I’m excited and anxious. I have spent winter in a house with a few very cold days thinking that if my furnace keeps running like it is at night, I am going to have to replace it sooner than later as well. I took some time before meeting with my professionals to research insulation and the results you can get from having a well insulated home.
Image Credit: Mandy Black
The first company shows up on Saturday afternoon. The representative explains what he is going to do, what the process will look like. He crawls all the way through my house in the attic and really gets a good idea of what he needs to do and then goes after the crawlspace. After he evaluates my house, he sits down with a binder full of information and starts to explain what issues he sees and the process to fix them. I’m impressed. This is far more than what I expected and I like this company already. They are thorough, prepared and detail oriented.
From the first appointment this is what I learn: I have three inches of insulation in my attic, my exterior walls have little to no insulation in them and my crawlspace is a constant stream of cold drafts.
The next company comes Monday morning. She asks about my last estimate and then gives me the bad news that they do not work with the rebates nor do they do air sealing, walls or crawlspace insulation. She offered to give me an estimate for the attic anyways so I have a comparable of some type even if not quite apples to apples and then gives me some tips and questions to ask through the process to make sure I will get taken care of.
The third and final appointment was a few days later. I was in a rush to get to work so it was a very quick appointment. He showed up, inspected the attic, checked out the crawlspace, took measurements and asked what I was looking for. I wasn’t thoroughly impressed with the appointment but the company had a lot of ratings and he was still able to offer me solutions to the projects I needed.
After I met with all of the companies, one was automatically weeded out since they were unable to meet all of my needs. The other two had one major difference on the wall insulation; one drilled holes in the drywall and one removed the siding to go through the exterior of the house.
I received both estimates back within 2 days. Both had rebate information and similar layouts but the company who went through the siding was substantially higher. Both companies followed up well and both had good reviews. I ended up choosing the company who went through the drywall. They had a more ratings and reviews and a better price.
My Advice:
Homeowners – Get an estimate from each company whether they call late or not. You need to try to compare apples to apples as much as possible but not everyone’s process is the same. Read the reviews, ask questions and ask yourself what you really want.
Service Professionals – Be on time to your appointment and if you are running late, call. Be thorough in your appointment and make sure you discuss what will go into your bid. Be prepared to answer questions and treat the homeowner (and any pets) with respect. Again, get ratings and reviews from your previous customers.
Author Bio: Mandy Black is the Online Customer Liaison for HomeAdvisor. Mandy has been a Colorado resident for 21 years. She recently purchased a foreclosure in Golden, CO where she has quickly become an expert in DIY projects.
