How to Help and What to Expect
The time it takes to weatherize your home will depend on its size and the amount of work that must be done. Typically, it’ll take about two days. Our team will give you a time estimate when you schedule the work.
Before
- Plan to be at home. The team lead for your project may need to discuss with you any issues that surface and will need your signature when the work is complete. If you need to leave during the project, we understand. But please be home when we arrive and when we’re ready to leave.
- Expect lots of noise and lots of dust. There’s no getting around it: Weatherization is messy and noisy work. But we do our best to control the dust, limit the noise and clean up after ourselves. If you have a fireplace, please don’t use it on the two days before the start of your project. Any ashes in your fireplace would blow out into your living space when we do a blower door test to assess your home’s air tightness.
- Clear the way. To help us work efficiently and to protect your belongings, please make sure we have easy access to the areas where we’ll be working – inside, outside or up in the attic. Clear away and cover items to protect them from dust. (If your home was built before 1978, we’ll take precautions to minimize exposure to lead paint. We’ll put plastic over the items in the rooms where we’re working, and if we work outside, we’ll cover nearby landscaping.) Also, please empty closets or built-in bookcases located against all walls where we’ll be working; vibrations from blowing insulation into the wall may sometimes cause items to fall. Lastly, we’ll need room for our vehicle, so please make sure there’s a space of approximately two car lengths in your driveway or in front of your house; we’ll need to bring in equipment and run a generator in our truck to power our equipment.
- Weather alert. If there is heavy rain, snow or high winds, we may not be able to work on exterior walls. If it looks like weather will be an issue for your project, we will try to contact you the day before the scheduled start.
During
- Ready . . . set . . . When your weatherization team arrives, the team leader will walk you through how the work will proceed and look for any potential challenges or risks. Once in a while, the team encounters circumstances that may need to be addressed before we can complete the work. For example, we always conduct health and safety tests to check the carbon monoxide (CO) level in your home. If the tests indicate a high CO level, we’ll need to figure out the cause and fix the problem before starting your weatherization work. If an issue arises, the team lead will discuss it with you.
- Go. Find an out-of-the-way room where it’s quiet (or at least a little less noisy) and dust-free.
After
- Getting comfortable. Your home has now been tightened, which means you’ll be more comfortable with much less draftiness in the winter and cooler temperatures indoors during the summer.
- Striking the right balance. With your home tightened, any moisture can accumulate and lead to problems like mold if it’s not properly ventilated. Using the vents in your bathroom and kitchen to draw out moisture generated in daily use should prevent problems. You may also want to use a dehumidifier, especially if you live near a body of water.
- Survey says? We want to know how we did and whether you were pleased with our work. Whether you’ve got a compliment or constructive feedback, please respond to the survey we’ll email you.
If you have any additional questions, please contact us.
