGY STAR guidance, insulation that is damp points to a roof leak. A roofer fixes the leak before anything else. Only then do we pull the wet material out with a vacuum and put new insulation in its place.
Does the listed depot mean the streets around it have historic rules?
No. The depot, built about 1900 and moved to a town lot in 1974, is listed on its own, not as part of a historic district. It is the only listing in town on the state's National Register list. The Historic Preservation Office's 2023 roster of local commissions shows none for Columbus County either. So no historic rules reach the attic of a house near the depot or anywhere else in town.
Could the old insulation in a Lake Waccamaw attic be vermiculite?
It could: about 23 percent of Lake Waccamaw's homes predate 1960. If a Lake Waccamaw attic holds a pebble-like gray-brown or silver-gold fill, leave it undisturbed: the EPA says vermiculite may contain asbestos.
Does attic insulation in Lake Waccamaw need a permit?
Lake Waccamaw Town Hall can say whether Columbus County Building Inspections, the town itself or another office handles permits in Lake Waccamaw; ask before work starts.
Helpful Guides
- Columbus County is warm and humid by the state energy code: attic condensation and mold and attic ventilation
- Power from Duke Energy Progress: high summer electric bills and home energy audits
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Lake Waccamaw, NOAA normals for the Whiteville 7 NW station, Duke Energy Progress (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Lake Waccamaw notes and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- Lake Waccamaw, in The North Carolina Gazetteer (William S. Powell, 2nd ed., UNC Press 2010), NCpedia
- Columbus County Architectural Survey, 1998, reconnaissance survey report (listed by the NC HPO as the Columbus County Reconnaissance Survey)
- Lake Waccamaw Depot, National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- The History of Lake Waccamaw, Town of Lake Waccamaw
- Attic Insulation Project, ENERGY STAR
- Hurricane Florence, September 2018, event summary, National Weather Service Wilmington, North Carolina
- NC Listings in the National Register of Historic Places, NC State Historic Preservation Office
- Historic Preservation Commission Staff in North Carolina, listed by county, as of 2/20/2023 (NC HPO)
Lake Waccamaw, NC
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Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Lake Waccamaw and the rest of Columbus County included.
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Send the square footage of your Lake Waccamaw attic, or call (336) 870-3893.