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The best time to consider having any insulation work done to your home is in the springtime. This will keep the cost of insulating lower, because most contractors are not as busy and rates are often lowered. This will also allow you to benefit the summer savings, insulating will help lower your summer time electric bill. When winter rolls around again you will be all set to enjoy the warmth your house has because of the new insulation, while enjoying the savings of the heating bill.
There are two ways to insulate your home. You could do it by going to your local hardware store and buying all the materials and spending at least two days doing it properly. Or you could hire a professional contractor and hire him to insulate your home. If you do not know how to properly apply the material, this it is highly recommended to hire a Professional. This in the long run will be a lot less expensive than trying to do it yourself and failing to apply properly.
If you do decide to hire a professional then the first step is to contact two or three different contractors and receive estimates. You want to hire the medium priced contractor, because the highest contractor’s estimate includes extras that may not be needed and the lowest contractor’s estimate will more than likely be shortcut and you will end up paying higher prices for the extras that are not included on the estimate.
When you receive an estimate, the estimate should include the exact area to be insulated. The specific type and brand of product to be installed in each area, including the number of packages or bags that will be needed should also be listed. A very important measurement called the R-value, which is the resistance to heat loss of the product, must be listed on the estimate. Your estimate should have the total cost broken down for you by materials, labor, cleanup, service charges and taxes. If a contractor does not provide you with a reliable estimate, find another contractor.
When looking at your estimate remember the most common insulation products are mineral wool and cellulose. Both of these can be blown into the sidewalls of your home. Be sure the brand that the contractor is using carries the seal of Underwriters’ Laboratories, UL. Insist from your contractor written guarantees for claims concerning R-value, inflammability, moisture absorption, and shrinkage or settling, odor and soundproofing.
When a contractor is insulating an attic, a good contractor will provide proper ventilation above the attic insulation to prevent water condensation and moisture damage. Attic insulation should never be applied directly to the underside of the roof. A vapor barrier should be applied on the warm side of the insulation.
For sidewall insulation, holes for blowing the insulation in should be drilled between all studs and above and below every window. The contractor should drop a weighted string through each hole to check for obstacles in the wall. The holes should be drilled below an obstacle as well. Insist from your contractor a thermograph; this is a heat picture, to check the finished sidewall insulation. Many contractors use X-ray guns, but these do not give an accurate picture of the total insulation.
After the work has been completed before your contractor leaves, make sure you have the following, written guarantees of product claims. Above all else make sure you have a written guarantee of workmanship, including the contractor’s responsibility for any future damage caused by the insulation.
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