Building Doctors

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The work starts with an energy audit of the home, review of electric and gas bills and such. then Dan does an interesting demonstration of what he is going to do. He as a machine that 'looks' through the walls and the ceiling with infrared and determines where the house is losing heat. anywhere it's losing heat it's also losing the power to keep you cool. the second demonstration he does is he closes all the doors and windows and attaches a plastic seal to the only open door. The seal has a fan embedded in it and he measures the cubic feet of air that can pass through the house when all the doors and windows are closed. the more air that can move through the house, the worse the home is insulated. alot of heat is lost through the knee joints that join the walls to the attic. failure to seal these knee joints is just part of construction practices depending on when your home was built. but a quick sense of how bad this problem might be is to hold your hand up to any outlet in your home and see if you feel a draft. it's most noticeable on a cold night. all those outlets are openings into your walls that shoot straight up to the attic and to the outdoors. It's also a test of whether there are breaks in your ductwork which can happen due to age, wear and tear or the occasional vermin that get into your attic and whose tiny claws raise havoc over time with duct work. after all the tests are done, Dan recommends what is the best solution, outlines the cost, the tax credits, the timing and the estimated annual savings off of your utilities. It's important to remember that the utilities charge you a premium the more energy you use, so as you increase your kilowatt hours or your therms, you actually pay a higher price for the added energy. It's like an escalating cost, so even reducing the energy useage by say 10% can translate into a higher than 10% savings on your actual cost out of pocket. since for most residences these are 'after tax' dollars you are spending think of the 'pre-tax' dollars you must earn to pay the after tax dollars of the electric bill and then realize that saving 10% on your energy can translate into a $40% dollar 'pre-tax' that you have to EARN to pay that bill. Energy savings is really a good deal. Go for it.

The technician arrived on time and checked the levels of carbon monoxide emitted by my combustion devices, checked the walls, attic and crawlspace to check the presence/condition of insulation, reviewed my utility bills to determine energy consumptions, did a blower door test to check the level of air leakage, identified several safety hazards like excess carbon monoxide emitted by the stove and the absence of an earthquake shut-off valve for the gas meter. Basically the technician then measured the dimensions of the house to create a computer model and a report was generated that included all of these findings as well as some suggested upgrades that would improve efficiency/comfort. Overall I feel like I have a much better understanding of my home. Well worth it. I gave a B in responsiveness only because of some minor communication difficulties/delays.

From the very beginning, my husband and I were impressed with the professionalism and expertise of Building Doctor's owner and founder, Dan Tompson. He was always available to answer our numerous questions prior to doing work and during the energy improvements. No hassle, no fuss and lots of help and information on the many available state, local and federal rebates. Dan helped us customize a plan that was cost effective and which resulted in an overall energy improvement of over 40%! Calling Building Doctors was the best investment we have made in the comfort, livability and value of our home. We are saving $ on utility bills too! It is obvious that Dan's team at Building Doctors was chosen with care. Everyone was prompt, courteous and hard working. The team worked tirelessly and educated us throughout the process. For three days our house was under Building Doctors intensive care and at the end of those three days we were amazed at the remarkable improvement to our home. Prior to the insulation and energy improvements, our home was sweltering hot in the summer- the walls on the west side of our house would radiate heat for hours after sunset. After the improvements, which included wall insulation, these same walls are cool to the touch while it was over 100 degrees outside. Our home is cleaner (less dust), cooler and better all-around. It is like it has been given a new bill of health! If we get solar panels we will be calling Dan. I am sending my parents, friends and co-workers to Dan for their energy needs. Quite frankly, I think Dan is the Man and Building Doctors is the Best. I just can't imagine any other company even coming close to meeting the quality of our experience.

Overall, they did a great job. Dan and his team are very competent and know what they are doing. After a first energy audit they suggested a "big" work plan that turned out to be too expensive for us. Dan tried to convince us but not in a pushy way, rather making good point why it would make sense to change our heating system, too. The actual work was done in about 4 days and most of his employees worked great--one exception was one "apprentice" who screwed up the plastering. But his colleagues noticed and fixed it immediately. The work was done fast and efficient and after half a year it turned out that the promised energy savings had really happened. A few minor glitches were: There was an issue with asbestos at one of our old registers. They noticed it only after they did their blower test (but then we had used that register for 2 years without knowing--so, one more time is not a big deal) It always took a little bit longer than promised to get a reply from Dan. But when he replied he took the time to explain everything in a very understandable way. The installation of the bathroom fan and heater wasn't done with a dedicated power line. So now we have to choose between running the microwave OR the bathroom heater. The handling of energy upgrade California rebates was an extremely cumbersome process (but the Building Doctors are not to blame for that, actually Dan did everything he could to maximize our rebate check). I would recommend the Building Doctors to everyone. The most pleasant experience with a contractor I have had so far. PS: After Dan read this review he got in contact with me and send out two electricians to fix the problem with the dedicated power line. Great service! Thanks!

Their price was pretty expensive. Their work was of very good quality. They have a very good and experienced crew. They were very punctual and on time. They were very professional. I would highly recommend them.

I wanted to put in a very efficient new water heater before my old water heater (12 years old) failed. Due to some constraints in our set up (we live in a condo) we were unable to put in a tank-less heater. However, I found that there are tank heaters that are just as efficient as the tankless (90% efficient), so I picked one of those. I called Building Doctors because they specialize in efficiency. Dan was very friendly and said the job would be no problem. Dan seemed very busy and also a little spacey, so it was somewhat difficult to get a hold of him and schedule with him. Once we did schedule, his guys (and Dan) spent more than eight hours trying to get the water heater into the space and could not do it. I then found myself in the situation I had hoped to avoid: no water heater and desperate to get the first thing available.We ended up putting in a new water heater that was almost exactly like the old, but a tiny bit more efficient. Dan was very friendly about this whole thing and never tried to make me feel bad or wiggle out of the original contract. I?m sure he must have lost money on the job because his guys spent way more time than they expected to when he gave the original quote.The problem here was a combination of a specialty product that they don't install very much, and the water heater closet in my condo is smaller than the they probably see in single-family homes. Nonetheless, the problems could have been avoided if Dan were more detail-oriented and had done careful measurements when he came to do the estimate and then compared those against the specifications on the water heater. So, if you have a relatively straightforward installation Dan is very nice and his guys are very competent. If you have something more complicated or a constrained space, I still recommend use Building Doctors, but be careful to do all the due diligence yourself.

As for the attic job, these guys were amazing! They brought all the right equipment and tools (some of which we've never seen). They had (and shared) valuable information about efficiency issues that was stunningly well-researched. These guys are just full of modern, energy-conserving facts and statistics -- and they have the ability to make them all happen in your home if want. They were all so polite, articulate, professional (but personable) and level-headed. They made sure to prep and cordon off the interior of the house so that a minimum amount of dirt and dust made its way into the living areas. Every day, they cleaned up whatever there was to clean up. They didn't play loud music. Nobody even came close to putting his foot through the plaster ceiling (something that is actually very easy to do up there). Nobody complained about the cramped crawling (with heir faces inches away from the rat droppings), the heat or the ripped clothing/skin from the conduit nails. The miserable rat droppings were everywhere to start -- and entirely gone when the job was done. With 4 guys, sweating like horses, wearing all manner of gear and traipsing through the house for 6 or 7 days, nothing was broken, damaged or put out of place. Every step of the way, The Building Doctors' employees were exceptionally thorough. They assisted us with understanding what rebates and tax credits we were eligible for (which effectively reduced the cost of the job for us), and they also assisted us with locating the appropriate forms. The attic is now a delight to look at it. It doesn't smell. Most importantly, the house stays regularly and appreciably cooler inside when it's hot outside. On several occasions in the spring and the fall, we have gone outside in the morning wearing light jackets, thinking it must be cold -- only to discover that it was actually warm outside and comfortably cool inside. Similarly, we're not using the furnace as much when it's cold outside, because the heat is staying in the living area instead of escaping into the attic. As for repairing the HVAC ducting hoses in the basement, even though this was a much smaller job, we had an identical experience as with the attic. The Building Doctors' work ethic, their ability to deliver exactly the job promised and their skill at doing their work professionally, efficiently and cleanly is unmatched with any of the tradespeople we've ever had in our home. We're trying to figure out when to bite the bullet and replace the whole HVAC system in the basement, and The Building Doctors helped us figure out what to do now and what to do later. There was no effort to persuade to do more than what we really need right now. You can't go wrong with these guys.

Took a long time, but worked with them to figure out exactly what we wanted to do.

Dan and his crew did a fantastic job from start to finish. As an engineer myself, who tends to be quite picky on "how things should be done", I can say that the quality of their work and the materials they use are top notch. This is the second project I've worked with Dan on, and I am continually impressed. They are also a pleasure to work with. If you are interested in "greening up" your home and you want it done right and for a very reasonable price, these are, without question, the guys you want to hire.

The price seemed fair. They came to the house twice. We spent time on the phone several times. My interaction with them was good. We are just trying to decide which company we trust more. It took a long time to get the original quote.

I originally hired Building Doctors to conduct a comprehensive home energy audit and complete a HERS (Home Energy Rating System Report) on our 1930?s spanish house. Dan immediately impressed me with both his extensive knowledge in the field and his professionalism and responsiveness. Dan is a very well educated guy ? I believe he holds a Master?s Degree in a related field ? and he is well plugged into the building science industry and the latest movements within the field, so it?s a great deal of fun talking with him about home energy efficiency. Prior to the audit, we discussed in detail the entire process, the likely ROI on a range of possible efficiency improvements, and my goals for the auditing process. After these discussions, I was convinced that this was the right company for the job, and we scheduled the audit for a few weeks out. He and his team arrived on time and did a super job. He was careful to wear little slippers whenever he was walking through the house ? a real nice touch, and something that most contractors can?t be bothered to do. Shortly after the audit, we received a very comprehensive report detailing the results of his analysis and his suggestions for cost-effective efficiency improvements. We decided to follow several of his suggested improvements, and as he is a licensed GC, it was a turn-key operation for him to do the work. Like his energy audit, Dan did a super job with the improvements. We had him air-seal our home, install a bathroom fan, and in the near future, we are going to have his group insulate our attic and our walls. So, in summary, I couldn?t be happier with the Building Doctors. These guys are smart, capable, knowledgeable, friendly, not at all pushy, prices are more than fair, and they do a great job. Couldn?t ask for anything more?